Cooling Vest

[ZonaMan]

So, I just ordered a TechNiche evaporative cooling vest online from Sound Rider. I also saw one on Ridecool.com and it looked exactly the same as the one I ordered (got it for 90 cents cheaper even without the free shipping from Ridecool). I have been wanting one of these vests for a while now because wetting down the jacket just doesn't cut it. It's cool for about 10 minutes then it's dry! I have also read to wet down the T-shirt before putting on the jacket, but that's only going to work on weekend rides. I needed something I can wear to and from work on a daily basis and not be soaking wet and dripping all over the bike!

I will keep you Southwestern riders posted on how it works because, after all, it's going to be 100+ everyday here pretty soon and I'm sure others would like the heads-up on how well it works as I haven't seen any other posts on this topic.

[hustond]

Try riding faster, that way it won't drip on the bike!! Let us know, it would be interesting to see if it works. We don't have a lot of hot days, but when we do there is a lot of humidity and this may help.

[ZonaMan]

As a fellow Iowegian, I know about the awful humidity up there and I don't think anyone in the midwest would benefit from these vests.

Living in the "yeah, but it's a dry heat" Arizona this evaporative effect works awesome. A 110 degree day can feel like 70 when wet and moving. I just hope this vest keeps damp for hours at a time!

GO HAWKEYES!!!!!

[cruzinaz]

Now all we have to do is get some ac into the helmets, it is starting to warm up a bit.

Will the vest be here by Thursday??

[ZonaMan]

Well if it gets here by then I will be surprised. We'll see how the site pans out. If it gets here fast and the vest works well, I'll give them props to our fellow desert rat riders......hmmm that kinda sounds like a club name huh?

AC in the helmet? I already did a search for that too! LOL

See you Thursday!

[cruzinaz]

Desert Rat Riders, yep, could have some fun with that!

Lets try freezing the helmets,soak the liners first, may get a better snell rating too!

[ZonaMan]

That sure would make the inside nice and cool.....for about 10 minutes! We need to invent something. I have an old helmet to start on. Maybe we could get coolant in the form of a CO2 bottle and hook it up to a small system on a helmet. You've got the machining stuff to do it right? Know any HVAC guys or auto mechanics that know about car AC? Its gotta be wicked small.

If those PC nerds can figure out how to cram a bunch of memory onto something the size of a dime, then we should be able to do this!

[slugfest]

Zonaman,

Would be interested to hear how it goes.
How will the vest go in stop-go traffic performance... the ride out in country can be fine ( if a little hot ), but hit suburbia and 38 degrees celcius is not at all fun.

Slugfest

[goinphaster]

My freind had a refridgerator in his garage and at work- he kept his helmet in there until he was walking out the door to get on the bike. it was a short 10 mile ride, but the helmet was cool all the way for him. I don't have such a luxury but he swore by it. another thing he started doing was mounting the nozzle of his personal mister in front of him and sprays himself while riding. of course this only works with a mesh jacket but he likes it. I am going to be doing the mister set up soon as we prepare for a week long ride.

[ZonaMan]

I would try that helmet in the frig thing, but it would probably only last for a few minutes here.

UPDATE: I got the vest today, prepared it as directed, and went for a short ride to see what it was like. First off, the vest is made of various materials. It has an inner and outer layer of nylon with the inner being sort of water repellent and the outer more porous. In between the quilted layers is a polymer that soaks up the water. After soaking it for a few minutes you could see that the quilted chambers were engorged with water - about 1/8" to 3/16" thick. When soaked, the vest weighs about 5-8 pounds.

Now for the ride: I only road about 2-3 miles to go grab some dinner, but went through all realistic speeds 0-90. The cooling effect is not the same as when you wet your shirt and/or mesh jacket and get that really cold feeling then back to oven blast 10 minutes later! There is a slight evaporative cooling effect, but what it really does is just having that cool moisture sitting right next to your skin like one of those cool gel packs for injuries. It also still felt cool just sitting at a stop light (just a nice cool sensation against my back) which is good if I am riding in the city.

I will continue to update when I get to really try it out on my commutes home or a longer journey.

BTW, I ordered mine from soundrider.com, was here in four days, and was only about $40.

[Gatekeeper]

Scavenge one of those 12v coolers for the cold plate and build it into a helmet. Use the air vents in the top of the bucket to flow air over the 'condensor' fins and use the front vents to direct the 'evaporator' air onto your face.

[FRE]

Actually, AC on a motorcycle could work.

How about a VERY small unit that would discharge a modest amount of cool air through a flexible hose about the diameter of a garden hose? A jacket could be made which would include perforated tubing which would connect to the hose from the AC unit. Very little power would be required, probably less than 1/2 HP., i.e., about 500 watts if the motor is 50% efficient.

[FRE]

The evaporative cooling vest is also helpful, when it is dry, to keep you warm in cold weather. Of course it's less effective than an electrically heated vest, but it's good when the weather isn't quite cold enough to require electric heat. They also make an evaporative cooling vest for dogs. I've tried it on Bowser and it enables him to go on long hikes with me in hot weather. Once he learned how much better it made him feel in hot weather, he was happy to let me put it on him.

[squirrelman]

You WHAT?? i can just barely stand the superiority! Give us a break!


a cooling vest NOW, when the rest of us are either freezing or not riding at all.......what an ordeal!

[jerry 1 a b]

Originally Posted by squirrelman

You WHAT?? i can just barely stand the superiority! Give us a break!


a cooling vest NOW, when the rest of us are either freezing or not riding at all.......what an ordeal!

Look at the date of the original post. Someone dug this up. But, since it's out here now, I was considering such a thing this past summer. How did you guys like it?

[squirrelman]

sorry, didn't check..........someone must have stirred that up as a joke!

my hot weather riding gear, and i've ridden in AZ plenty, is two layers of cotton undershirts under a nylon windbreaker and several bottles of water to keep the shirts soaked.......and a wet towel around the neck.
as long as those shirts are kept moist, coolness prevails luxuriously!