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We Are Flying Solo

June 22, 2011

This Is How We (Don't) Roll: Majykal Cooling Products

I've often eyed those fancy CoolMedics vests online -- they claim to keep your core temperature down through evaporative cooling.  But at almost $200 a pop, I wasn't going to "just try it out."  However, our BO just bought one and I soaked it up and put it on yesterday evening.  I mounted Solo and awaiting my cooling miracle.

We only rode briefly and if you know anything about Carolina summers, you know they are filled with the air you can chew. Did the clouds part and angels sing as I was miraculously cooled? Ummmmm, no. I basically felt like I was riding wearing a heavy, wet towel. Ick. I suppose you might have better luck if your summer includes low humidity and constant breezes, but since that doesn't happen here, I'm going to keep my $200, thank you very much.

I am going to try their (much cheaper) neck scarf to see if it works any better -- cool water on the neck always feels good and doesn't block air from getting to your body.  But as far as the torso goes, I'm sticking to my wicking shirts; they WORK and even better, they are often less than $10.  That's what I'm talking about!

10 comments:

  1. I have low humidity and frequent breezes, but I can't imagine wearing one of those things. Hello... evaporation is good for cooling, not wearing more freaking clothes.

    Hope your BO likes it more than you do.

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  2. A big wet vest doesn't sound comfortable at all. I use Blubandoo.com neck bands and I have not yet tried the head bandana I just bought. They sound like they are similar but much more low tech and low price. They are not very effective in high humidity though because they work on the evaporation effect. This cooling vest seems to work the same but they don't mention the fact that it doesn't work in high humidity. Blubandoo says that right off. I first started using them when I was in Santa Fe and they are awesome in that dry heat.

    And yes, they also look rather nerdy, but with my poor circulation I overheat easily and it takes a lot to cool me back down.

    Sorry the vest didn't work. Glad you didn't shell out the cash for it!

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  3. I have tried one of those vests on a hot and dry Texas summer day (they can get humid too, the weather goes back and forth haha) and even with a breeze it felt just like that: a big wet shirt (and it became warm very quickly). Yuck.

    Wicking shirts are very much a go.

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  4. It does sound gross. I like the bandanas and I have been known on a 100 degree day to pour cold water over my head, but even that has limited use because before the shirt dries it starts to feel....yucky. And the humidity is low here. I love the wicking shirts, I only have one, I usually ride in T shirts. Where did you find one for $10.

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  5. ROFL, SB, exactly!

    SP, I am totally going to check out that site.

    Barbara, if you follow the wicking shirts link, I have a couple links posted where you can get cheaper ones. I found one today on there for $9.50 (if you can wear a small), and a couple others for $12-14. Not that I can buy anything, but I can look!

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  6. I used to have a couple of those neck cooler thingies; they work really well! I even used one for a week when the AC in my car decided to die; granted, I wasn't exactly cool, but then I live on the f*cking sun, so no surprise there!

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  7. There's only so much you can ask if you reside in a solar flare, Frizz.

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  8. Okay, this is going to sound terrible, but I learn all my staying cool ideas from the guys on my husband's concrete crew.

    Wet bandanas around the neck. Long sleeve very thin shirts, even in the heat. Drink often.

    None of them wear a soggy vest. Just sayin. LOL I'm with you. Wicking shirts and bandanas...

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  9. Hahahah, yep, Breathe, this is what we did in Texas too, where the weather is the same as hell, oh wait, it IS hell!

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