Review: BILT Cooling Vest

[alexk]

Item: BILT Cooling Vest
Price: $40 (standard sale price. List is $50)
Vendor: CycleGear only (both online and in-store)

Similar Product: FIELDSHEER Iceberg Motorcycle Vest ($47) - untested

Sizing: Designed for fat midgets

• Increasing in size does NOT increase length.
• No tall sizes available.

Method of cooling: Standard Evaporative.

• This vest works by holding more water than a standard tshirt, then letting the wind as you ride evaporate the water. This results in the vest dropping in temperature, sometimes dramatically.

Effect: Yes, it does work.

• I consider it a lifesaver, even in triple-digit heat. I'm no longer arriving at work drenched in my own sweat, and sitting at a stop light in triple-degree heat has gone from shoot-me-now intolerable to midly unpleasant.
• Highway speeds at 105F are actually wonderful - extremities get toasty warm like a sauna, but core temperatures stay cool.
• The effect does vary with humidity, but even on humid days it's a help.

Downsides:

• Damp clothes at your destination.
• Gets to smelling musty if you don't dry it thoroughly (use a fan) every day.
• Requires airflow through your jacket.
• Standard BILT quality issues - stitches come out, etc. I swapped mine after a week because the outer layer was beginning to thread... not sure how to describe it, but the replacement seems to be holding up
• Needs to be wet down again after 90m of highway riding in triple-digit temperatures

Bottom line:

• Only consider this if you have a mesh jacket or something else that flows air really well.
• If you ride 30 minutes or less in 100 degree heat, just soak your tshirt before your ride (the tshirt will be initially colder but dries MUCH faster).
• If you ride 45 minutes or more in what you consider high heat, buy it and use it.