staying cool in the heat

[melnorton]

OK expert women,
What is the best way to stay cooler when riding in 90-95 degree heat? I like to gear up, but sometimes it gets tough..... any suggestions from other southerners?

Melanie

[womanridge]

I use a few different items.
First is a cooling scarf. I soak it in water so the filler expands. They are sold everywhere.
I also have LD Comfort sleeves. Again, soak them first.
The biggest expense I have for staying cool is the Veskimo vest.
http://www.veskimo.com/
It really works well.
Now if someone can invent a cooling helmet! That I would buy.

[Elgin Mary]

I bought an inexpensive vest that you also soak to keep you cool. I found it on a web site that sells reflective vests for road workers. I wear that under my Joe Rocket mesh jacket. I've been thinking about buying mesh pants also. Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to make the helmet cooler.

Mary
2007 R1200RT

[suecanada]

Having experimented with what type of cloth stays wet longest, I sewed 2 pieces of micro-fibre cloth together and cut a hole in the middle big enough to go over my head (it doesn't fray). Wet it at a gas stop and pull it on. Drapes over front and back of body and keeps wet pretty long. Easy to store in a plastic bag under cargo net or anywhere and thin enough to not bulk you up. Also handy to have a microcloth for other purposes. I found the wet vests to be dribbly (hard to wring out) and feel slimy and did finally drip into pants for a diaper rash feel!

[suecanada]

Oh yeah....close vents on a non mesh jacket and pants. Non mesh jacket is preferable to limit evaporation. Seems counter-intuitive but the high temp, dry heat coming through the mesh dries ya out and anything under the jacket too fast. Trap that cooling moisture is the idea! I suppose one could rig up something around the thighs for pants.

[womanridge]

Oh yeah....close vents on a non mesh jacket and pants. Non mesh jacket is preferable to limit evaporation. Seems counter-intuitive but the high temp, dry heat coming through the mesh dries ya out and anything under the jacket too fast. Trap that cooling moisture is the idea! I suppose one could rig up something around the thighs for pants.

+1 what Sue said.

[Ken F]

LD Comfort.

They make a Helmet liner you can soak down and will stay cool for about an hour to an hour and a half. Same with their long sleeved undershirt. Dump a bottle of water down your neck and you are good for about another hour or more.

Good stuff.

Ken

[ragtoplvr]

when really hot, fill front pockets of jacket with ICE.

Bit brisk when you start out, but when you hit the furnace over the black asphalt, NICE!!!

Lasts about a hour.

Rod

[WI Sharon]

So where is this warm weather? I'm freezing my parts today at the balmy 65 degrees.

[kthflieger]

I tried the obvious - I keep my helmet in the freezer in the garage - works really well for those short rides in town...like putting an air conditioner on your head.

[Voni]

For me what works best is to start the ride at dawn, and stop early and duck into air conditioning.

I've always dreamed of a nice air conditioned movie about 2 to 6 PM!

Voni
sMiling

[Voni]

For a most technical discussion, go here:

http://www.ironbutt.com/ibmagazine/IronButt_1002_62-66_Hot.pdf

Voni
sMiling

[bmwgsrider]

I use a cooling vest:

http://www.silvereagleoutfitters.com/

I have noticed a difference on how it helps keep the body heat down. I do get bad migraines from the heat and a cooling vest has helped.

I also have a camelbak and having a cold pack on your back helps too...keep ice in it.

Make sure you drink plenty of fluids... that is a big plus as I am known to also not drink as much as I should and I think I do.

[bmwgsrider]

So where is this warm weather? I'm freezing my parts today at the balmy 65 degrees.

I've been having over 100 degree temps with bad winds.

[cyclynnut]

Hey Mel, Just got on here. You don't need help staying cool. You already are the coolest woman I know. :bow I got very hot going out West-the first trip. I like to wet my shirt and sometimes my pants.:D I have started wearing the technical fabrics and that helps. Making trips to town with all the lights and traffic really is the hottest for me.I just suffer or plan my route with the lest stops. You got a lot of good suggestions here.

[Walking Eagle]

I do a lot of riding in 100+ temps and under 15% humidity, and have crossed the Mojave many times during summer months. The cooling vests work wonderfully in these conditions, and will stay wet/damp for about 90 minutes, IF you restrict airflow a little, as others have said. I always wear a heavy jacket (not mesh), but one which has ARM ZIPPERS -- an absolute MUST for hot weather riding. Chest zips (IMHO) usually sit behind a windscreen, but arms/elbows are out in the breeze. Not sure why more manufacturers don't catch on to this trick.

Each to her/his own on using mesh riding gear, but if you use it, you must drink a lot of water to compensate for skin evaporation. Those guys who live in the Sahara and ride camels? No mesh gear there -- ATGATT, head-to-toe, and their lives depend on it, as do ours.

THE most important thing, as previously mentioned, is to STAY HYDRATED. In the west, this means a Camelbak or equivalent. You cannot stay hydrated in high heat and low humidity unless you are drinking small amounts every 15-30 minutes. You will get dehydrated if you rely on drinking at gas stops only, and many Western roads have 50+ mile stretches between gas, anyway.

The first thing that goes away when you get 10% dry is the "higher" thinking part, as in "making decisions," and you might find yourself trying to recall which lever is for stopping, and which for shifting. . .and why is my hand moving sooooo slow???

Walking Eagle

[Ken F]

Excellent Link Voni!!!!!

Everyone should read this completly.

Again, I can't stress enough LD Comfort Underwear!!!

Ken

[lkchris]

Important I think to add eye protection to discussion of riding in hot weather.

It's NOT COOL when your eyes water over or just become really painful.

There are others, but I wear (men's version)
http://www.7eye.com/AirShield/

[racer7]

+1 for the Veskimo and another for Voni's point on start/finish times.

I get about 4 hrs out of a Veskimo fill. It only holds about 6 lbs of cracked ice but can be filled in the morning from a motel ice machine and from any gas station with ice. I use their plastic container inside a BMW small seat bag with some added styrofoam insulation so it can sit a few hours in the early AM before I turn it on.
When operating out of home base or where you have a freezer, ice blocks work best.

Been thinking about transplanting the pump guts from their "6 lb of cracked ice" plastic container to a larger insulated cooler that can hold an entire 10 lb bag of ice- the usual gas station size.

The Veskimo can adjust your thinking about riding in the heat for sure. Now for that helmet with A/C......

[BCKRIDER]

A few years ago I found a really heavy cotton sweat shirt ($2) at a thrift store. Had an idea this might make a more effective "cooling vest" than the one I had purchased. This was a pullover with short zipper and the collar really covers the neck. I amputated the sleeves and also the bottom part at about navel level with pinking shears.

Soaked in either a gas station sink or river then slightly wrung out, it weighed a LOT. Under my mesh jacket it kept me comfortable in 90+ degree temperatures for over three hours. Might be even better under my newer vented jacket - at least the cooling would last longer.

Of course, evaporative cooling works best in low humidity.

[Paul_F]

I wear a mesh jacket and I do take a few sips of water from my camelbak (filled with ice and water) every 10 minutes when riding in the heat. If it should be extremely warm, I'll soak my helmet liner and T-shirt at rest stops, which is usually good for about two hours. I do these things in warm weather because I know that I should.

However, I have a problem where I don't feel much heat and almost never notice any humidity. I also seldom sweat (the exception being the closing ceremonies at Bloomsburg 2011). Below 80F when riding, I am usually wearing a long sleeve turtle neck because I am cold. Over the years, there have been heated debates around the house as to why the air conditioning should or should not be on.