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Cooling Vest

Ha Ha ! I think all who live south of I-40 (and some ways north of it) are probably thinking about a cooling vest. I am.

My work is only 5-7 miles depending on which way I go . I can wet my T-shirt and it works well for about 5 miles.

I imagine those cooling vests work as they should.
 
The wet vests are adequate in Vegas as long as you don't have too far to go....or get stopped too long. Mine is fine, but I got stuck on the 95 behind a fatality accident and was stuck on the concrete for 1 1/2 hours at 110 degrees; it was 130 up there on the road.....I don't thread so I sat there. When I finally got home I hit a cold shower and laid down for about an hour, lol. Another survival story. Keep moving and keep it wet through and it's good tho.

-D
 
They do work with a couple of caveats: they need moving air and do they best in low humidity. I never use mine in the humid southeast US but on my trip across the desert southwest it worked like a treat. To travel with it I keep it in a large heavy duty zip lock bag which also serves as a water reservoir to recharge it.
 
get yaself one of dees it'll keep ya cool.

rab-c-nesbitt.jpg
 
My buddy and I picked up some "cool collars" , a neck tie thing with gel beads ....you soak it in ice water for a while and then tie it around your neck. We used them on our BC trip (+38C) last week and they worked pretty well !!!
 
+1 on the evaporative vests. They work pretty well, but only for a couple hundred miles before needing recharged. Ideal for a commute (I used mine for the commute home in the afternoon so it didn't matter if I was a little damp), but a long, hot day.... don't expect miracles. Mine seems to have faded over time, I should buy a new one. Seems to dump water at first and then not let enough out after a while instead of a steady dampness like it used to. In really humid weather I sometimes think it is counter productive...

For $25, it's worth trying - MiraCool® Cooling Poncho Vest: Safety Vests: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

trey
 
Check out LD comfort products. I use the sleeves when I leave work and go the long way home. Still need to try out the shirt and head thing. They are expensive but well review with long distance Goldwing riders.
 
Work pretty well for me. I use a Hyperkewl. First one was a vest. Second one has sleeves that zip off. They only seem to last about a season. I live in the desert, temps up to 115 or a little more. Very low humidity.
Thing is they gotta stay wet and you gotta stay moving. More air flow (under mesh) cooler, but dries quicker. Less air flow (Darien light) gives a little longer range. Range can be quite short when it's really hot, especially at freeway speeds.
I recharge with a quart bottle of water in a nylon dry bag. Don't let it get more than a quart low. Giant Ziplocks work too, don't last as long.
I also have a thing that Aerostich used to market as a neck cooler. Big nylon triangle with a thick felt backing. Keeps the carotid arteries cool, which is a good thing to keep your skull from boiling in your brain bucket.
A thin polyester base layer seems to work best under the vest. I got a couple of Russell (Heat Gear? some such name) on a closeout at Big 5. Under Armor makes some good stuff. Check Cabelas.com. First Gear has some pretty good-looking motorcycle-specific stuff for a base layer.
 
I use the Heat Out!! gear from Cycle gear. I put on 1600 miles in three days this weekend. Both riding days (the second day was a visit with family) started in the 50's, got up around 100F for most of the day and then got back down to 70 or so. The Heat Out kept me plenty cool with my riding jacket on, vented, and slightly open. When I'd stop, I soaked a handkerchief and tied it around my neck for some additional cooling.
 
+1 on the evaporative vests. They work pretty well, but only for a couple hundred miles before needing recharged. Ideal for a commute (I used mine for the commute home in the afternoon so it didn't matter if I was a little damp), but a long, hot day.... don't expect miracles. Mine seems to have faded over time, I should buy a new one. Seems to dump water at first and then not let enough out after a while instead of a steady dampness like it used to. In really humid weather I sometimes think it is counter productive...

For $25, it's worth trying - MiraCool® Cooling Poncho Vest: Safety Vests: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

trey

what do you mean by need to be recharged? the one I have seen doesn't use any electric power, just pure water evaporating naturally.
 
By recharged he means wetting it again.
I used the CycleGear vest on a 100F ride back from Bama. Well worth the $40. Wore it under a Bilt Explorer mesh jacket and had a moisture wicking compression long sleeve shirt under it. I make stops at ~150 miles which worked well with soaking the vest again.
 
I wore the cooling vest to Sturgis, and it works better than I thought it would. I wore a tee shirt, the vest, and then my mesh kevlar jacket. At every stop I would wet the vest.
I also wore a UV buff (neck tunnel) and I did not get sunburned. I wetted the buff at every stop also, but it dried out fast. The cooling vest always lasted about 2 hours.
 
OCR, I'm going to be in Houston tomorrow. My daughter is getting married. I'm going to the Cycle World after. I've never been to one.
Maybe I'll pick up a cooling vest!
 
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