Don't bother buying cooling vest

[Bigfoot]

Don't bother wasting your money on a cooling vest. If you wear anything other than a mesh jacket they are a waste of money. I've tried two now and the one I just tried is being shipped back home. I'm on my 30 day ride and using a textile jacket. The vest is supposed to be a 2 day vest but within an hour I took it off. It was nothing but damp and clammy. No cooling effect whatsoever. I was dying today in the 90 degree weather with the textile but the textile is also waterproof so I'll stick with it.

I'm assuming the vest will work with the mesh but not certain as I don't have it with me.

[Redneck]

The vests use evaporation to cool so no air flow means no evaporation. They also don't work well in high humidity.

[Bloodbought1]

Here is what I have and it works!!!!

 

http://www.coolwingrider.com/

 

 

HTH

[Guest Ken8143]

The vests use evaporation to cool so no air flow means no evaporation. They also don't work well in high humidity.

 

What he said

[Riderduke]

Gotta say with a mesh jacket I love my cooling vest! I also love those rain showers about 2pm when its hot i don't waist my time with rain gear if i'm gonna be riding through it. If its gonna be more then 1hour then I'll do rain gear.

[Gray Ghost]

I found that a rolled up Frogg Tog towel, soaked in water, wrapped around my neck helped a lot. I wrap it so that the ends go down the back of my shirt/gear and I get the most coverage of the carotid arteries. The evaporative cooling there will help a bit.

[Bigfoot]

Here is what I have and it works!!!!

 

http://www.coolwingrider.com/

 

 

HTH

 

 

 

Sounded good until I saw this on one of the posts from a user.

 

They will last about 2 1/2 - 3 hours per charge. If I take a long ride I carry a small ice chest and keep the spare pack of cool packs in it. They will recharge in ice water in about 20 min

 

I'm riding at least 6-8 hours a day and don't have room to also carry a cooler with me. I guess for commuting in hot weather this would be a nice product.

[ctraylor]

Why are you wearing a jacket in the summer? I wear a white t-shirt and have not problem. Don't forget the sunscreen....

[flb_78]

Why are you wearing a jacket in the summer? I wear a white t-shirt and have not problem. Don't forget the sunscreen....

 

He's probably allergic to asphalt and if he goes down, he doesn't want to develop a rash from continuous contact with the asphalt.

 

I wear a Joe Rocket mesh jacket for summer riding.

 

I don't know how one could wear a regular textile jacket. I'd suffocate.

[ddoggma]

Gear is good! I used to ride my first bike in t shirt and sneakers. I was 20 something back then and didn't care or think I'd go down. The one cold and raining morning I did wear a old 3/4 leather jacket, I went down. Lost back wheel traction in a right turn...dont know why. Locked back break..then let it off. Bike stood up went into a tank slap and threw me off the bike. Thank god no car was in the oncoming lane. Me in front of bike sliding. bike flipping and sliding right behind me. Jacket saved me from RR on hip. But the slam from about 6 feet up going 25 or so bruised my whole right side hip. thigh etc. Was 3 or 4 weeks of discomfit. I picked it up and rode into work with a broke fork brace and bent bars etc. It took some fun out of riding but I still rode it for a year till I sold it. There is way to much stuff out on the road that you can't control. From that day on I understood why gear in good. And with all the new stuff out today it's a no brainer for me. I'm fine in my mesh gear. and full face helmet. I dint give a damn what anybody says or thinks about it. I have also had 2 or 3 females tell me I looked good in the gear. Which was nice, as I do care what the ladies are thinking...lol

 

I really have a problem with the way the cruiser crowd disregards the importance of gear. I watched some of the movie "Wild Hogs" the other night and it was crazy the way they portrayed MC riding as safe and that you can walk away from most spills. Thats nuts. And they were riding HD's ...if you even scratch one of them, its a $500.00 repair. Also theres a few MC shows which also looks like HD sponsors, the riders are all under dressed and are shown riding really close together, side by side and doing hot dog stuff from time to time. Its not right. There are so many people who should not ever be on a MC. They now think they can handle a big MC like its a kids paper boy bike. The guy that dropped his MC at the MFC course and his wife that could not hold the clutch handle in without two hands. Were saying "were gonna go right to the dealer and get a road king and a sportster for the wife, and man we will be cool and in the HD club". Neither one of them should ever go out on the road on a MC from what I saw. Even on a 250cc. Riding a MC is for people that can RIDE a bike. The ones with the money but no experience are at great risk. I dint like to see or hear about people getting hurt. It seems the industry just doesn't care that much.

 

I wear ATGATT it just feels right, its probably cause I have crashed my 12 speed racing bike untold times at speed and the one time I high sided the MC that made me glad I know about and wear MC gear. There is no excuse, I was out in full gear in the 90s for 3 or 4 hours the other day and was fine. The guys that think its not the right "look" for riding, can kiss my butt. I'm not about doing what the crowd does, I'm about what best for me and my kin folk, should I get unlucky. It's all good...till you go down. Dress for the worst, hope for the best.

