miracool vest [nklr]
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2005 11:29 pm
As promised, a brief review. The goal was to be able to withstand 100+
degree heat without having to continually soak a t-shirt to keep from
keeling over from heat stroke. After some research, I found that the
bead-gell type vests worked better than the ones with the "hygroscopic"
liner. The one I got is called the 'Mira-Cool Reversable Vest', and is
advertised on various web sites aimed at construction workers, one of whom
has it for $29.95 plus shipping. This vest merely advertises "cooling
sensations"... hmm...
When the vest came, it was in a large zip-lok bag with instructions and
another "tote bag" for soaking it. I end up instead using a 2.5 gallon
Hefty slide-zip bag when I want to soak it, because the "tote bag" is not
sealable, while I can slide the vest into the Hefty, pour in a little over
a gallon of water, get the air out, zip it shut, and then lay the vest
flat to soak.
The closer the vest is to the skin, the better it works. And it doesn't
work well at all if there is no breeze. After some experimentation, it
appears that putting the vest on directly over my skin, then zipping my
mesh gear over it, works best. As promised, it will go all day without
needing re-soaking. As NOT promised, it also seems to cool me enough that
I don't overheat (i.e., more than just a "cooling sensation", it actually
cools, at least as long as I'm moving).
Some downsides:
1. The model on the web site is wearing it over his shirt. There is a
reason for this. The vest will stay wet for about a week after you get
home. It gets moldy and stinks. Ultraviolet light (i.e. sunlight) kills
mold. Thus I'm going to have to put it out in the sun to keep it from
stinking worse than it aready is.
2. It's pretty much impossible to clean the thing, because you don't want
to contaminate the hygroscopic beads with any kind of chemicals that could
interfere wirh their ability to hold water. So as time goes on it's going
to get rather, uhm, rank.
3. It covers a lot of your back, but not as much of your front.
4. It's a wet soggy mess once you're finished soaking it, so you'll need
to carry it in a plastic bag when you travel until you hit the hot weather
where you need it (i.e., mold and mildew time!). I carried it in the same
bag that I use to soak it, in case I needed to add more water. (I didn't
need to).
5. If you're not moving, it's not cooling. Eventually it starts feeling
warm and soggy, rather than cooling, as it picks up your body heat. So if
you're stuck in a traffic jam, you might overheat. (Good time to learn
lane splitting if you're in California-land!).
On the other hand, I went riding today through part of the Central Valley.
It was an oven out there. The heat hit me in a wave. I estimate it was
somewhere between 105 and 108 (yes, I lived in Phoenix and know what these
"feel" like). But unlike prior trips, where I had to pull over and cool
myself down, I could just keep riding! And while I've only worn it for 5
hours straight, it still had plenty of water left in it at the end of that
time. I just chucked it on the scale and it has around 4 pounds of water
still in it (i.e., around half a gallon of water), meaning it will
probably last around eight hours before it's advisable to add more water
(which can be done by putting it into the zip-lok bag and filling it up in
a service station restroom).
So despite its limitations, I have to say that it does what I want (i.e.,
lets me keep riding through an oven). Even if I did look kinda cheesy
unzipping my mesh jacket, taking off my t-shirt, and putting on this thing
then putting the mesh jacket back on over it. And I didn't have to wet it
once, it stayed wet, as it should have given that it has absorbed over a
gallon of water into those beads!
-E