Cooling vests

[Papahoosh]

If you want to go first class, try www.veskimo.com. Pricey but it is like air conditioning.. If you're solo it's OK but two up, not a viable option so the other water evaporation vest would be the way to go. I've used one for years in the summer. You do have to add ice to the chest about every gas stop. And you'll need to wear a heavy coat to insulate yourself from the outside heat. If you can figure that.. It is the same system astronauts use to keep them cool while on the ground waiting.

I use Veskimo vest, I upgraded the cooler to a bigger size and I pretty much use the whole bag of ice and it lasts about 3 hours.

 

[wd8ajj]

Down here in Southern New Mexico, a bottle of water over the head works. But, I got a vest from Cycle Gear 32.00 on sale, works good but with it being 95 outside and 5% humidity it does not last long! I have found just pouring water on my shoulders in my vent jacket works about as well without the extra load, But that here in the dessert.

 

[Fat Baxter]

In my experience cooling vests do not work in humid climates. I will remove mine east of NM and not pull it out again until I'm back in the desert. In a dry climate they work great.

Another up-vote on this. I live in south central Alabama. I won a soak-able cooling vest at a BMW rally years back. Doesn't work very well down here. There's an initial bit of cooling effect for about 30 minutes, after which it warms up to ambient temperature and you're feeling like you're wearing, well, a warm wet vest. It might work a tad better on an unfaired bike, but not on a fully-faired bike.

Ditto with those soak-able neck wraps. After a very short while, it feels like you're wearing a warm wet fish around your throat.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Here's a chart for evaporative cooling efficiency that will help to understand why cool vests do and don't work. This chart is for house coolers, known in the west as 'swamp coolers', but the principle is the same. The same that is except for the fact that in a swamp cooler you have very good contact between the water and air. A cool vest not so good.

Look at the result for air temperature of 100F and relative humidity of 15%. The resulting temp is 76F, a 24° drop. You could easily experience this in the dry west and southwest. Now look at 90F air temp and RH of 75%, conditions you could easily experience in the Southeast. The temp drop is only 4°, hardly much help. So in the end we can bank on the fact that in the west cool vests work great. In the SE they will cool, a little bit if conditions are right, but probably not enough to entice most riders to get one.

 

[Bob Denman]

:clap: It's kind of like a Wind-Chill Chart...

...Only completely different!

Thanks! :thumbup:

 

[Easy Rider]

In 13 or 14 BRP added the cutouts to the RT windshield and it made a huge difference. I had one if their vented windshields on my 10 and 13 and it was not worth the extra money but the new ones with the cutouts are great.

You might also try adding Baker Air Wings for additional air flow also the BRP Adjustable Air Vents are great.

That first statement left me a bit confused. If the shields have the SAME cutouts/vents, why would there be a big difference ??

So.....after reading some old threads about this subject my plan of attack is:
Convert my solid shield to vented......by making cutouts in the shield to match the openings in the mount. I suspect that this will be a LOT cheaper than buying a new shield with the holes already in it.
Then adding the BRP adjustable vents too if needed. Problem with that is I have not been able to find them......with my first couple of Google searches. If anybody has a link that would be appreciated.

 

[Easy Rider]

http://entrosys.com/

Interesting. Not sure my electrical system would handle it....AND their exclusive distributor says "Out of stock".
Don't know how long that has been the case but at $1500 I probably don't care.

 

[jcthorne]

I have a used veskimo system for sale if anyone wants it. To be honest its just too cumbersome for me. But it does work well. My loss is your gain. Make me an offer and it just might be yours for a song. Technically its a size small but for this one, too small is better than too big as its got VERY adjustable straps connecting the panels. I am 240lbs and it fits me fine and will size down to much smaller sizes with the velcro straps.

 

[gparr]

CoolVest works well in hot weather!!
I have used it for many years in Summer hot weather riding.
About 2 1/2 hours cooling; then put in another set of CoolVest cold packets (carried in soft insulated cooler).
Military use them in summer deployment overseas.
http://store.coolvest.com/
Jim

View attachment 148031

Been using this vest for 2 years...works like a champ!!!!

