Cooling Vest--do they work?

[Tony8]

It can get pretty hot riding in South Carolina. Does anyone wear a cooling vest on hot days?
Are they worth the money? Do they actually work?
Thoughts,
thanks,
Tony

 

[PosseRider]

It can get pretty hot riding in South Carolina. Does anyone wear a cooling vest on hot days?
Are they worth the money? Do they actually work?
Thoughts,
thanks,
Tony

my wife & I both wear them work well.

 

[Longbeard71]

I bought one not long ago. It does a good job for about two hours then needs more water.

 

[trikechuck]

It depends on the humidity. In MD with 70 + degree dew points the water does not evaporate. My wife and I use cooling vests with frozen gel packs by Glacier Tek. These work for about 4 hours when it gets hot.

 

[hardwickbv]

Bought one for my wife while riding Rt 66 in Oklahoma and Texas in July a few years back.
She got overheated riding in 100+ temps, so we had to make an early stop to get her cooled down.
The vest has worked well since then; you do need to keep it wet and it will last 2-4 hours before you need to re-wet it.
We carry extra water and make more frequent stops to insure that happens.
Wearing a vented jacket over it helps it work longer.

Ride safe
Bob

 

[Motorcycle Mike]

We have used them and they work as others have stated.
However we quit using them in favor of long sleeved denim shirts.
Just keeping the sun off your arms helps A LOT. We sometimes wet them.
Shirley keeps a spray bottle full of water in her cup holder to keep the arms damp. Poor mans AC.

 

[Pegasus1300]

Since they work by evaporation you must be in a very low humifity area yo get the greatedt benefit. As I remember N C has high humidity so the ones you wet are not going to be very effective. The ones with the frozen packs will work great until the packs thaw. Protesting yourself from the sun, drinkjng lots of water,sunscreen, riding in the cooler part of the day, these things will help you deal with the hest. Weearing light colored clothing helps also.

 

[Tony8]

Thanks for all the replies. Last few days it’s been 108 -111 degrees with the humidity here in South Carolina. Doesn’t make for an enjoyable ride. What I’ve been doing is taking extra water and soaking down my shirt whenever I stop for a rest. It helps for a couple of hours.
Thanks again.