Cooling vests -

Jul 28, 2004
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Bearing in mind the current weather and a previous posting on heatsroke I thought I would chip in with my feelings on the these items.
I originally starting using a cooling vest while riding in the Philippines in temperatures similar to those we are having here at the moment. The model I chose was a bargain basement $39.00 Techniche model on mail order from the States.
It works on the principle of soaking up water and then evaporating it off and cooling you down whilst doing so. All that needed doing was to soak it in water for a few minutes, shake off the excess water and wear it, either next to the skin or over a t shirt and under mesh outer jacket. Depending on the ambient humidity, that was usually good for about 2 - 3 hrs before repeating the exercise. This is a marvellous piece of kit as it keeps you from overheating and dehydrating even under extreme heat conditions and allows you to feel pretty comfortable all in all. My only criticism of this particular model was that it felt a tad clammy when initially put on but nevertheless a small price to pay.
Recently I decided to splurge out and bought a US$90.00 Silver Eagle cooling jacket from coolingapparel.com This model has all the benefits off the cheaper model but is of far better build quality and pretty much stays dry from the off, so no claminess to contend with. I personally swear by this piece of kit and reckon it is one of the best pieces of kit in my wardrobe for these conditions. I would only add that they might not be as effective under full leathers as they require an airflow to produce the required evaporation. A lifesaver in extreme heat conditions!
 
Dec 1, 2006
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Hi Barry!
Sounds like a worthwhile investment! Tell me, how did coolingapparel ship your vest to you? How long from order till receipt, and did you end up paying Thai import duties/taxes?
My experience says it's the post office that does the most competent job at clearing customs (without levies).

For some interesting reason no one seems to sell these vests in LOS... :?
 

Muzz

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Mar 27, 2007
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Hi Barry, how well would this work under say the BMW riding jacket that I prefer to wear for wind protection body armour etc? Would the water be able to vapourise OK if I used the vernts on the jacket etc?? Be very interested to know. Sounds like a good product!!

Muzz
 
Jul 28, 2004
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@ beatheswiss - Hav sent u a pm reply!

@ muzz - I can only hazard a guess that if all vents were open and u zip the jacket 3/4 up it should be good. It needs some kind of airflow to allow the moisture to evaporate. I wear it under a mesh/cordura jacket with approved back and shoulder armor and it works fine. Pal of mine in the Phils however, tried it under one piece leathers and that was not satisfactory! Ray23 has also posted a report on his recently acquired jacket, not sure what he is wearing over it though. All the best - Barry