Riding under the scorching heat in the USA; Cooling vests anybody? out of the box advice?

[Pressureangle]

11 hours ago, Scud said:

And can I just rant? What the hell are these manufacturers thinking when the majority of mesh gear is black?

 

If I could just have my 2005 Joe Rocket silver mesh jacket back.

[p6x]

@po18guy: Brosh

Interesting. But the tester is from NJ and Israel has lower average humidity than here.

What we need is a company that, that would check the gear in this kind of humid weather or similar.

Today, 95 degF but 108 degF felt because of the humidity.

Whatever you are going to wear, difficult to not feel the heat.

[p6x]

21 hours ago, Scud said:

And can I just rant? What the hell are these manufacturers thinking when the majority of mesh gear is black?

I finally got some good vented dirt bike pants that are light grey - reflecting the heat make a big difference compared to the black pair I settled on before (due to availability).

I have a Bright yellow mesh jacket, that still has a lot of black on it... and I can feel the difference on the black parts vs the yellow parts. WTF? Why is it so hard to find other than black?  And for the record, I know it can be found... but it's uncommon. Seems like if staying cool is the goal, somebody would say, "Why are we making all this black mesh stuff? What about some light colors?"

OK end of rant. But part of staying cool is: try to wear lighter colors.

I had the same thought when I was looking to purchase a helmet.

I wanted a Shark, Carbon Fiber, and all they offered was.... black! unless I purchased a Jorge Lorenzo repro.

I wear a fire red jacket, and if I could I would have red pants and red boots and a red helmet. Just because my Le Mans is Red. I need to stand out on the road, so people texting and driving can at least think: what's that red thing in the middle of the road....

[footgoose]

I got this several years ago just for "those" days. I won't say it's high quality but for $60. it works well. 5pc CE, plenty of pockets and strappage. Even has a liner. Made in C, has held up.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Xelement-Igniter-Silver-Armored-Tri-Tex/dp/B086RQSL3M

 

 

[p6x]

@footgoose; Looks cool, but unavailable. In any case, the one I purchased preowned is on its way. It looks similar to the one you suggested.

 

[footgoose]

47 minutes ago, p6x said:

@footgoose; Looks cool, but unavailable. In any case, the one I purchased preowned is on its way. It looks similar to the one you suggested.

 

+1 on anything similar. Mesh, Not black, not complete crap, and cheap! I reach for it on days hot enough that I would otherwise not want to ride.

My full perf Vanson jacket works fine on 'normal' hot days.

Like this one but grey on upper and fully perforated.

 

some time ago I did an obsessively deep dive into a Craigs List search and came up with 2 nice Vanson jackets for $200, and $175. and owners kind enough to ship. I found some extra inserts on the same search.

[po18guy]

On the east coast, frankly there is little one can do except sweat. I did not actually "need" another mesh jacket, but I saw this Viking Cycle jacket on Amazon and could not resist. It was apparently a promotion, but at $29.95 delivered and free returns (which I did not), it was a done deal. The "pads" were junk and I switched them out. But, this thing flows some air. Interestingly, the pockets are waterproof for those climates which have sun punctuated by tragic downpours. They run between $26-$59 now, depending on size and color. Still, a great knockabout mesh jacket. 

Super bright Hi-viz, but that did not stop some somnolent driver in a white Mazda (saw him first) merge across my bow completely unaware. Score one for pilot eyes.

[PJPR01]

I like to wear vivid blue and red these days for my jackets, pants are either light grey, khaki green or black if in full armored gear, also have a medium grey jacket...but that combination is hard to see in the evening hours, which is why on long day trips, I try to wrap up by no later than sunset to get off the road, recover and relax, especially after 400 or 500 miles.

Next time I'm up for a helmet refresh, will change out the black to a blue or red also...

The other combination I've tried recently on these unusually dry days here in Houston (40-50% humidity vs. the normal 90% plus) that I like are long sleeved, UV protected dry fit material fishing shirts, and I put them on wet under the mesh jacket...that provides a nice A/C like effect that keeps me cool, then pour water on every stop.

I think I might try leaving one in the freezer overnight and see how that feels too!

[p6x]

@po18guy I received the preowned jacket today; not in time for my trip to Freeport, which I did with my Icon.

But it was a very educating trip, because throughout there were patches of showers followed by intense sun. So I got drenched, and then dried by the sun.

I must say the "cooling" effect of wearing wet clothing did not convince me at all.

It felt wet, but it was not really "cooling" me. I found it rather unpleasant. And the "cooling" effect did not last much under the sun.

However, the rain was so heavy that it was hard to see, and the asphalt accumulates water pretty fast.

Bottom line, I don't mind riding in the heat!!!