Cooling Vest Showdown! Best and Worst 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with this richness of detail. Now I think I understand much better what I need

By far the best and most honest product review channel ever, thank you! 🎉

You either put the fans backwards in the jacket, or the polarity is reversed, I can see how they're sucking air out of the jacket and they're not supposed to do that, but the opposite: Blow outside air into the jacket and your own perspiration will do the cooling.

I am considering one for a brutal summer commute in full riding gear on my motorcycle. This was VERY helpful. Wonderful homestead you have there.

Hey you’re definitely one of the funniest guys I’ve ever stumbled upon on RU-vid! I’ve come to realize that I have a bit of heat intolerance, and started with traditional ice-packs, and now learning that theres so many options out there for cooling out and about, and found your video extremely helpful to figure things out. Thanks again, and hopefully I can help you get your $0.025 cents haha.

Thank you so much. Your video was very helpful in finding a vest for someone with multiple sclerosis

Thank you so much Spencer! I am buying the Hyperkewl evaporative vest in light of your review!

I'm a lawnscraper in Dayton so I know heat and humidity. What I have found works best for me is a good wicking polyester shirt a wet bandana and a well ventilated bush hat. I recently started using the arm wraps that works well to.

Really good funny informative honest reviews, I've been scouring the internet to find a cooling shirt or vest your video really helped out thank you

I'm sitting in my air conditioned house in Texas watching you in Michigan (?) trying to deal with the heat. Makes me smile. As long as you could keep wetting it, I bet that evaporative vest would work well in Arizona or New Mexico where the humidity is almost always low. Thanks for the off-beat, informative and very entertaining video, my friend.

What a great review man !!! Thanks 👍🏼

Ty, excellent and helpful review.

Great review, thank you for the well articulated insights

A wet buff and skull cap are simple and keeps me cool in the desert heat while mountain biking. I have an extra water bottle just for keeping those items wet.

Great video and picked up some useful information. We have sold cooling systems for 15 plus years and the latest ones are for all types of work by using different hip belts with water cooling and lithium batteries. Vest is made of an open mesh to allow the body to breath and adjustable velcro straps. Clients are firefighters and high heat manufacturing plants. Please stay healthy.

Great video. I've been trying to come up with a solution for the hot days and your video has a lot of good information from someone in the field. In my case I don't really do manual labor but business-casual dress codes means I am wearing long pants and long shirts. Sweating would cool me off, but you don't want to be sweating in business casual! So I think some kind of water circulation pack is the best alternative.

Thanks for the helpful video. Ever thought about putting together a hybrid by taking a fishing vest and putting some ice packs in the front and one of those cooling towels in the back zipper?

I’ve got one like the first one you showed and I love it for riding bicycles or dirtbike‘s or anything in a dry climate. I do prefer to wear it over a shirt though or a jersey.

Loved the video. I sent my GlacierTek back. I quickly felt warmer with the darn thing on, and that was just sitting before doing any work. Was thinking of the INUTEQ-PAC PCM COOLOVER 15C. It’s basically a vest made from ice packs, with small straps. Until you pointed out at the end that the ice packs melt pretty quickly from the outside in.

I live in the desert of California and SHEEEESH it can get very hot here! Up to 120 or more! This is a very informative video!

This was very cool!! The insulation between ice and the body is an adjustment. With no insulation we would feel too cold and the energy would be transfered too fast. The problem is that you can't adjust this insulation and as you say, ice generally don't last one hour. I also like more the evaporative cooling vest. Maybe some day I will try a vest with a circulating liquid.

Thank you, great reviews

Im in Havasu AZ and the temps have been around 115 lately. I work outdoors and it gets soo hot. I like the idea of the cooling vest. Is there one that has a water bladder that will rewet the vest while you are wearing it? It would be nice to not have to stop, go and rewet and put back on again and again. Thanks for the info

Qore Performance Ice Plate is the best. A little pricey, but really nice and they provide hydration.

Excellent video. I can't be out in any heat anymore cause i passed out and woke up to emt's a few years ago. At that time i bought a technique tech kewl ice vest with extra ice. I still wear it almost everyday but that weird white chemical fake ice doesn't seem to work quite correctly anymore. I just purchased a water circulating vest but the little backpack is built inside the backside. After i use it for a bit I'll do a review.

The 2nd to last one would be great for people like me. I'm a C6-7 quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down & I don't sweat at all.

I kind of discovered the idea of evaporative cooling on my own. Cooling towels are nice. But, personally to me it seems like just soaking a t-shirt underneath a thin long-sleave shirt to keep the sun off works well. Although, I expect an actual evaporative shirt would last longer. Part of it might be that I am in a drier climate. (at least during the summer.) The hard limit for evaportaion is humidity. I totally can see the issues with the ice ones though.

when i worked as a farm hand in the summer heat i would wear a long sleeve shirt and soak it in water when i could, and that helped when the air was blowing back off the tractor engine

I mean this as a high compliment there are a lot of irritating videos reviews really way too much but anyway your video was informative and relaxing to watch thank you for posting.

