Ergodyne Chill-Its 6665 Evaporative Cooling Vest

This just WORKS! By itself, it stays cool for a couple of hours. However, under a mesh motorcycle jacket, as long as it stays wet (and you're moving), it stays cool. Buy a lightweight dry-bag to store it overnight while on the road.I typically stop every few hours for fuel anyway. When I do, I drop the vest into its (reverse) dry-bag with some ice and water, and let it sit while I stretch my legs. Climbing back into it feels amazing (for hours)!It can initially feel heavy and a bit bulky, but sooo worth it. The gel cells do a good job of retaining the water, but some will inevitably leach onto your base layer clothing. While this might sound annoying (which it is) it is no worse than being soaked with your own sweat (which is somewhat inevitable).

So I actually purchased this a couple years ago and I'm terrible at following up with reviews. That being said I love the product. Super easy to use and it functions very well. In fact it was almost a little too cold for me probably because the T-shirt I wore underneath was thin. I use this riding my motorcycle in the summer. If it's exceptionally hot you will have to resaturate product several times on trips but that's to be expected. The vest seems to be a good quality will hold up quite some time. Highly recommend!

Guy this for the summer heat in Texas. I wear a large T-shirt so I ordered this in large. It feels more like an XX-large. I waited to long to return it for a smaller size.Anyways, it still does the job. On a 98 degree day having this on makes it feel like it's only 70 degrees out.Worth the buy just beware the size.

I've had this vest for about 6 weeks, so it's seen a lot of 100 degree days. I use it just for commuting and sub-2 hour rides, as it loses it's effectiveness after that. I typically don't use it unless temps are well into the 90s. Does keep your core noticeably cooler for a while and only takes a few minutes to "activate". On the downside, to really work well as long as possible on really hot days, you really have to soak it. This makes it heavy, and your shirt underneath will get wet, as will the top of your pants or shorts, and probably your underwear as well. I find this an acceptable tradeoff to keep somewhat comfortable, but others may not. Evaporative vests like this supposedly work best in low humidity, so if you live where there's a "dry" heat, you may have better results. Sizing seems true, so make sure you get the size that provides you with a comfortably snug fit under your jacket to get the most benefit. It's also handy when running errands on hot days, since it helps keep you from overheating while walking around in stores with gear on. For the price and what it's designed to do, I think it's a good investment. The only reason I gave it just three stars is the construction quality concerns me, since there are a few areas with stitching flaws that look like they could cause trouble later on.

I ordered this in a Large for my dad. Everything he wears is a large. This was way too small. Instead of being able to exchange it, we had to return it and were issued a 'credit'. Upon finally receiving our 'credit' we immediately tried to reorder(wasting lots of time when this item should be being used!) and am now being told the credit number that I was issued is invalid!This system of exchanging a poorly sized item is ridiculous, but when you combine it with the fact that we are dealing with a seasonal product it is even more ridiculous! My dad works outside in the heat every day. We are in the middle of an unusual heatwave and we are having to deal with this kind of inefficiency?!

This cooling vest was a lifesaver for a motorcycle ride in 100 degrees weather. It was easily re-wet during stops (carried an oversize zip lock bag with us) which re-activated the cooling effect. I was very pleasantly surprised too that it didn't cause the clothes I had on underneath it to become drenched... which would have looked odd when I took the vest off during the stops we made. Definitely worth the investment if you are going to ride in the heat!

Okay ... I've only used this vest once, so keep that in mind as you peruse the reviews.I train dogs. In Phoenix, AZ. And it's HOT. I make sure my dogs are taken care of: cool coats, GoDog, portable fans, spray bottles ... but I didn't take care of myself.I've used this vest only one time so far. I soaked it, put it in a cooler, and then then put it on at 6:45pm. Temp: 102F. I kept in on throughout both dog obedience classes and didn't take it off until 10pm. It was still cool!When I took it off, I hung it over the shower rod to dry and the next morning, it was STILL cool!This vest is a keeper. Even soaked, it is lightweight and manageable. My dog training classes are very athletic and the vest didn't weigh me down at all. I absolutely felt an improvement over the nights when I was spraying myself with water, trying to make it through two classes. My training buddies kept coming over to feel the vest and couldn't believe how cool it was throughout the entire evening.I'm sure it will NOT be as effective in higher humidity. This vest makes use of the evaporative cooling system so high humidity is going to put a damper on the cooling effect. But ... right now, I'm a happy camper.I purchased a Large ... I wear a 16-18 size top. It fits nicely - doesn't bind - perfect.