Gear Review: Alcott Essential Visibility Dog Vest

Robin is a product ambassador for Alcott, so we received this vest at a significant discount.  It retails for $18.99 to $21.99 in sizes Small through Large.

Robin's medium brown color blends perfectly with the reddish dirt and dry foliage of Southern California, so I like to put him in a bright bandana or vest to make it easier to keep track of him and make him visible to others. This particular vest by Alcott is a brilliant fluorescent orange that leans a tiny bit pinkish, and has reflective trim and piping for nighttime visibility.  It also comes in highlighter yellow. 

Fit: 4/5. The vest has a flat nylon body and fastens with elastic chest and belly straps and lightweight black buckles. Robin at 18.5" girth is about the maximum size for the Small. The vest itself is cut to end about 3/4 of the way down the back but comes most of the way down his sides, which I find to be a good compromise between visibility and mobility. Robin isn't bothered by the vest, but even so I'd prefer that it had more of a Y-shape chest harness (no buckle needed) rather than a strap straight across the front legs.  

Robin leaping through the mountain scrub, totally unhindered by his vest

Design: 5/5. The body of the vest is made of three flat sections of flexible medium weight nylon, separated by reflective piping and edged in reflective trim. The elastic straps and plastic buckles make it quick to put on, and I appreciate the absence of velcro. It's lined in orange mesh and has a reflective Alcott character logo on each shoulder. Overall, the styling of the body is very nice with a sporty, slim cut. It's my favorite design out of all the major-brand visibility vests I've considered- Ruffwear was long and a bit heavy duty for a small dog, Kurgo while amazingly lightweight was unflatteringly baggy around the ribcage, his mesh Petco vest had velcro and tended to flop to the side, and Hurtta abruptly cuts the body in half.

Robin staying visible at dusk

Finishing: 3/5.  Unfortunately, the vest isn't finished with quite as much polish as it deserves.  The harness hole and the strap/vest attachment points at the chest have unfinished edges on the inside. The seam on the right-shoulder reflective piping is missing a few stitches and will probably need to be resewn eventually. And I was immediately disappointed by the fact that the packaging put pinprick holes in the back of the vest. However, from the outside the vest is well-finished and looks nice.  The straps are sewn on sturdily, the piping is even, and the reflective trim creates a nice finished edge.  

Underside

Durability: 4/5. Aside slight pilling on the mesh liner, the vest looks virtually new after a summer of use with zero wear to the reflectors or the nylon shell.  Neither the unfinished edges on the inside nor the holes from the packaging have frayed or gotten larger.  I suspect that the body of the vest will outlast the elastic belly band, since it's getting a little wavy on the edges as it loses some elasticity.

Out on the town in the Alcott vest

Overall: 4/5. I really like the cut and color of the vest and I would likely buy another if this one got lost.  It's very flattering on Robin, highly visible, and doesn't get in his way. I do hope that Alcott steps up their finishing a notch and also finds a better packaging solution to keep the vests intact!

Takeaways: 
Good for: Hiking, biking, neighborhood walks, nighttime and daytime visibility
Not ideal for: Extremely hot weather (find a mesh vest instead).