[frogmaster]

Gear is good! I used to ride my first bike in t shirt and sneakers. I was 20 something back then and didn't care or think I'd go down. The one cold and raining morning I did wear a old 3/4 leather jacket, I went down. Lost back wheel traction in a right turn...dont know why. Locked back break..then let it off. Bike stood up went into a tank slap and threw me off the bike. Thank god no car was in the oncoming lane. Me in front of bike sliding. bike flipping and sliding right behind me. Jacket saved me from RR on hip. But the slam from about 6 feet up going 25 or so bruised my whole right side hip. thigh etc. Was 3 or 4 weeks of discomfit. I picked it up and rode into work with a broke fork brace and bent bars etc. It took some fun out of riding but I still rode it for a year till I sold it. There is way to much stuff out on the road that you can't control. From that day on I understood why gear in good. And with all the new stuff out today it's a no brainer for me. I'm fine in my mesh gear. and full face helmet. I dint give a damn what anybody says or thinks about it. I have also had 2 or 3 females tell me I looked good in the gear. Which was nice, as I do care what the ladies are thinking...lol

 

I really have a problem with the way the cruiser crowd disregards the importance of gear. I watched some of the movie "Wild Hogs" the other night and it was crazy the way they portrayed MC riding as safe and that you can walk away from most spills. Thats nuts. And they were riding HD's ...if you even scratch one of them, its a $500.00 repair. Also theres a few MC shows which also looks like HD sponsors, the riders are all under dressed and are shown riding really close together, side by side and doing hot dog stuff from time to time. Its not right. There are so many people who should not ever be on a MC. They now think they can handle a big MC like its a kids paper boy bike. The guy that dropped his MC at the MFC course and his wife that could not hold the clutch handle in without two hands. Were saying "were gonna go right to the dealer and get a road king and a sportster for the wife, and man we will be cool and in the HD club". Neither one of them should ever go out on the road on a MC from what I saw. Even on a 250cc. Riding a MC is for people that can RIDE a bike. The ones with the money but no experience are at great risk. I dint like to see or hear about people getting hurt. It seems the industry just doesn't care that much.

 

I wear ATGATT it just feels right, its probably cause I have crashed my 12 speed racing bike untold times at speed and the one time I high sided the MC that made me glad I know about and wear MC gear. There is no excuse, I was out in full gear in the 90s for 3 or 4 hours the other day and was fine. The guys that think its not the right "look" for riding, can kiss my butt. I'm not about doing what the crowd does, I'm about what best for me and my kin folk, should I get unlucky. It's all good...till you go down. Dress for the worst, hope for the best.

 

Agree dress for the Slide not the Ride

[seabeetom]

Why are you wearing a jacket in the summer? I wear a white t-shirt and have not problem. Don't forget the sunscreen....

 

Many of us have the choice of riding gear. However, if U are under the 24/7 jurisdiction of DoD (Deptartment of Defense) regulations, ie; Active Duty/Reserve/Retired (-30yrs), U WILL wear at a minimum; Eye Protection, Full Gloves, Footwear that covers the ankles, Certified Helmet, Long Sleeves, Full Length Trousers, and depending on local Command regulations- a reflectorized vest. In addition, you must be licensed for Motorcycle and have attended an accredited Motorcycle Safety Course. New policy is MSC for the type of Motorcycle U ride-Sport or Touring. Interesting aside is that an MSC instructor at the local Navy base said that Trike riders do not require the mandatory MSC classes as do 2 wheelers.

What if U do not fulfill these requirements? We have had several instances locally of Military members having accidents and either not being licensed/trained or properly attired. They are paying their own medical bills out of pocket since they were not in compliance with DoD regulations and therefore the accidents were considered 'Not in the Line of Duty'.

If U rely on Military medicine to pay the bill, UR outta luck. If U have other Medical insurance you can probably ride with shorts, t-shirt, flip flops...

More food 4 thought; DoD regs prohibit DUI and requires seat belt usage for cagers, so same rules apply.

[BEER30]

The wife and I are quite pleased with my cooling vest . Even here on the East Coast with the humidity they work long enough . But then again when I travel over 2.5 hrs , we usually have the BEERCART with cooler filled with ice . Wife and I normally take a 10-15 minute break after fueling up . Recharging the vest usually takes about that long , so we are good to go .

I wear my cooling vest under my normal riding vest . And to mention also, I have made myself a new vest out of light-weight duck (like used in CarHart's) with a mesh back .Much cooler than leather ! One of our employee's is making them now . She is making some for Krome Rose and Saltydawg which will have cooling pack pockets in them . SaltyDawg uses the gel pack which are not affected as much as the soak and cool type .

 

BEER30

[Bigfoot]

He's probably allergic to asphalt and if he goes down, he doesn't want to develop a rash from continuous contact with the asphalt.

 

I wear a Joe Rocket mesh jacket for summer riding.

 

I don't know how one could wear a regular textile jacket. I'd suffocate.

 

 

Amen to that. The textile jacket I have is indeed hot but has some good vents. I am wearing it as it is also waterproof without the liner. It's a Fieldsheer Kathmandu. If I do go down no one can say I didn't have all the gear on. I even wear the textile pants.

