Cooling vests

[radman]

Do you have, and how do you like it? Thinking strongly of getting one before WooFoo, would like some opnions, and the old thread has gone bye bye. Been looking at the Joe Rocket Sahara in particular.

 

[Derek]

i have a cheap one. $30.00. can't remember the name but i found it on this forum.

i don't like wearing it, but in extreme heat it does help and and i'd rather tolerate the dampness than the heat.

i've taking to dumping it a bit before planned stops while it's still saturated so i can dry out.

i also prefer synthetic shirts for summer riding as they're cooler than cotton and breath better.

derek

 

[exskibum]

Do you have, and how do you like it? Thinking strongly of getting one before WooFoo, would like some opnions, and the old thread has gone bye bye. Been looking at the Joe Rocket Sahara in particular.

Have Joe Rocket Sahara Vest and very much like it. I typically wear it with my Joe Rocket Phoenix mesh jacket, but it will work with other jackets -- preferrably mesh.

Almost exactly 12 months ago, we did an Open Passes Ride here (Monitor, Carson and Ebbetts passes) and Rick and Karen (Ric in Sac) brought theirs (it was hot as hell that day), which a few of us tried and we all coveted. There was a run on them the next week at NewEnough as we all bought vests.

Excellent idea to have one for WFO, especially if you are susceptible to heat effects!! It's a very dry heat here, so the evaporative cooling effect vis-a-vis dampness feeling predominates, and it IS hot that time of year, so I'm sure you'll appreciate its effectiveness.

 

[MCRIDER007]

I have a couple of the Joe Rocket Sahara vests because that is all that was available when I bought them. I haven't seen any of the $30-$40 copies but I would guess they will work just as good. The vests will not help that much unless you also have a mesh jacket and have some good airflow through the jacket -- which you will get with the FJR stock windshield in the low position.

The vest will also give some relief when hiking in the hot dry climates or standing around in the FJR parking lot looking for new farkle ideas.

 

[radman]

Good deal. have a First Gear Mesh jacket that I love, but when it really gets toasty, it's just not enough.

 

[Groo]

These are the ones that FJRMGM was talking about... the Miracool Poncho vest (around $20). I ordered one earlier this week.... Mike really likes his, and said the cooling lasted quite a while.

 

[pawtracks]

I have a military issue vest from this place, works good, tested in 130F

 

[Badcat]

Do you have, and how do you like it? Thinking strongly of getting one before WooFoo, would like some opnions, and the old thread has gone bye bye. Been looking at the Joe Rocket Sahara in particular.

I have the Joe Rocket Sahara vest that I wear under a Phoenix jacket and the vest works well. Of course when it hits 110* I ride until I'm medium well then baste and turn back.

 

[Nosecone]

You might checkout the TechNiche evaporative cooling vest at www.soundrider.com, $29.95. MCN gave it a good review last year. I have one. It holds water and cools.

 

[juniorfjr]

We bought two of the Joe Rocket Sahara vests from New Enough at a closeout price. Finally warmed up enough to try them last Sunday, was over 100. Riding two up they definitly helped, they must have lost half of the water in the 60 or so miles home. Wearing them under Alter Ego mesh. Mrs also picked up some of the neck things that use the same stuff. Probably get some use in Reno. B)

 

[UnCaged]

I have the Joe Rocket Sahara vest with my Cortech Mesh Jacket. :yahoo: I have rode through the 110 degree valley heat for over 300 miles on more then one occasion! of course you still know it's hot, but the vest makes the ride enjoyable again. :fans: I carry extra water so I can poor it on the vest if I'm out in the middle of know where and need some cool down. ( you can stop lay the vest on a clean as passable piece of black top or concrete, poor water on it and your good to go, till you get to the next Denney's or McDonald's!. :dribble:

Enjoy!!!

UnCaged

 

[nusman68]

You might checkout the TechNiche evaporative cooling vest at www.soundrider.com, $29.95. MCN gave it a good review last year. I have one. It holds water and cools.

I have this same vest; after careful comparison, it *appears* to be identical to the Joe Rocket Sahara; the only differences I was able to find was that the Sahara cost 75.00 (vs 30.00 for the TechNiche) & has a zipper (to allow it to be zipped into a Phoenix jacket). I have used it numerous times under my Phoenix in 95 deg. heat & 80% + humidity..it helps, but is no miracle (the research says in areas of lower humidity they work better, as the water in the vest then has 'somewhere to evaporate to' . I have found for best performance, wear it over a bonafide UnderArmor T shirt....I usually get about ~ 200 mi. of 'backroads' riding before needing a recharge. I know the 'phase change' vests are the way to go, but they are big bucks..

At a bike rally down here last year (in Galveston, actually) a vendor there was selling a cooling vest (he seemed sincere...IBA dude...FWIW); he told me the Sahara/TechNiche vests were filled w/paper & sawdust, thus the lackluster performance & limited durability (no, I did not confirm this). He had his vests on display, which he claimed were much better, at 89.00...they did appear to be constructed better but that's all I could say for now (guess its cheaper than the 160.+ for the phase change types). Might be a good compromise without breaking the bank...here's a link

cooling vest

 

[FJRMGM]

I checked out this article on motorcycle cooling vests before I bought mine so that's why I bought the MiraCool cooling poncho vest from Tuff Rhino The Poly crystals hold water for several days, not hours.

I used mine in 93 degree weather this last weekend and it was outstanding. Soaked it in water for about 25 minutes at 0800 on Saturday morning and it still had some water in it on Monday evening. Felt great riding with it on Sunday morning.

Very impressive poncho cooling vest.

 

[zzkenoman]

Joe Rocket Sahara vest works good on the body under my NKJ mesh, will definately bring it going to WFO.

 

[radman]

I checked out this article on motorcycle cooling vests before I bought mine so that's why I bought the MiraCool cooling poncho vest from Tuff Rhino The Poly crystals hold water for several days, not hours.
I used mine in 93 degree weather this last weekend and it was outstanding. Soaked it in water for about 25 minutes at 0800 on Saturday morning and it still had some water in it on Monday evening. Felt great riding with it on Sunday morning.

Very impressive poncho cooling vest.

Ordered it today. Thanks allfor the suggestions and input.

 

[Groo]

They may be backordered... I placed my order on the net with a CC on Monday... still haven't gotten any shipping info. from them... sent an email yesterday. :huh:

 

[bmwhd]

Most of the discussion so far in this thread is about evaporative cooling vests. Another option to consider are the so called "phase change" vests. I have one of these from Glacier Tek and really like it.

The advantage for me is the degree of cooling is not dependant on air movement so it works well in stop-n-go traffic.

The downside is the recharge time is longer when on an extended trip.

The vest will keep you significantly cooler for about 2 hours. What I do on long trips is recharge the vest at each fuel stop by buying a bag of ice and putting the cooling pouches in the ice while I gas up and go to the bathroom.

The other advantage of this style of cooling vest is that it is dry so it's good over work clothes.

 

[radman]

They may be backordered... I placed my order on the net with a CC on Monday... still haven't gotten any shipping info. from them... sent an email yesterday. :huh:

Then they shall be destroyed. So it is written, so it shall be.

 

[Groo]

Then they shall be destroyed. So it is written, so it shall be.

Maybe not all that bad... just got an email that my stuff has shipped and the guy in the brown van should drop off the package on Friday.