Keeping cool in the Dog Days of summer

[Bruno Valeri]

Riding in hot weather can sometimes be a bit of a struggle, especially with the current spate of hot weather.

One approach we all know is to drink sufficiently in order to prevent dehydration and also allow for evaporative cooling through sweating.

But prolonged sweating is a stress on our system and adds to fatigue over time. Water is only the fuel that allows sweating.

Our body has to suck up its resources in order to produce the continued sweat.

There are some gear options that can make this much more bearable.

One option is to wear an evaporative cooling vest. Though cooling vests are at their best in hot and dry climates, they can also offer benefit in humid climates. There are quite a few on the market to choose from.

I have a review up on my website for the Joe Rocket Sahara vest.
http://pages.videotron.com/mcrides/product_evals/joe_rocket/sahara.htm

Though the review deals with one model in particular, the concepts and comments can be applied to most quality evaporative vests.

A good cooling vest will lower your level of body heat stress and fatigue. It will even make sitting in traffic more bearable. Something to consider.

Another option is a good pair of mesh or breathable pants that don't significantly compromise on safety.
You can definitely be stewing in your own juices when wearing regular riding pants in more extreme weather. Again, a good pair of vented pants will lower your heat stress.

IF the mesh is well positioned, it limits the amount of engine heat exposure.

As example, I have a review and comments up on the Teknic Supervent pants.
http://pages.videotron.com/mcrides/product_evals/teknic/supervent.htm



Cheers!


Bruno
Montreal, Canada
http://pages.videotron.com/mcrides

[cyclerama2000]

I have a fairly heavy Teknic jacket that I wear when on the road. Wwhen it gets too hot I stop by a creek, or if in a town stop by a fountain or pool and dunk my whole jacket in the water. In a creek I let the natural flow of the water go through the sleeves. The evaporation works for awhile.

[Bruno Valeri]

I have a fairly heavy Teknic jacket that I wear when on the road. Wwhen it gets too hot I stop by a creek, or if in a town stop by a fountain or pool and dunk my whole jacket in the water. In a creek I let the natural flow of the water go through the sleeves. The evaporation works for awhile.

That's quite effective. It cools the outside of your jacket (so provides a temperature buffer) as well as cooling you on the inside

Bruno
Montreal, Canada
CBR 929
http://pages.videotron.com/mcrides

[docsabre]

Indeed. I might add a few salient points.

1) The cooling vests need to be thoroughly soaked and allowed to drip off the majority of the water unless you want your skivvies wet also. This is not so bad except that it can damage a leather belt or wet the contents of your wallet.

2) The cooling vests need to be exposed to air flow. So mesh or perforated leather should be worn over the vest. Do not wear anything over the vest except the mesh or perf jacket and wear nothing under the vest as the wet, evaporating vest is what cools your skin. You can expect a good 10 degree or more decrease in the ambient temperature.

3) If you put a bladder from a CamelBack in the pouch that many riding jackets have for the spine protector, and fill the bag with ice cubes and water, this will add a very cold ice bag on your back which helps a lot. You can drink the ice water as needed.

4) Keep a small spray bottle of water handy to spray around the neck area while riding. The air flow and evaporation is great for cooling.

5) Perforated leather gloves help the hands.

6) You can use the top zipper tab to open the tops of your riding pants a small amount to increase airflow without compromising the protection of the pants.

7) Avoid riding in the desert during the daylight hours in the months of May to October.

Doc

[Boondocker]

As one who routinely rides in hot weather, I'll share my views on the subject. I commute daily, year-round and frequently travel from Las Vegas to the high desert area of California. Going through Death Valley is the most interesting route. This weekend I did just that and even camped in Death Valley just to make the most of it. I passed through Furnace Creek (aptly named yes?) in Death Valley at about 7 PM (1/2 hour before sunset), it was 110° F (43° C). I stopped for a water recharge, but had to let the hose run awhile so as not to scald myself.

So far, I agree with all the points made except for Docsabre's point #2 about mesh jackets. I will concede the maximum cooling from a water-soaked cooling vest is achieved with a mesh motorcycle jacket over-layer, but it is only good for a short distance. My experience is that with temperatures over 100° F (about 38° C), a typical cooling vest will dry in the front in about 30 minutes at freeway speeds if wearing a mesh jacket. While this might be enough to get you home from work (my case), this is unsuitable for longer distance hot weather riding. I wear a mesh jacket in the summer because it is best for the commute, which is too often slow to no speed, and it doesn't take long to turn into a boil-in-the-bag entré without some flow-through ventilation.

