Glacier Tek Cool Vest Personal Cooling, 59 Degrees for 2.5 hours 8 Cool Packs, Recharge in 30 Minutes

I race karts here in Texas, and in the summer, it can be a bit brutal to run laps in the day. Due to the compact design of karts, typical cool-suit options for racing aren't an option since there's no place to put a cooler of the circulating water. It was 95 degrees and full sun during my test. My main worry is that including this vest along with my other safety equipment would keep me from fitting in my rather close-fitting seat. While things were a bit tighter, I was able to slide into the seat as normal. I then proceeded to run a number of laps. All in all, I was certainly quite a bit cooler at the end of the session. I am typically completely wrung out and have to spend time recovering from the heat with an assortment of fans and cold towels. With this jacket, I was still warm, but by keeping my core reasonably cool, I was much more comfortable upon exiting the kart and only sought out some cool towels for my head to deal with sweat. In such an extreme condition with the vest underneath two layers of safety gear, the ice packs were half melted after only about 10 laps at 95 degrees. I suspect if the vest is an outer layer helping cool you during yard work, for instance, it will perform even better and likely last longer. You'd get the benefit of air moving around the vest, too, which should make it perform even better. I kept the ice packs in my cooler on ice and they stayed solid. The materials in the packs must be something other than just water since they freeze at a higher temperature point. I would say this is what you're paying for since overall, this is a very simple device whose price point is pretty high - but with the quick-freezing packs, that gives it a bit of an edge over just shoving ice into the pockets of your jacket. The ice packs are SOLID if you freeze them in a freezer. I was a bit concerned that the hard packs would dig into my sides during cornering or with hard bumps, but the design of the packs seemed to spread out the forces so I didn't notice any spots that dug into my sides. I suspect the extra heat conditions allowed the consistency of the ice to form fit rather quickly. Given the extreme conditions in my use of the vest, I can't comment on the 2.5 hours of claimed cooling since I would expect the ice to be exhausted after about 20 laps at 95 degrees. However, the quick freezing ice packs are the killer feature here so that packs can be changed out between sessions quite easily. I'm very happy with this kit and recommend it if you can afford it.

So far, I'm impressed. I have a medical condition that makes it difficult for my body to regulate temperature effectively (along with a zillion other issues). I ride at a therapeutic horse barn once a week and the summers are really difficult, even when it's only the mid or lower 80s. I knew going into the search for a cooling vest that evaporative types weren't going to work in the high humidity of northern Indiana. The kind with normal ice packs are much cheaper, but for most people, they're only going to work briefly, because they're so cold that your body will start reducing circulation to the areas the ice is touching...then you're getting less cooling. The point of the phase change packs is that they are colder than the environment or your body, but not so very cold that your body reduces circulation, and their freezing point is much higher than water. While melting, they absorb significantly more heat (in order to Change Phase, hence the name) than it would take just to raise the same quantity of this substance by one degree. Also why they cost so much. It's not just normal ice. Anyway, this vest seems to work--I still sweated buckets but didn't feel like I was going to combust from the heat level. I was hoping for more instructions. There's just one piece of paper, back and front, and most of it doesn't even address use. The vest fits generously. Based on the specs in the listing, I bought the larger one, but I don't know that I needed it. The velcro, at its tightest, doesn't make it skin tight on me. It is a LOT of velcro and I found it a bit hard to get it fitted properly--I wish instructions had been included with tips on adjusting the fit. I ended up starting by adjusting the shoulder velcros until the vest was placed on my torso how I wanted it to be, and with the front zipped up, did the side pieces. As a woman, I am glad that there are two velcro straps on each side, because it allows you to adjust the fit for the chest separately from the waist--IF you get the shoulders situated properly. So, my advice is to keep the placement of those side velcro straps in mind while you adjust the shoulders. If I put the side velcro straps so that it fits snugly, there's a TON of velcro going over the center--so I wore it more loosely, but that meant less skin contact with the ice packs. It still worked, but I don't think I could possibly get this size tight enough to wear under anything...it has to be on top of a shirt. The weight isn't high (which is good, that would just make you hotter) but I'm not sure how breathable or moisture-wicking the fabric is--I guess another good reason not to have it against your skin. The packs were not fully liquid after 1.5 hours of wear, although I did have them in the freezer for longer than required beforehand. So I'm pleased with that longevity. I think if you are going to need to wear this for more than 3 hours, you will almost certainly need to have an extra set of packs to swap out. Of course, it came with more packs than I can really fit into the vest at once, but I'm not sure that I put them in correctly. Again, more instructions would be nice. No signs of unfinished seams or hems, zipper works, so far, so good. If I were doing this over again, I think I'd buy the smaller size. I am a hair under 5'5", relatively busty, but band size and waist about 34". Roughly 180#. And this vest would very likely fit someone 40 or 50 pounds heavier, although it depends on where the weight sits. If you are flat-chested (either male or small boobs) adjusting the fit will be much easier, and I'm fairly certain most women with smaller chests would do best with the smaller size option. I guess you could trim the excess velcro with a good pair of scissors, so you don't have all that extra in the front, but I'd worry about creating an unfinished edge on the velcro that would be prone to unraveling. Boy, was this not cheap, but worth it so far!!

I work in a manufacturing setting as a press operator and although my company has rented a 40 ton capacity air conditioning unit the production floor still gets so hot that it is evident that people are on the verge of heat prostration- you can see it by the red faces and stress as they move at a slower pace than usual. In my corner of the building the heat builds up so much on 90°F days that the press electrical cabinet sometimes fails in what is actually about 120°F to 125°F ambient temperatures. Last Friday I actually got sick from the heat and I decided to do something about it by ordering this cooling vest. I was especially impressed with the fact that the gel packs freeze at 59°F in 20 minutes if they are submerged in ice water. A fully re-charged set of gel packs do not feel like ice cubes but the cooling sensation is strong enough to weather the hottest and most humid conditions. It cools off your core effectively, allowing you to have a clear mind while moving at an aggressive pace throughout the shift. However, you must plan in advance how you will recharge your gel packs! You will want to change them out every 2 to 3 hours. I bring a Play- mate cooler with me to work stocked with big blocks of ice which I make using Rubbermaid containers in my downstairs freezer. It holds water bottles and my gel packs. On a brutal night working nine hour shifts this cooling vest will increase your productivity and comfort exponentially. I highly recommend it for anyone who is working in misery because of the heat! Consider it an investment in your health and both mental and physical power. The garment and gel packs are of excellent, top-notch quality.