This was interesting. I constantly am looking at cooling vest to wear in surgery. The surgeons have one with a leash that runs icy water but it is bulky and attached to a giant box on the ground. The one with the pack is the most similar but i always wondered if the icepack one would be better. Now i know 😏

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. can you put the name or the link (old linked is broken) for the first power shirt (13:11). thanks

I had to watch your story when I saw that you went 17 yrs before getting an accurate diagnosis because when it was first brought up by my PCP "maybe it's MS" I started thinking back to when I first experienced certain symptoms which have worsened over time, and thought, "No, that started in 2006 and it's 2024 now." As I see more videos on MS stories I realize that it is surely a posibility that it started that long ago and that's why I'm experienced worsening of the symptoms now that I'm 43. So, Thank you for sharing. I, too, wondered about the therapeutic value of the drugs available or lack thereof. I'm wondering if, since it's been awhile since you made that video, you've started any medications or treatments of any kind and whether anything has or has not helped you?

So your favorite is the compcooler? What would you recommend me if I want to be the coldest for the longest amt of time? I don’t mind any cons or setbacks. I’m extremely heat intolerant. It makes me sick. Ty!!

I wear a hazmat suit all day in a factory that sits around 43c in the summer. It's gotten unbearable, and I'll find myself fainting and getting covered in rashes. So glad to see this content! Im going to cave and buy one that'll last at least half of the day.

great video honest straight forward!

Good honest review many thanks for that - no marketing bullsh*t

Great video! Question - I am a tennis nut and on really hot days when I play for a long time I can suffer from being overheated and have to stop. Do you think any of the vests would work while playing tennis? I was thinking the "Bro" might be a possibility.

Excellent information. Thanks.

Can you get frostbite from the ice-vests, or do they warm up too quickly? The NMSS sent me one after diagnosis (along with other free items to serve as a reminder that life will never be the same 😃) and I've always been hesitant to wear it. I never really needed to because I luckily always had the option to avoid excessive heat. But now that I spend a bit more time outdoors, I have thought about wearing it.

Thank you so much for this video.

Super helpful! Thanks

i live in japan, where you have a crazy hot summer with like 90% humidity, ice pack vest are useless because of the humidity they melt in 40 mins, we use the air ventilated jacket, keeps you dry from over sweating and keeps your head with enough oxigen so you dont get heatstrokes

Hahah the last cooling jacket IS supposed to inflate as it blows air in. I think you might have the fans inside out.... I modeled for Fooxmet and tried it out, and was surprised it actually felt really good (looked a little funny, but felt good). And yes, it inflated the jacket. I can't compare it to other vests since I've never tried any before then - and I didn't get to keep the fooxmet jacket and try it more often - but from the short time I did use it, I actually liked it and kinda wished I could have kept the jacket instead of the money for the shoot lol.

WoW, thank you! My multiple sclerosis doesn't go well with heat, so I googled for cooling vests, as I've heard it's a thing. The effects of heat (so called "Uhthoff's phenomenon") are like this - I go to a beach, with noticeable difficulties get into a swimming shorts (in my case it's really hard to lift my legs sometimes, which makes dressing complicated), but after swimming / cooling in water I feel much better - legs work better and I'm able to move faster for some time. I guess vest should work fine, as my brains are almost untouched by sickness, the absolute bulk of damage has been done to my spinal cord in neck and chest area - exactly what a vest would cover, which should make it quite effective (I hope).

Can you provide name of cooling vest with water pump or where to buy. Thank you and your love your review of these products

Is an awesome video! I'd really like you to make a similar video on the newer wearable ac units for around your neck? And perhaps the wearable fans as well. I nd a personal ac unit in my life! But reviews are mixed and maybe biased! They are around $70 I wanna get the one that works the best!

Hay I have a medical problem as well the va got me a polar cooling system d/c 12 volt the battery lasts all day just have to be willing to have ice chest with you

For your silver vest (the one you like the most) would you recommend ordering a size smaller than normal? That way it is more tight across the torso?

@metaspencer I am searching for something to help me, I had a heatstroke a few years ago and my life ha never been the same, I really need something to help me keep cool. it was 90 degrees, heat Index on Valentine's day. Thank you for doing this review... Very Helpful and informative... 👍

Great video, thanks!

as someone with a back issue that only activates in heat, sure they might be weird or "gizmos" as i heard other people talk about it but anything is better than looking like a crack addict scratching my back and a tiny handheld fan wont help much, but from my own experience fan ones are better for that cool breeze feeling, i really like your video! i really like your tips per type of vest, i'm probably going to get one of those air conditioned hoodie/shirt things mixed with that water one at the start, but my main concern is that it wont die off in around 3 hours and be a all rounder for versatility

the most effective method I have found and is to swallow α bunch of ice. The phase change from solid to liquid absorbs α huge amount of heat from your body.

