What Is RECCO? The Rescue Reflector in Your Ski Jacket, Explained

RECCO is a two-part rescue system: a small passive reflector built into your ski jacket, pants and helmet, and a detector carried by professional rescue teams that picks up that reflector through snow. It needs no battery and no switching on, but it is not a substitute for an avalanche transceiver, because only organised rescuers carry detectors. On Coveti, several Perfect Moment pieces in the women’s skiwear edit have it built in, including the High-Waist Aurora Flare Ski Pant in Black; here is how it works and where to find it.

What Is RECCO, Exactly?

RECCO is a search technology that makes you findable by professional rescuers. The company behind it, RECCO AB of Sweden, describes two parts. The rescuer carries an active detector. You carry a passive reflector, usually sewn into a garment, clipped to a boot and fixed to a helmet.

The name is everywhere on ski labels, which is why searches for it are so high. “RECCO” alone draws about 110,000 searches a month worldwide, though much of that is people looking for the company and its app. The explainer questions are smaller and more telling: “recco reflector” at about 5,400 a month, “recco ski jacket” at about 1,000 and “what is recco” at about 390. Interest is strongest in the US, the UK and Canada on Google Ads, and clickstream data shows heavy use in Italy, Germany, France and Japan.

How Does a RECCO Reflector Work?

RECCO compares the detector to a flashlight beam. The rescuer sweeps a directional radar signal across the slope. When that signal hits a reflector, it is echoed back, and the detector turns the echo into a tone. The tone gets stronger as the rescuer gets closer, so they can narrow the search down to a spot.

Because the reflector only bounces the signal back, it has no battery, no on switch and nothing to charge. RECCO says it does not age and does not wear out with normal use. You will never know it is there, which is both its strength and the reason people forget what it can and cannot do.

Handheld and helicopter detectors

There are two kinds of detector. The handheld unit is used by ski patrols and mountain rescue teams on the ground. The SAR helicopter detector hangs below a helicopter and, according to RECCO, searches a corridor up to 100 m wide at speeds up to 100 km/h, covering about 1 square kilometre in roughly six minutes in ideal conditions. That makes it useful well beyond avalanches, for a skier lost off-piste and a hiker missing in summer.

RECCO vs an Avalanche Transceiver

This is the part that matters most. A RECCO reflector is not an avalanche transceiver, and RECCO itself calls the reflector “an additional safety tool”. The difference comes down to who can search for you.

In a burial, the first minutes count, and the people closest to you are your group. A transceiver, a shovel and a probe let them start digging at once. A RECCO reflector helps when professionals take over, and when you are not carrying a transceiver at all. If you ski off-piste, carry the full kit and take an avalanche course. Treat RECCO as a layer on top of that, never as a replacement. Tell your group you are wearing it, so they can pass that on to rescuers.

Which Coveti Pieces Have RECCO?

We checked the product details of every Perfect Moment piece Coveti stocks. These are the styles whose details list integrated RECCO technology. RECCO is listed by colourway, so check the product page before you buy: the same style can appear in one colourway with it and another without.

The jackets

The Metallic Polar Flare Down Jacket in Wine pairs the brand’s cropped, flared Polar Flare shape with “integrated RECCO rescue technology”, 10K waterproof fabric and a helmet-compatible hood. The JG Down Ski Jacket in Red is the retro colour-block option with a removable belt. For a looser fit, the Moment Puffer in Black sits just above the hip and is “fitted with RECCO”. The Solaris Ski Jacket in Black has power shoulders and batwing sleeves.

One note: in the product details we hold, the classic Polar Flare Down Jacket colourways do not list RECCO, while the Metallic Polar Flare does. The Moment Puffer in Red does not list it. If RECCO matters to you, choose from the table above. For the wider jacket edit, see the ski jackets category and our best women’s ski jackets guide.

The pants and suit

Jacket and pants each carry their own reflector, so a RECCO pant is worth having even when your jacket has none. The High-Tech Ski Pant in Black is the brand’s most technical pant. The High-Waist Aurora Flare, covered in depth in our Aurora ski pants guide, lists RECCO in six colourways. The Polar Flare Down Ski Suit in Oyster Pink puts it into a one-piece.

Where Is the Reflector, and Can You Add One?

In clothing, the reflector is sewn in by the maker, so there is nothing to fit. If your kit has none, RECCO sells attachable reflectors for helmets, boots and backpacks, along with a belt with two reflectors. RECCO advises against putting a loose reflector in a pocket, since that can hurt performance.

Do You Need RECCO?

For most resort skiers, RECCO is a sensible, no-maintenance extra: you never charge it, and it works in the background on every run. It does not change how you dress, so pick the jacket and pant you like first. Our guides to layering for skiing and waterproof ratings cover the other specs worth reading on a label.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is RECCO on a ski jacket?

RECCO on a ski jacket means a small passive reflector is sewn into the garment. Professional rescuers with a RECCO detector can pick up its echo to locate you. It needs no battery and works without you doing anything.

Does RECCO replace an avalanche transceiver?

No. RECCO calls the reflector an additional safety tool. A transceiver lets your companions find you straight away, while RECCO only helps once professional rescuers with a detector arrive. Off-piste, carry a transceiver, shovel and probe as well.

How far can a RECCO detector find a reflector?

RECCO says its handheld detector reaches up to 80 m through air and 20 m through packed snow, with a practical range of about 30 m on avalanche debris. Its helicopter detector searches a corridor up to 100 m wide from the air.

Which Perfect Moment pieces have RECCO?

On Coveti, RECCO is listed on the High-Tech Ski Pant, the High-Waist Aurora Flare Ski Pant in six colourways, the Metallic Polar Flare, the JG Down Ski Jacket, the Moment Puffer in Black and White, the Solaris Ski Jacket and the Polar Flare Down Ski Suit. It is listed colourway by colourway, so check each product page.

Does a RECCO reflector need batteries?

No. The reflector is passive, made of a diode and an antenna, and has no power source. RECCO says it is designed to last a lifetime unless it is physically damaged.