So far as torches are concerned, the Mini-Maglite wins for me. While they’re not the cheapest on the market, they’re robust and reliable. What you loose in the initial purchase cost may well be saved over time with fewer replacements being required. I’ve had mine for well over ten years and, apart from replacing batteries and two bulbs, have had no trouble with it. You can buy a separate filter kit which allows you to put a red filter on it. One tip I had a few years ago from an RAF officer was not to bother with the rubber filter carrier, but to unscrew the front of the torch, remove the plain lens and replace it with the red filter. It doesn’t add bulk to the torch then.
So far as reflective vests are concerned, you may be better off either asking the Australian regulator (CASA?) or approaching a nearby airport for guidance as to what’s acceptable in Australia. In the UK (in fact, in the EU as a whole) there is an EU wide standard. In the UK this is incorporated into a British Standard (
BS EN471:1994 High Visibility Warning Clothing). This is available from the British Standards Institute (doubtless at high cost) but a useful summary is available at
http://www.streetworks.fsnet.co.uk/en471.htm. This website seems to be aimed at the road maintenance industry. On every GA aerodrome I’ve visited in the UK, where high visibility clothing is a requirement, then vests meeting the requirements of BS EN471: 1994 Class Two have been satisfactory. I’ve never seen an orange vest in use on an aerodrome. Most people use yellow vests. The Health and Safety Executive also produce an information sheet on high visibility clothing for airport workers. For those who are interested, this is at
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/apis1.htm.
P