I am looking into purchasing either the cool vest or phase change vest for my trip to Colorado in a couple weeks. Does anyone have any experience with these?
Have used a coolvest for years it is a wet T-shirt. I am now using a Eagle brand coolvest and it works very well if you can put up with a little soogy. I have not used a Phase change but I hear that it it has it's limits. There is no limit to a coolvest if there is water. HArold from Kansas.
I bought a couple of the Joe Rocket cool vests last year, but I believe they no longer offer them. I also have a more "generic" one as well. The Joe Rocket vests are better, but the other one is ok too. I live in Houston, so it gets HOT around here in the summer. The vests are almost like wearing a portable air conditioner... but yes, they do get a little damp,but it's no real bother. In the summer around here I don't wear any type of mesh jacket over the vest, just a t-shirt underneath. The water evaporates quicker being exposed to the wind and sun, but I can carry an ice chest in the sidecar so more water is not a problem. Also, just a short ride without the vest gets the shirt dry if desired. Good thing about an evaporative vest is you can just buy a cold bottle of water, put the vest in a gallon baggie, dump in the water and you are good to go again. I usually get 2+ hours before I am ready to re-cool the vest on a really hot day. On some days that are not so hot, maybe 3-4 hours. I have to stop for fuel by about 150 miles, so no big deal to just re-wet the vest too when I stop. For the $$ and the convenience, I think they are GREAT!!!
I've been using the Silver Eagle cool vest under a mesh jacket. It works well but would be better if I didn't have a windshield.
The bottom of the vest tends to stay soggy.
Gentleman:
one cuestion: How do you kidneys and lungs react to this cooling?
Even in desert climate (Turkey, Arizona , Death valley) I used to wear a jacket and kidney belt until on first of january on my trip to San Vito de Jawa I got to the foolish idea to drive without jaket, a simple T-shirt and a motocross kidney belt I thought would be enough. about 200 km in the heat (28-35ºC) felt fine at first.but the awakeing came still the same day.
Result: the dry coffing for 2-3 weeks that make you fear for pneumonia.
I am interested about your experience!
Regards
Sven Peter Pan
Chuck,
Where did you get your 'Generic' cool vest. I live just down the road from you in Victoria, so I am, unfortunatley, very familiar with the humidity in the summertime. My wife has family in Houston. We are new sidecar enthusiasts and it might be great to meet some others as well.
