High Vis: Bike Bags Glow In The Dark

In an effort to make cyclists more visible when riding at night, San Fran’s Rickshaw Bagworks has a new messenger bag that literally glows. Made with a reflective “Ultra-Glo” material, the bag’s outer fabric employs millions of embedded microscopic glass beads that bounce light.

The result is a bag that changes color in the night when touched by car headlights. Much like road signs and reflective vests worn by highway workers, even a tiny ray of light engages the glass beads to make the messenger bag — and its wearer! — pop off a canvas of black.

The bag is a limited edition make called the Reflective Medium Zero. Its glow-ready exterior is a polyester and inside it’s a Cordura nylon. It has a waterproof liner and comes in silver or orange for $120. Made in the USA.

—Stephen Regenold