Surveyor’s vests are designed with two main features in mind.
The first, and most important feature is visibility.
Not only do surveyors update boundary or property lines and prepare sites for construction, they also collect data relevant for the purposes of engineering and mapmaking.
Whether a surveyor is working in a busy city, or out in an open field, it’s important that they remain visible at all times.
Surveyors’ vests are made with bright neon colors and reflective, or retroreflective striping to ensure they are easily seen.
The second feature of a surveyors’ vest is functionality.
Surveyors’ vests are often equipped with pockets of various sizes, placed in optimal locations on the vest for ease of use. These include inner and outer pockets, compartmentalized pockets for writing utensils, and also very wide pockets for documentation storage.
Some vests also feature clips for lanyards or keys, and specialized pockets for cell phones, or radios.
A surveyors’ vest is not only an essential item for surveyors, they are also popular with contractors, public safety officials and anyone else who finds them useful.