 

[Eagle1]

We ordered ours on Amazon, about $40-50. We are in Florida and Ryde all summer, well worth the money!!!:clap:hyea:.

 

[jaherbst]

In my experience cooling vests do not work in humid climates. I will remove mine east of NM and not pull it out again until I'm back in the desert. In a dry climate they work great.

What she said. Cooling is produced by the evaporation of the moisture and will be less effective in high humidity areas. I have the cheap Bilt sold by Cycle Gear and it

works great here in the Southwest where it is "dryer than a popcorn f--t".

I also wear the Frog Tog cooling neck wrap. Soak both of these in water, put them on and away you go!

​Jack

 

[Bob Denman]

But Jack...
I thought you explained evaporative cooling as being ineffective because:
"While the Ladies in the wet Tee-Shirts are probably nice and cool; it only makes me more uncomfortable! :shocked:""

 

[KX5062]

The best evaporative cooling vest I've found is the BMW one.

https://www.amazon.com/BMW-Genuine-Motorcycle-Motorrad-Cool/dp/B00CQ6GUDC

They're expensive, but work really well. The cheaper ones, like the Cycle Gear, which I also own, get hard when dried out and then feel slimy when you rehydrate them. The BMW one does not and lasts longer.

 

[Ms Noles]

Thanks, A wet T shirt aah?

:roflblack:

I don't have experience with one east of the Mississippi but I was thinking that might be the case.

Ms Noles, if you're not familiar with how cooling vests work, it is by evaporation. You soak the vest in water and then as you move through the air the water evaporates. Evaporation sucks up heat which it pulls from your body, making you cooler. In humid climates evaporation does not work as efficiently as it does in dry climates, but it does work. The only way for you to find out if one will work for you is to buy one and try it out. You will need a mesh jacket over it so the air can flow easily against the vest.

On second thought, get a cotton shirt, soak it in cool water, put it on and go for a ride. If it cools you down any you will know it. This should give you a good idea if you want to try an actual cooling vest. The cotton shirt will dry out in just a few minutes but you'll get an idea of how well it might work. A cooling vest holds a lot of water and keeps you cooled anywhere from a half hour to maybe an hour and a half.

Here in the dry west my cooling vest lasts around 45 to 60 minutes and cools me something like 10° below ambient. I don't wear mine unless the temp is around 95° +.

 

[marty1096]

hyperkewl

I was curious if anyone could recommend a great cooling vest for riding? Male and Female.. It's getting warm down south.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/45444/i/techniche-hyperkewl-evaporative-cooling-vest. you can find it on amazon also. As I go down the road i take a bottle of water from my spyder cup and poor it down my back and front. I take frozen bottles of water, tea and trail mix also, but I dont put those down the front and back. we did 500 miles yesterday at 98 deg. buckeye to coolidge to globe to salt river canyon to forest lakes estates to payson back to buckeye...just had to put the vest on the way back into the valley. I take the water soaked vest in a garbage bag partially filled with water..yes its dripping when i put it on. it wont be that way long

 

[rtotten]

PM Sent to JCThrone

 

[KX5062]

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/45444/i/techniche-hyperkewl-evaporative-cooling-vest. you can find it on amazon also. As I go down the road i take a bottle of water from my spyder cup and poor it down my back and front. I take frozen bottles of water, tea and trail mix also, but I dont put those down the front and back. we did 500 miles yesterday at 98 deg. buckeye to coolidge to globe to salt river canyon to forest lakes estates to payson back to buckeye...just had to put the vest on the way back into the valley. I take the water soaked vest in a garbage bag partially filled with water..yes its dripping when i put it on. it wont be that way long

That appears to be the same as the Cycle Gear vest and also available at many other places with many other names. (no knock, just FYI to others)

 

[RiverCity45]

CoolVest works well in hot weather!!
I have used it for many years in Summer hot weather riding.
About 2 1/2 hours cooling; then put in another set of CoolVest cold packets (carried in soft insulated cooler).
Military use them in summer deployment overseas.
http://store.coolvest.com/
Jim

Thanks for this info. Ordered mine today. It has been quite hot and humid in San Antonio, with heat indices around 105 degrees, 70+% humidity. Heck, I'll use this to work on the yard, too. :thumbup: