Hi Vis - Difference Between Yellow and Orange

[Psamathe]

Called in to get myself a new hi-vis waistcoat today - wanted orange as I only wear it sometimes in winter and yellow merges in well with the oil seed rape. And I asked the guy what the difference was - and apparently (apart from some sites requiring one or other colour) he said that the orange does not attract insects (whereas the yellow does). No idea if it is true - just repeating what the guy in the safety wear shop said.

I was buying orange anyway and at £4-50 I doubt I was getting any "sales spiel".

Ian

[tatanab]

My club tops are primarily yellow and they certainly attract insects, normally only a problem when stationary. I too have an orange waistcoat, in the car, just to be different to the sea of yellow.

[landsurfer]

Railway Group Standards specify orange ... it's the insects..... and combined with 3M reflective orange is easier to see in the dark.

[Bmblbzzz]

Orange makes you look like a railway worker, yellow like a council employee. Or to be a little bit more serious, I've heard two reasons given why railways use orange not yellow: it contrasts better with the ballast (grey-brown) and vegetation that form the typical railway background, and it cannot be confused with any railway signal aspect.

[landsurfer]

However .... it's still the Railway Group Standard.
Railway Group Standard. GO/RT3279.

[Psamathe]

Royal Mail uses orange.

So do all the fields of Oil Seed Rape around where I cycle (hence my move of orange on days where I wear hi-vis).

Ian

[rualexander]

I think orange is a better colour in a rural environment as it's more of a contrast from the surrounding greenery than yellow/green hi-viz.
In an urban environment either colour works well but yellow/green maybe slightly better.
I use a Polaris RBS gilet which has both colours, http://www.polaris-bikewear.co.uk/RBS-W ... 1458-p.htm

[Cyril Haearn]

Maybe the best would be orange AND yellow with black and white checkered squares so one looks like a cop

[freeflow]

A robust pink/magenta is even better but that possibly has gender issues against it.

[landsurfer]

A robust pink/magenta is even better but that possibly has gender issues against it.

"Pink Stinks" ....

[Boring_Username]

he said that the orange does not attract insects (whereas the yellow does)

Enjoy your orange waistcoat but I suspect that the existence of orange flowers means that orange attracts at least some insects!

[Tangled Metal]

Called in to get myself a new hi-vis waistcoat today - wanted orange as I only wear it sometimes in winter and yellow merges in well with the oil seed rape. And I asked the guy what the difference was - and apparently (apart from some sites requiring one or other colour) he said that the orange does not attract insects (whereas the yellow does). No idea if it is true - just repeating what the guy in the safety wear shop said.

I was buying orange anyway and at £4-50 I doubt I was getting any "sales spiel".

Ian

Only wear it in winter, does oilseed rape flower in winter round your way?

Back in my kayaking days i used to help with a river based training course. After the session our boats would be left by the river while we got changed. Coming back for the boats we noticed that only the yellow boats had flies on them. One was particularly covered. It is an attraction to the colour yellow.

BTW for about £4.50 or even less you can get a wide range of colours. even put writing on it. Other suppliers are available.

https://www.hivis.co.uk/hi-visibility/hi-vis-vests/coloured-hi-vis-vests.html

[Tangled Metal]

he said that the orange does not attract insects (whereas the yellow does)

Enjoy your orange waistcoat but I suspect that the existence of orange flowers means that orange attracts at least some insects!

I suspect it's more a case of preferring yellow. If yellow and orange are next to each other you'll get more bugs on the yellow. Doesn't mean you'll get none on orange just less.

From my experience with coloured boats by rivers (lots of flies around rivers) yellow attracts most then orange. Red, also a flower colour, gets very little and blue not many at all. Trust me we've had conversations about this matter sat by our boats on a river bank or two or three... Well trust me as a kayaker it's been well discussed and studied. We can be a strange bunch at times, same as cyclists really. BTW you get some interesting colour mixtures for boats, but from memory only the single colour yellow boats get the fly attraction thing going on.

[elmo]

My jacket is orange and yellow. Just off to inspect which part of the jacket has the most dead insects stuck to it.

[Heltor Chasca]

I only wear hi-viz at night. And it's the reflective strips that seem to help. All unfounded evidence of course. If it's a dull day I use blinkies.

Work as a self employed gardener is different though only because of my life assurance and critical illness policy. I am pretty much forced into wearing yellow tabards to please the pen pushers. In my experience it doesn't make an iota of difference. I have much worse experiences strimming roadside properties than on my bike any day.