[wes0778]

Why are you wearing a jacket in the summer? I wear a white t-shirt and have not problem. Don't forget the sunscreen....

 

The idea of "Dress for the SLIDE , not for the ride" comes to mind...

[SaltyDawg]

Sounded good until I saw this on one of the posts from a user.

 

They will last about 2 1/2 - 3 hours per charge. If I take a long ride I carry a small ice chest and keep the spare pack of cool packs in it. They will recharge in ice water in about 20 min

 

I'm riding at least 6-8 hours a day and don't have room to also carry a cooler with me. I guess for commuting in hot weather this would be a nice product.

 

 

I have stopped at gas stations, convince marts and most have been more than willing to let me drop my packs into their Bagged Ice boxes. It takes about 15-20 min and believe me they are WELL Worth the money.

 

I also have a small cooler that goes in my hitch receiver that I can use to keep a set cold.

 

Depending on the packs you get and whether or not you put them in a vest, or right up against your skin you can get 4-6 hours out of them. I rode from Myrtle Beach home, which is close to 4 hours and the packs were still at 63 degrees. I have left them out on my kitchen counter and they stayed 63 degrees for 2 days before they discharged. About 10 min in ice water and they were ready to go. Great thing about them is that you can put them in the freezer for months and when you pull them out you can put them right on your skin, they don't get down to freezing they stay at 63 or maybe just a tad cooler while in the freezer.

 

http://www.texascoolvest.com/cvd.html

 

check this out, gonna have to order me up a couple.

http://www.texascoolvest.com/cvcc.htm

[OldBear]

I gotta agree with the ATGATT guys. I ALWAYS ride with helmet, boots, jacket and riding pants. In cooler weather it's an Olympia Motorsports AST w/Ranger pants, In hot weather it Olympia Airglide jacket and pants. Helmet is either Arai Corsair (when solo) or Nolen 102 when touring two up. BMW allroad boots.

 

Yeah, even the vented stuff gets hot in hot weather, BUT it's a lot more pleasant than road rash and/or skin grafts:thumbsup2:

 

I've used the evap-o-dana's, and just and oldfashioned large handkerchief rolled up around ice cubes and tied around the neck, and it helps. The cooling vest noted earlier looks like a great idea and I'm gonna give it a try. Remember, if it's too hot for gear, it's too hot to ride, and it is NEVER too hot to ride!

[Bigfoot]

Thanks Saltydawg. Will have to explore that a little further.

[Tom]

I could not have made it home without my cool vest..102-106 is too hot. I did resoak it every 2-3 hours but well worth it!

[jvbailey3]

Don't bother wasting your money on a cooling vest. If you wear anything other than a mesh jacket they are a waste of money. I've tried two now and the one I just tried is being shipped back home. I'm on my 30 day ride and using a textile jacket. The vest is supposed to be a 2 day vest but within an hour I took it off. It was nothing but damp and clammy. No cooling effect whatsoever. I was dying today in the 90 degree weather with the textile but the textile is also waterproof so I'll stick with it.

I'm assuming the vest will work with the mesh but not certain as I don't have it with me.

 

I just used one on the ride from Baton Rouge to the IR in Arkansas with a mesh jacket. While I did not wear the jacket or the vest on the ride around Arkansas, I did on the longer hauls to and from the rally. It was a life saver. I was not nearly as dehydrated as normal. I am sure I would have had to stop more often for fluids. While it does not work quite as well in the humidity, it is still cooler. My wife who is a couple pounds (hundred) lighter than me did not wear the vest, was very pleased with the mesh jacket. I would definitely recommend you try again with your mesh jacket.

 

I definitely agree with a need to stay safe when riding. But I believe part of the staying safe is being comfortable. You definitely make better decisions when you are not dehydrated or freezing.

 

Joe

[robocop]

They don't work very well in extremely hot weather either. I live in Arizona. I tried one back in June when the temp was about 110. It worked for about 10 miles and then it was dry.

[Blackjack]

I always carry a couple of super-large zip-lock bags; one is for the cooling vest and the other is for rain gear (after it's wet and I'm ready to stow it).

 

The length of time a cooling vest is effective varies, based on several factors:

 

1. how long it was soaking and cooling before first use of the day; mine stays overnight in the zip-lock, soaking in ice water (which ice, of course, melts eventually, but does start out colder than tap water!), in the refrigerator
   
2. your personal body temperature when you put the vest on and your own tendency to heat up (some folks are more warm-blooded than others!)
   
3. turning the vest inside out after awhile, since the side closest to your body will heat up faster than the side getting hit by air
   
4. when stopping for gas, first thing to do is throw some (free) ice water into the zip-lock and "refresh" the vest while you gas up and take a few minutes to rest, use the facilities, grab a snack, etc.
   

While not a perfect solution, a cooling vest behind a mesh jacket (as pointed out previously, it can't possibly work behind a textile or leather jacket) can and does make a big difference in very- to extremely-hot weather.

 

TERRY