Got to try out my new cooling vest from Glacier Tek yesterday, so reckoned I'd come on here and share my review in case anyone else might benefit from my investment.

First off... I don't like hot weather. I'd previously posted on this and other forums inquiring as to riders' comfort levels in the heat. Totally subjective to each person of course, some people's personal opinions basically sounded like mine. Some people have no problem with summer riding. And some other folks boasted about being able to ride on the surface of Mercury while covered in burning napalm because that's how much heat they can handle. Yay for them... but me, I'll take 40' over 90' any day of the week.

Anyway! That said, I'm happy to report that this product (link below) does live up to its claims, and performs rea$onably given its not-insignificant price point.

The vest contains 4 pairs of frozen-gel packs that fit into the vest with two in your front and two on your back. The reason that I say frozen-gel is because they are not ice packs. The manufacturer claims that the proprietary material "freezes" to 59 degrees to keep you cool without the chance of cold-burning your skin like ice would. While I wasn't able to test the exact surface temperature (which did seem ice-cold right out of the freezer but quickly stabilized), I can tell you that after 1/2 hour of riding it strangely was still frozen solid like a popsicle yet was not bitter cold to the touch.

As to the riding experience, the vest does weigh a bit (the company claims 5 lbs but I noticed UPS marked the shipping weight of the box as 6 lbs). And there is a little bit of a turtle-shell effect on my back where my jacket covers the loaded vest. But once on the bike, this is not noticeable, and far outstripped by the cooling effect. My jacket -- which is properly sized -- zipped up right over the vest with no restrictions. If your riding jacket is already on the tight side, then YMMV.

When I got home, I had minimal moisture on my shirt. The advantage of this vest over the more common (and admittedly cheaper) evaporative vests is that you don't get "wet" while riding, although the frozen gel packs did perspire a little. Not much.

My grade is an A. Works exactly as advertised.

http://www.coolvest.com/RPCM_Cooling...ookieSupport=1

I'm aware that there are some fellers out there who will say all you need to cool down while ridin' is a rag dipped in toilet water and anything else is a waste of $$. Good for them, says I. I was lookin' for a convenient, dry cooling product that lasts for several hours, and I found it. :-)

 

Good job on the review............Thanks

 

I've been considering a Glacier Tek Cooling Vest. How long does the "cooling" last before having to re-submerge in ice water?

 

Last night I had it on for 1/2 hour, off for about 90 minutes (left out, not in a freezer), and back on for another 1/2 hour. It was still "frozen" solid (at the claimed 59' I guess) after I got home.

They claim 2.5 hours straight, but I haven't had a long enough riding day since I got it to test that.

 

Nice review. For me this is important because its not for me. My son has a condition where he cant regulate his body temp, and he could die in minutes of heat stroke. Main reason i dont ride as much as i use too. he needs 24hr watching. The vests i have are basically the biggest they have that i found searching the net for days about 2 years ago. This vest will be worth its weight in gold come next year for him. Thanks again. Atleast i know he can go outside and ill have a new vest for him to wear. Having no sweatglands sucks and scares the **** out of me.

 

I recently purchased the HD hydro-vest for a ride to california. I was impressed, made the ride across the mojave desert bearable, though I did soak it too long and it soaked my pants but I didn't mind- at 106 degrees I wouldn't have cared if I were completely soaked. The trick with the hydro vest is to layer up- I wore a t-shirt, the vest,a wet long sleeve shirt, then a mesh jacket. Kept me cool for about 90 minutes between soakings.

 

Man i cant imagine riding in those temps. When i went to sturgis years ago, luck would have it, it didnt get above 90. Over 100 man i wouldnt make it, youd see buzzards circling for sure.

 

While these vests were not initially created for recreational use (I think they were for overseas military contractors and construction use), I notice that they also get a lot of attention in the MS community. I guess people with Mutiple Sclerosis have a lot of heat-related issues.

While I think it's perfect for riding (and Glacier Tek was $mart enough to market them to bike and ATV riders), I know they also get used for some medical conditions.

 

There is another company with a very similar product some friends use it. Texas Cool vest, no I dont work for them.