Cure for the Heat? Air-conditioned Shirt!!

jwayden

jwayden

John Wayden
Joined
Jul 4, 2007
Messages
98
Location
El Paso, TX
Bike
2007 ST1300A
A guy I know had met the inventor, and mentioned "cooling suits" in conversation about auto racing the other day. I looked it up, and after seeing it was thinking -- Wow -- this would work on the bike!

It's fairly expensive, and a bit bulky; but for long distances, this might be the way to keep cool in the summer (especially for those of us here in the Desert Southwest)!

I'm thinking of getting this setup for the desert ride in August from El Paso to Minden, Nevada for WeSTOC. I figure I'd get the smaller of the two portable systems, and could reload with ice & water at fuel stops... I know I've spent a lot more than this on heated gloves, jacket liner, and Heat-troller for winter riding, and staying cool on long trips in the summer is always a priority!

I've already contacted them about the possibility of a GROUP BUY...

Anyone interested?!!! :hotpepper

Anybody ever try this?

http://www.coolshirt.net/portable-bag-system.html
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Chris and I use the Miracool poncho and find that it works for *days* on a single 30 minute soaking.

If you'd like a 2nd opinion on this you might PM MAC-JD who was riding without one when he and Bygdawg made their western loop a couple years ago... I think I remember him saying it made quite a difference... :D
 
I heard about those same fluid circulating suits a coule years ago and wondered the same thing. But with the complexity...hmmm.

I bought a Fieldsheer Iceberg vest last spring. Over the summer I used it on multiple days at 100*F under my mesh First Gear jacket...it makes a huge difference.
 
John,

That looks like the one Joe Rocket sells too. I tried them... here they dry out in about 1.5 hours... which is at least an hour too soon to be stopping for gas... so you overheat before you notice it isn't working.
The miracool really does work for days... (sometimes in the right conditions it actually gets you a bit cold... even when the outside temp is over 110F! lol).

Mark
 
Mark said:
John,

That looks like the one Joe Rocket sells too. I tried them... here they dry out in about 1.5 hours... which is at least an hour too soon to be stopping for gas... so you overheat before you notice it isn't working.
The miracool really does work for days... (sometimes in the right conditions it actually gets you a bit cold... even when the outside temp is over 110F! lol).

Mark
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Yeah Mark, the Fieldsheer is good for ~3 hours at 100*F in my experience, even when well soaked. But at that point it is time to stop and stretch the legs anyway. I'll look into the MiraCool...thanks for the info.
 
I have a vest that soaks in water and stays cool (and wet) for quite a while (can't remember the brand name -- might even be a MiraCool). It's kind of messy when replenishing the water supply; plus sometimes it does get too cold when there's water trickling down your back...

But with this CoolShirt setup, you'd just plug in - like with the winter gear. And there would have to be a way to turn the pump on and off to keep the temperature regulated. On the website there?s a video that shows how the race drivers just plug in when entering their cars. Check out the video on their Home page from the History Channel?s ?Modern Marvels? show:

http://www.coolshirt.net/

Mark, the only thing I saw that Joe Rocket makes is the Sahara evaporative cooling vest? Do they make something that actually pumps water through tubing in a vest? I Googled "joe rocket cooling" and only got the Sahara vest... is there a link to what you used?

And for the record, I?m not saying that this is ?THE THING? to end overheating in the summer heat. I just saw their website this morning. I?m just wondering? :think1:

John
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UNTMatt said:
Cost and the large water bladder will be the two deal killers for most though. I know for Dee and I riding two up, that would double the cost and then we would have to try to stow two of the cooling bladders all while fully packed for a road trip. Just not feasable.
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You're right about 2-up riding Matt... not feasible unless you're rich and could afford the $6,000+ racing version. The "Portable Bag System" (because of its size) would only be practical for single-rider, long-distance riding.
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Macedo said:
There is an on demand coolshirt http://www.coolshirt.net/port-a-cool-system.html
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You are right Macedo; but I'm not sure I could control the bike while reaching for the can of coolant... :mw1:
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OK everybody! Since this morning I got a reply from Shafer Enterprises. First off, after my inquiry this morning, they've added a Motorcycle link to their Home page! They had one before; but never advertised for motorcycles, so without many motorcycle sales, they'd taken it off... Here's the "new" link:

http://www.coolshirt.net/motorcycle-cool-bag.html

Second, if we can find only 10 people who would like to ride in cool comfort this summer, Mr. Tony Blackburn, Director of Sales, has offered us a 15% discount on a group purchase!! That would be a $65.70 savings on a "6 Pk (BSC-6) $438.00" System! Down to $372.30... Still not cheap; but neither were my heated gloves, Heat-troller, Heated jacket liner, etc. Wow - first cruise control, now (maybe) air-conditioning!!

If we can get enough interested people, and if I can get permission from "the Boss" (who just last week gave me permission to order a Russell seat), and come to a consensus as to which model to get, then we might have a new GROUP BUY thread!

Thoughts anyone? Am I the only one who will be riding through the desert on the way to Minden in August? Hasn't anyone heard of Global Warming!? :22yikes:
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STingray said:
I also have a real issue with the compartmental sq ft the cooling shirt needs. Can't use it on a multi-day (or week) rally.
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I see your point STingray. If you're riding 2-up, I can certainly see where the extra space might might be at a premium. Plus, I seriously doubt if one unit could cool 2 riders...

But riding solo, I'd just strap the bag behind the Nelson-Rigg travel bag I bought from SoloTotoCoyote... I wouldn't be losing any space. If I had a top-box, I would strap the cooling unit bag to the pillion seat.

Even then, I'd opt for the smaller of the 2 "portable/motorcycle" units; which is the "6 Pk (BSC-6) $438.00" System. They say it's good for 2+ hours of cooling. I think I could probably "soldier on" for a while without the air-conditioning until I needed fuel or a pit-stop... After all, I've done without air-conditioning all my life, and only recently acquired a cooling vest!

And did anyone notice that Mellow has copied this thread to the Group Buy section?!
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I just might be interested. The problem with evaporative vests is that they don't work worth squat in high humidity locales, like my mid-atlantic location. $375 huh? OK. if 9 other people sign up, I'll make the 10th.
 
Blue STreak said:
I just might be interested. The problem with evaporative vests is that they don't work worth squat in high humidity locales, like my mid-atlantic location. $375 huh? OK. if 9 other people sign up, I'll make the 10th.
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I want one too, so we need to find 8 more "Cool Guys"...

Do you think that because there's still ice and snow in some parts of the country that it might be too early for this?
It's already been up to the mid 80's here in El Paso!
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