I relize this is older video. I have a few questions. I have MS which is a very interesting auto immune disease. I would like to know short answer which one would be good lightweight vest ?

Are all of these vests only suitable for draw heat whether? Anything good for humid weather?

Nice comparison!

With that air cooled vest. It looked in the video like the fans, rather than trying to inflate the vest it appeared to me that they were trying to pull a vacuum. Maybe they were wired backwards! Something to verify!

You omitted the name and link of what appears to be the best one, silver vest w circulating pump. What is the name of that one please?

I;ve been designing my own for quite a while but it is questionable that I can do better or cheaper. You make a lot of interesting points I would not have thought of. But as far as our natural cooling system goes we also have our natural heating system and wearing winter clothes doesn't seem to ruin our bodily functions. IDK.

super helpful!!! ive thought about getting each one of these, except for the fan jacket. i think i have an idea for an even more modern cooling system. have you seen vortex coolers? well i want to hook one of those to a paint ball tank with a regulator. then attach the regulated air to the vortex cooler. then the light weight perforated vest. and boom. portable light weight torso cooling. check it out my brother. you helped me by doing all your consumer research. now i hope that i was able to help you. the only thing i have left to get is the vortex cooler. ill let ya know if it works. hopefully you msake a video of a vortex cooling vest with a portable air source. thanks again. im glad i didnt spend all the money i almost did. to get unsatisfactory results.

I need the Ice Water Vest you wore in your video. The link has an update version that is one unit. I actually need the 2 piece version due to using a wheelchair. Any alternatives you are aware of?

I am wondering where you found that circulating vest - I have searched but no luck. I found another one online that seems to be a quality one, but its $300. yikes. looking for alternative. thanks-

Wonderful video, ty.

Interesting presentation,I,m searching for a cooling vest for our adult son who has M.S.,he suffers a lot by the heat,it,s a big problem for people who have M S.I,m not sure if a cooling vest would help him.Thank you😊

I am like u very invested in find the best personal cooling system. I have a compcooler ice water vest

Great info!

Thx for the video. Did u try „Inuteq“ products? A dutch company. The also have products with PCM. I see occasionally high professional athletes wearing theire products e.g. Max Verstappen the current F1 champion.

PLease tell us where you bought them and how much? especially the third one? thanks.

are you able to wash the 5th jacket? or does the electronics not allow you?

@metaspencer About the fan vest you installed the fans in the wrong direction. The way you installed they are trying to suck the air out the vest. To work they must do the opposite. Where you plug the wires in the fan must be inside, not outside.

Would like to find something that would work in Florida & southern states on a motorcycle. Appears the one with a circulation pump is the only one? No point in having something that is only good for an hour or so. If traveling on a trip, best is to just ride early am, break during heat of the day, & then ride late evening. But that does not work well if staying at motels or setting up a camp site.

The "Bro", the wife is wise beyond her years.

How long does the air conditioning vest with the bag keep you cool?

Thank you!!!!!

I recommend the "cool 58" packs from polarproducts. I have a neck pack, I took it out of the sleeve for better heat transfer. I have 2 sets. I have one on my neck, and the other in an ice bucket. The solid to liquid phase change happens at 58F, so it is not uncomfortable to have on the skin. I am in mobile alabama, and am often a vendor at craft fairs. During tent setup and take down, the combined humidity and temperature "wet bulb temperature", ie 93F and 70% humidity, is "extreme temperature". In 3 hours of swapping neck straps every 10 minutes I stay out of heat stroke danger, and melt a bit over 10 pounds of ice. Without the neck strap I start going into heat stroke in about 25 minutes. I am 6 foot 6, 270 pounds, and have a resting pulse of 53 bpm. So a problem of surface to volume ratio. My waist is less than half my height.

Hi hi. Regarding the Ice Water Circulating Cooling Vest (second to last one you reviewed)… your link does not work. There is one company that sells it online, but geez they have a horrible return policy. (You never know, so it’s nice to shop with a reputable company in case a return is necessary). Would you mind telling me the brand name on that so I can research it & find where it is sold? Thank you!!

For a while I had the idea to make a belt with a bunch of tiny side-blower laptop fans that point up into your shirt but I haven't had the time to try putting it together. If anyone want's to try that I think it'd be worth a shot.

Can you wash the first vest that you showed in the washing machine?

Pretty funky!

Just need a good ice neck cooling towel. This dewd is cool.

IDK about MS but with my heat intolerance I feel like I have a fever and its breaking. Vomiting, sweating etc. I'm not looking for something go last 8 hours I can do most day to day tasks with breaks and my car but I would like to be able to do some kind of athletic activity for 45 minutes to an hour. Reminder that you should consider other use cases.

