I'm guessing most of us who don't let a little Texas heat keep us off our bikes in the summer get some assistance from a cooling vest of some type. So I thought it'd be interesting to see what vest people are using, the cost of the vest, the pros and cons of their choice, and how it compares with other vests they've used if applicable.
I just got a new vest to replace my previous one, so I'll get the ball rolling:
Ergodyne Chill-Its 6665 - $34 through Amazon
Pros - Cheap, easy to "charge" (soak in water for long ride, or just spray it for short ones), provides good relief for about 2 hours, fits true to size (i.e. a Large fits like a Large), and isn't bulky.
Cons - Heavy when fully charged, and gets my t-shirt underneath pretty wet, which people may mistake for sweat when I stop for lunch, etc.
Prior vest was a Colorado Coolvest which had numerous strips of crystals sewn in which if charged with too much water would burst at the seams. This happened with two vests, even though I was very careful to limit the charging time to that recommended in the instructions. The crystals in the second vest also seemed to congeal and lose their effectiveness after only a few dozen uses.
I just got a new vest to replace my previous one, so I'll get the ball rolling:
Ergodyne Chill-Its 6665 - $34 through Amazon
Pros - Cheap, easy to "charge" (soak in water for long ride, or just spray it for short ones), provides good relief for about 2 hours, fits true to size (i.e. a Large fits like a Large), and isn't bulky.
Cons - Heavy when fully charged, and gets my t-shirt underneath pretty wet, which people may mistake for sweat when I stop for lunch, etc.
Prior vest was a Colorado Coolvest which had numerous strips of crystals sewn in which if charged with too much water would burst at the seams. This happened with two vests, even though I was very careful to limit the charging time to that recommended in the instructions. The crystals in the second vest also seemed to congeal and lose their effectiveness after only a few dozen uses.