As a construction worker, is there anything worse than working in high heat and humidity? Not only are you uncomfortable for hours on end—while steadily sweating—but you’re at risk of potentially serious health issues, too: from heat cramps, to heat exhaustion, to heat stroke.
Is there anything you can do to minimize the likelihood of such health issues though? Are there any options available to reduce (or even prevent) dehydration, fatigue and overheating, among other heat-related consequences? And, if so, what’s currently on the market?
Simply put, these questions can be answered with two words: cooling vests. By purchasing one of the following five cooling vests, you’ll regulate your body temperature, even as outdoor temperatures exceed 100°F. In turn, you’ll be more comfortable, safer and more productive on your jobsites, regardless of how long you’re working in the sun.
COLDEST Coldest Ice Cooling Vest
Capable of remaining cold for up to 8 hours at a time, this vest can be utilized for a majority of construction workers’ job shifts. Offering you three sizes to choose from, the vest is highly adjustable, ranging from 26 to 44 inches (small), to 38 to 46 inches (medium), to 46 to 55 inches (large), concerning its bust and waist sizes. To ensure you have such adjustability on a consistent basis, the vest has adjustable straps, too.
Whenever the vest needs to be cooled off again, simply place its freeze sleeve inside the plastic bag that’s provided with the vest. Ensure the sleeve is left in your freezer for at least 2 hours; once it’s completely frozen, you may remove it from the plastic bag and use it again. If necessary, the sleeve can remain in your freezer indefinitely.
Best Features: Adjustable straps; freeze sleeve maintains coolness for 8 hours
Price: $74.99 – Buy the COLDEST Coldest Ice Vest
Ergodyne Chill-Its 6665 Evaporative Cooling Vest
Comprised of a polymer-embedded fabric that can be activated within five minutes (as long as you soak it in cold water the entire time), this vest may be used for up to four hours at a time. Once the four hours have passed, you’ll only need to resoak it in cold water again, prior to using it for another four-hour stretch. To maintain its durability, you may hand wash and air dry it as often as you’d like too, preferably as least once a week.
In order to minimize wetness prior to placing it on your body, the vest features an interior water repellant. Additionally, it has a quilted nylon exterior that will further reduce wetness, resulting in even more comfort. Not to mention, the vest is also highly breathable, due to its mesh side panels.
Best Features: Interior water repellant; polymer-embedded fabric
Price: $32.49 – Buy the Ergodyne Chill-Its 6665 Evaporative Cooling Vest
FlexiFreeze Ice Cooling Vest
Weighing only 3.5 pounds, this vest is not only lightweight (and, in turn, easy to wear), but versatile, too. After all, its size can be adjusted considerably—from XS to 6XX—as it has four components that may be altered in size whenever necessary. For further comfort, the vest is also less than 1-inch thick, leading to a consistently high range of motion as you conduct your job tasks.
Featuring three re-freezable and removable panels, which are attached to it with Velcro, the patented vest will offer you the power of 96 pure water ice cubes, all within one unit. Comprised of neoprene, the vest provides a soft, light insulation too, resulting in comfort as well. Easy to clean, you’ll only need to remove its ice sheets, prior to machine washing it, along with its panels.
Best Features: Re-freezable and removable panels; size adjustments, ranging from XS to 6XX
Price: $119.99 – Buy the FlexiFreeze Ice Vest
Glacier Tek Sports Cooling Vest
As an example of this vest’s cooling capabilities, it can maintain a stable temperature of 59°F for up to 2.5 hours at a time, even as temperatures rise to 100°F. To do so, the vest has eight cooling packs, each of which is powered by PureTemp. A nontoxic phase change material, PureTemp typically offers users consistent performance for thousands of cycles, thereby enabling the vest to retain its temperature so steadily.
Once the 2.5-hour timespan has passed, you can remove the vest’s cooling packs and recharge them. Recharging times vary, depending on where you choose to recharge them at: from 20 minutes in ice water, to 1 hour in a freezer, to 2 hours in a refrigerator. Aside from its steady temperature, the lightweight vest is effortless to adjust too, due to its dual side elastic straps.
Best Features: Eight cooling packs; PureTemp, a nontoxic phase change material
Price: $199.00 – Buy the Glacier Tek Sports Cool Vest
TechNiche Evaporative Cooling Vest
Available in seven sizes, ranging from XS to 3XL, this vest is also offered in four colors (High-Viz Lime, Khaki, Royal Blue or Silver), depending on which website you choose to purchase it from. Providing a V-neck design and a zipper closure, the vest can be easily placed on your body or removed from it. Lightweight, yet durable, the vest has been designed for long-term usage as well.
Capable of offering 5 to 10 hours of coolness each time you soak it, the vest is also comfortable. Not only does it have a quilted nylon exterior, but it features the manufacturer’s HyperKewl Plus fabric interior, too. Due to its interior, the vest will slowly release water through evaporation, enabling its temperature to be 10°F to 15°F cooler than the ambient temperature. Consequently, you’ll be protected from heat-related illnesses.
Best Features: HyperKewl Plus fabric interior; seven sizes, ranging from XS to 3XL
Price: $35.56 – Buy the TechNiche Evaporative Cooling Sport Vest
Why Buy Cooling Vests?
As temperatures continue to remain high for weeks to come, you must do everything you can to protect yourself from heat and humidity. Minimize—if not completely eliminate—any risk of heat-related illnesses, including cramps, exhaustion and stroke, by purchasing one of these five cooling vests.
By doing so, you’ll not only enhance your on-the-job safety and improve your health. You’ll also increase your comfort, which is critical as you strive to reach your full potential, regardless of the conditions that Mother Nature provides this summer.