6 Things to Consider When Choosing a Cooling Vest

Do you work outdoors under the hot summer sun? If so, you may want to invest in a cooling vest. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 9,200 people are hospitalized each year due to heat-related illness. 

A cooling vest can help regulate your body's temperature. It consists of a sleeveless upper-body garment with some type of built-in cooling system. Here are six important things to consider when choosing a cooling vest.

#1) Material

Different types of cooling vests are made of different materials. Some of them are made of nylon, whereas other cooling vests are made of polyester. You can even them made of hybrid materials consisting of two or more individual materials blended together.

#2) Cooling Method

You should consider the cooling method when choosing a cooling vest. While all cooling vests can reduce your body's core temperature when working outdoors during the summer, some of them use different methods to perform this task. One of the most common cooling methods is wet evaporative cooling. Wet evaporative cooling involves the use of water to collect and transport heat away from your body.

#3) Weight

How much does the cooling vest weigh? Since you'll probably be wearing it while working, you may want to avoid an excessively heavy cooling vest. The more a cooling vest weighs, the less comfortable it will be to wear. Fortunately, some cooling vests weigh as little as 1 pound.

#4) Visibility

Something else to consider when choosing a cooling vest is visibility. There are standard cooling vests, and there are high-visibility cooling vests. High-visibility or "high-vis" cooling vests feature a bright color and/or reflective design. They are designed to increase the wearer's visibility. Other people, such as motorists, will be able to see you more easily if you wear a high-visibility cooling vest.

#5) Cooling Duration

You can't ignore cooling duration when choosing a cooling vest. It represents the length of time a cooling vest will work. Some cooling vests have a duration of one or two hours, whereas others may work for up to four hours. You can continue to wear a cooling vest after it has reached its cooling duration; it just won't provide any additional cooling until you've resupplied it.

#6) Neck

What type of neck does the cooling vest have? Like other vests, you can find them with crew necks and V-style necks. Crew necks consist of a round opening. V-style necks, in comparison, consist of a deep V-cut opening.