Brooks Men’s Nightlife Infiniti 1/2 Zip

Once in a while I hear about running accidents that take place in the dark, when the driver is simply unable to see the runner in pitch-black conditions. News like this worries me because I run mostly on streets. I also spend a significant amount of time running after sunset and before sunrise – yet it isn’t until recently when I start to consider making myself more visible to others on the road. Of all the long-sleeve tops I own, there is one that stands out by a huge margin in serving this exact purpose. My recent purchase of Brooks Men’s Nightlife Infiniti 1/2 Zip turns out to be an excellent addition to my arsenal for night-time running in winter.

Front view taken from runningwarehouse.com

Materials and Construction

As advertised, the moisture-wicking fabric (Brooks Shelter – Vapor-Dry Plus) of this shirt is made of 94% polyester and 6% spandex. I find this material thicker and heavier than that of my Brooks Men’s Podium 1/2 II from Brooks Equilibrium line. For this specific model, the Brooks Shelter material comes in two different colors – bright yellow for the most part and small patches of black as accents. Flat-lock seams are found on all of the stitchings to provide comfort and eliminate chafing. Additionally I’d like to point out several other features worth noting:

• 9″ front lock-down, reflective zipper with inner storm guard and zipper garage
• Double layer collar
• Extra-length, articulated sleeves with thumbholes
• 4″ x 5″ front-left hip pocket with zipper
• 3M™ Scotchlite™ reflective stripes and logos on chest, sides, and upper back

I ordered this shirt from runningwarehouse.com. There appears to be some minor cosmetic differences between the ones shown on Brooks website and runningwarehouse.com. Perhaps this is due to different versions or other factors I am unaware of – although the model number is exact the same on both websites. Other than the black stripes on the sleeves, my assumption is that there is no functional difference.

The reflective lining around the zipper is

hard to see from this picture

Thumbhole on sleeve

Sizing

The semi-fitted cut and construction feel true to size. The shirt hugs the body well, yet doesn’t feel restrictive or limit movement.  But compared to my other Brooks shirts in the same size, this one is slightly roomier. However I do not consider the sizing problematic because I intend to layer inside of it. I plan to wear up to two more layer in addition to this Nightlife top as an outer layer in frigid winter nights.

Performance

I took this shirt out for a spin a few nights ago – and the results were quite pleasing. During an easy run in the low 40s with 10~15 mph wind, I had a long-sleeve base layer under the Nightlife top. Albeit not wind-proof, this shirt was  capable of keeping me warm and dry, at the same time allowing me to be seen by motorists. Among all the running tops in my wardrobe, this particular shirt offers an unparalleled glow-in-the-dark visibility, figuratively speaking. Wearing this, I felt like I could probably be spotted by astronauts from outer space. It is that bright; and it screams “look at me” to in all directions.

Final Thoughts

Brooks Men’s Nightlife Infiniti 1/2 Zip is an exceptional product made with the best of intentions for runners. Like every Brooks product I own, this long-sleeve top more than satisfies my expectations: from Brooks’ honest description on its website, to the superb quality and craftsmanship I’ve tried and tested time and again. This is the first item I purchased in the Nightlife collection – and most certainly not the last. Although I won’t be able to conduct any comprehensive testing on the visibility aspect of this shirt, I assume it’s functional, as long as I’m still running and posting (knock on wood). With this said, I’d like to remind my fellow runners that no matter how visible you think you are, it is always your best bet to pretend that nobody can see you at night.  Being a defensive and wary runner at all times – night and day – is the only way to run safe.

Author Bio: Kevin Lu is an engineer, currently working in the field of orthopedic devices. He received his B.S. and M.S. in biomedical engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology. Science, technology, and running are Kevin’s passions. In his spare time, Kevin trains for and participates in races of various distances. In addition to Beyond Distance, Kevin also writes for iRunnerBlog as a contributing tech columnist. Find out more about Kevin here and follow him on Twitter.