Where this rule changes is on the long ride. Typically while touring, you're moving at a good clip, and if you're riding through the desert, may not have the option or desire to stop for a soaking every half hour. Not only that but, hot air, above body temperature, turns into wind burn, not wind chill. Riding in 100° F+ temps in a mesh jacket will serve to suck the moisture from your body faster than you can replace it, not to mention the potential for sunburn.

What I have found to work the best when touring (riding for 1-2 hours at a time with in average speed above 50 mph) is to use my 3-season jacket with all the vents CLOSED. I know this sounds wrong, so let me explain. In the touring mode, as described, air flow is fairly constant. Depending how your jacket fits, there is normally air entering through the sleeve cuffs, neck, front zipper, seams, and bottom of the jacket. This is plenty to provide sufficient evaporative cooling effect. Sufficient is the operative concept here. Maximum cooling can actually chill you, I've had the hard nipples to prove it. A chilly chest and burning arms from hot wind blast (mesh jacket + cooling vest) does not make for a comfortable ride. It's better to keep the hot blast off your body and the cooling effect less dramatic. More importantly, the vest can provide cooling for up to 2 hours at the conservative pace achieved with minimal ventilation, at which point it's time to step off the bike for a few minutes anyway.

Today I returned from California to Las Vegas, across Death Valley. The temps ranged from a low of 90° to a high of 107° F. Using this technique, even with black colored riding gear , a full face helmet, and drinking about 1.5 liters of water, I was very comfortable and arrived home refreshed. I also wore only a "surf shirt" under the vest. This is a long-sleeved, skin-tight, polypropylene shirt designed as a sun-blocker for surfers. It doesn't absorb water like cotton and because it's tight, provides a protective layer against mild abrasion that can occur from just the wind buffeting the jacket. This was a 4.5 hour ride, with one stop for re-soaking and two other stops for long drinks.

The object here is not to sweat to keep cool. The object is to keep yourself just cool enough that you don't need to sweat. You don't have to be any cooler than that. The morale of the story is, match your gear wisely to the conditions to maximize your comfort and health. Always drink plenty of water.

Cheers,
Neil

[docsabre]

In responding to your comments about my post:

I do not own a fabric mesh jacket, I use a Fieldsheer perforated leather jacket. SO I cannot comment on whether it is possible to get a sunburn through a mesh jacket. I will leave that to someone else's expertise.

The perf leather jacket I use with a Joe Rocket cooling vest will stay wet and has continued to cool me for over 16 hr of continuous riding in hot weather. In fact, at the end of the day when I am camping. I am unable to even put the vest on until late in the morning. While I will not offer my nipples as evidence, I can attest to the vest being uncomfortably cold to put on while damp in the morning.

Lastly, I would not ever think of riding through Death Valley in the summertime as this is just not my idea of a "fun motorcycle trip" under any circumstances. I would place that idea alongside having my scrotum stretched without anesthesia. But I have endured a summer ride up California 395 from Victorville to Tahoe. I wore the vest with the perf leather jacket for over 6 hours at 70mph in 100 degree ambient temperature and the vest was damp when I went to bed that night.

Also I did not think that the water had been sucked out of me, as I stopped for refreshments only once. I did not have a sunburn and my nipples were refreshed at the end of the day.

The Joe Rocket vest has a type of polymer that holds onto water unlike just wetting a tee shirt and wearing it under the jacket.

I highly recommend the vest worn with a perforated leather jacket and avoidance of riding in the desert during daylight hours in the summer. I advise readers to consider our comments and decide for yourself whether you want a vest that stays wet for 16 hours with air flowing over it, or if you want to zip up your vents and ride to a place where the water will scald you from the faucet.

Doc

[Drowsy Dave]

All this talk of nipples and scrotums is making me feel funny.

[docsabre]

Not only nipples and scroti (plural for scrotum?) but the "thrust" of this thread is all about "staying wet".

Doc

[DrDale]

I have the LD Comfort riding shorts and long sleeved shirts. These have been a great base layer for riding. I just returned from a 5,000 mile trip to Colorado and Moab (from Michigan). Temps ranged from the high 90s in Moab to just above freezing in the high altitudes of Colorado. LD Comfort recommends wetting the sleeves and neck area of their shirts to aid in cooling. I can attest that doing this is like turning on the air conditioning. I put some water in the area of the vents on my Tourmaster jacket. The shirt can hold quite a bit of water, so the amount you add is variable. It is actually cooler that just riding with my Joe Rocket Mesh jacket with a wicking (but dry) t-shirt underneath.

[docsabre]

Interesting. Looks like good stuff.

http://www.rickmayercycle.com/ld_wear.html

Doc