I've used your first vest for many years riding motorcycles in extreme temperatures. That coupled with LDComfort underclothing has worked well for me.

Thank you my new friend , I live in very dry and summer hot area , so the evaporative should be good and Ill use it for work ,also will keep cold water in a cooler to refresh the vest if needed . I wish to help you to feed your animals . Ill let you know how it works for me , buying it now. Best from me . Jacek , polish sausage and vodka maker.

Hi.....do you have a way I can contact you direct to chat about these......I also have health issues where I need to stay cool so I would be helpful to message you if possible....Thank you

Super video! I applauded for $2.00 👏

PS I've been searching for a mattress pad that is temperature controlled by the user because of how sensitive I am to heat or just sweating because I get these sweating attacks that have been going on for years and the best I could find was an 8 Sleep Pod smart bed system. Ridiculous price tag but you control the temp from 60-110 F and, for me, it might be worth it since I'm never at a comfortable temperature but it's stupid expensive. Just thought i'd mention it since you mention these cooling vests.

I got the Thermapparel cooling vest which melts at about 58 degrees F rather than 32because I don't want to be obvious that I am wearing a cooling vest. I needed something to wear under my shirt when dancing in an unairconditioned space during summer. I was considering it as an alternative to my usual method of bringing 10 lb of ice in a cooler with a couple of towels which I put on my face occasionally. I wear shorts and a loose shirt. The retailer could not tell me the latent heat of fusion for the packs, nor would it tell me the material to enable me to ask the mfg. I'll measure it if I get a chance. The key limitation is that it is covering less than 10% of the unexposed part of my body. So it can only carry so much heat away. With a typical dewpoint of about 65 degrees and room temperature of 80 degrees, my sense is that this does me about as much good as lowering the room temperature a degree or two. It does not cool me down in any sense of the word, but it does a little bit of good. Not as much good as standing in front of a big floor fan or putting that cold towel on my head for a minute, but it does not prevent me from doing those as well. Your point about these vests losing half their cooling capacity to the air around you is generally not correct. Heat transfer to your body is faster than to the air, unless there is a very stiff breeze, even if the air and your body are the same temperature. And if the air is 80 degrees then the temperature difference between a cooling pack that melts at 60 degrees and the air is only 20 degrees but twice as great between the coolant and your body. And if you are wearing it under your clothes, you get some benefit by cooling the air under your shirt. Rather, the main problem is simply that their total heat capacity is small compared to what your body puts out.

I live in Africa, summers at 36-46 degrees Celsius, but have never had the need for a cooling vest. I love heat and humidity.

So you don't usually get wet from your evaporative vest?

Please advise which cooling vest for high humidity and hot temperature to work in UAE

Does the 1st vest makes your clothing wet?

Need something like a small powerful leaf blower.

You are a cool guy!

how about an umbrella that you wear while you work ?

Yep, I just confirmed you installed the fans inside out... the side of the fans where the cables are pluged goes inside.

That's a nice vest! I mean that's an ice vest!!

Your conclusions forgot your earlier point that in high humidity, the natural body's evaporation of sweat is NOT happening at all to cool the body. Living in Florida, I can testify to this. As a retiree, I don't work all day outside, so your 1 hour estimate for the ice packs melting easily gets the lawn mowed in greater comfort. Hearing the area the ice packs are over can get too cold (one user commented 2 t-shirt layers were necessary to reduce the cold), I will use some adhesive velcro above that area to let me adhere in some small pieces of cloth to get the moderation as there's no upside to wearing 2 t-shirt layers! Also, you can buy unlimited ice packs and, not being away on some job site, I can swap them out all day just walking inside to the fridge. But was helpful to see the survey of different vests and happily found an ice based one on Amazon with plenty of packs to go with.

They are expensive too & thoat they will keep you cold but it’s limited time, I think a white t-shirt from good material works better like some soft coton, I also seen syntethic even if football players use it it’s not good for skin specialy the shirt as pants are ok becoase human body is cooler for the lower part

I'm surprised the MIT boys haven't made one using the Peltier effect for when electrical power is available.

Hay bro are u going to do the bus painting

So, dear engineers what we learned in this video: - Don't try to cover the body/skin. - Don't block the body's sweat from evaporating, rather help it. - Use slim weighess materials. - Use a professional dress designer who can give you a look with a decent fit / colors. My idea for free: - Try to cool the veins close to the skin on the palm side of the wrist. So, a light wrist strap that actively cools the blood vessels would be sufficient. If you're warm and sweating like a horse, anyone can test how effective it is to cool the wrist veins in cold water and feel like you've been replaced in 1-2 minutes. Many people don't know how effectively the veins can cool or even warm the human body.