Jump to content

Cooling vest?


NinjaDoc

Recommended Posts

Cooling vests while riding- anyone?

Does it help?

If so which one will you recommend ?

Sidenoterant

Really need to get some sleep, almost all the rides I go without sleep :( will be 10x better rider if I had a good sleep it seems /endrandomrant

Edited by NinjaDoc
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Laughing @ myself...

Yesterday afternoon on Hilliard-Rome Road I saw a rider on a gixxer w/ tennis shoes, shorts, sleeveless t-shirt, no helmet, and what I thought was a vest w/ back armor. I was so confused... I've decided it probably was a cooling vest - I didn't even know such a thing existed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got one,I think it's Eagle Rider brand,don't really like it.

I think it works better to just soak your t-shirt in water,wring it out a little bit and ride.Works good under a mesh jacket and lasts about an hour.This method was a godsend riding through Nevada in July a few years back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

was blistering hot today, kept on pouring water on the t shirt and it would dry away in one hour lol at one of the stops for gas, scraped the inside of ice box over there got some big frosting pieces and put it in the pockets etc of the mesh jacket, man that felt good for another hour.

i guess t shirt + water >> cooling vest

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm surprised you got so hot since your jacket seems so open.

http://www.veskimo.com/personal-cooling-vest-systems.html

I think your better off having extra water to stay hydrated.

You ever try heatgear clothing or something similar? I wear the compression shorts for the longer trips, and IMO it makes a huge difference both in the heat and for comfort.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At a certain point, and desert riders can attest to this, airflow works against you. That's why people who live in the Sahara wrap up in insulating fabrics rather than open ones. It's cooler to stay wrapped up, insulated from the heat rather than being exposed to it.

When it gets to 95+ and humid, you're better off with NO vents open and having some cooling going on underneath the jacket. The recommendation for base layers is good. If you have some long sleeve heatgear or similar material on under a jacket, and wet the sleeves before riding, you can stay cool a long time but the more air that gets to them the faster that effect wears off. Instantly, in some cases.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ yep, opening your visor today was like having a staring contest with a forced air heater. Makes you wonder how all the people in shorts, t-shirts and no helmets do it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the hell of it, I bought a $30 Ergodyne Chill-its evaporative cooling vest from Amazon. Just in time for the extreme heat that came through last week.

To use the vest, you're supposed to soak it in water for about 1 to 2 minutes. Once it soaks in the water, the vest becomes heavy and a little bulky, but I had no problem fitting it under my mesh jacket.

The downside is that there is a balancing act between adding too much water to it, which then will end up soaking your pants and seat as the excess drips, and adding too little, which decreases its effectiveness. On the upside, it did make a difference during a few hours ride in the heat. I was pretty comfortable riding along with it as a way to allow me to not have to forego a protective jacket in the heat.

For occasional use to allow you to go out on a long ride, where you don't care how the clothes underneath end up looking, it's not the worst $30 purchase. But it's not very effective for a short ride that will end with you getting off the bike and expecting to walk around in public without your clothes having some wet spots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The vest sounds exactly like what my body naturally did to my t shirt Saturday.

our saturday ride was a bad idea Rhill lol

105+ temp = no relieif even when moving which actually made it worse coz it felt like blow dryer :D and roads we explored sucked big time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

our saturday ride was a bad idea Rhill lol

105+ temp = no relieif even when moving which actually made it worse coz it felt like blow dryer :D and roads we explored sucked big time.

It was hot, but bearable. After reading a bit about hot weather riding, I think my jacket protected me from the blast of the hot air and your mesh made it worse for you. Plus you were already exhausted before we even started. I was also drinking constantly from the hydration bladder during the ride which helped a ton. Ended up out the next day for another 6 hour ride :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...