Cooling options

silenthunterstudios

silenthunterstudios

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Feb 2, 2005
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Hey, I'd like to hear any and all cooling options.

I'm taking a fluid pill at night, and saw palmetto during the day. I'm also drinking about three gallons of water, and the occasional Gatorade or ice flavored water during the day. When the temps go over 95 or so, I get dehydrated pretty badly. I mainly work in an air conditioned office, most of the house is air conditioned, and I'm getting the AC fixed in my truck.

I've got a couple REI store hats with the cooling material, Tilley hat, Buff rags everywhere, UnderArmour style shirts, loose fabric shorts, trying to find Big and Tall moisture wicking socks. I bought a shemagh, and it works great on walks. I wear it like a towel around my neck, I figured it would be a good way to get shot wearing it at night in my neighborhood in the regular fashion...

I've been okay for the most part walking at night, just rural neighborhood hikes. One mile to a mile and a half.

I've seen cooling towels etc. I've lost about fifty pounds since last fall, and working towards losing more. Still hard out here for a blimp.

What do you use when hiking/fishing/camping in hot weather?
 
Don't do a lot of hiking until it cools down. But when fishing/camping i like to swim or have a shade tree near by. But that's not always possible so I'm interested to hear what others have to say.
 
With these fluid pills, I'm not playing around in the heat. But, I'd like to take advantage of 90 degree and cooler days.
 
I agree, much more of a cold weather person. To the OP, i have used those cooling towels during softball and volleyball tournaments and they work well.
 
The only think I've found is that either you get enough fluid and electolite in to sweat, which you might need to be extra careful with, ensuring that you don't overload on one element over another, gotta keep that sodium, potassium, calcium balance.
Or supplement the sweating. soak your hat before going for a walk, wet the scarf. I've gone so far as to roll ice-cubes in a buff around my neck to keep functional. And make sure that you've got a barrier between you and the sun. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but I've found that with a little breeze, long sleeves can be cooler than short, since my skin isn't being heated directly by the sun. Here when it gets hot, I'll soak my buff in a drinking fountain, and even wet the ends of my shirt sleeves if I'm wearing one of my walking or work shirts. Anything to keep that evaporate cooling happening. There isn't exactly a one-and-done solution for heat, just like cold, you might have to keep changing things up as conditions change throughout your walking.
 
I hike in the heat most of the time, I don't have much choice if I want to get out there! I always start to prep myself as it starts to get hot by getting out on short hikes carrying lots of water. I feel that it helps to acclimate me to being out under the unrelenting sun. A couple other things that help me are to fill up a couple of water bottles and freeze them. You can drink the icy water as it melts. Also, Wrap a bandanna around them in your pack, it helps insulate the bottle a bit, plus it gets cold and damp from the bottle sweating, very refreshing to put on your neck and face during a rest. I also invested in a large, double walled steel water bottle which keeps water pretty cold for a couple of hours.

As for clothes, Wide hat (Real Deal Brazil or a boonie hat) light cotton long sleeved dress shirt, cotton canvas shorts or pants, moisture wicking socks and underwear, shoes with lots of venting (Merrel Moabs, Brooks Cascadias).

Start slow with short walks, and bring more water than you think you'll need. Find shade and rest when you can. Not much shade in my area, but I drape my shemagh over the scrub brush and make my own temporary shade to rest in.
 
I work construction and I too am a big boy (315lbs). I always wear a mesh back hat (I don't like how I look in a wide brim hat). I wear what they call a "fishing" shirt they have a vented area on the back under the shoulderblades some have mesh armpits. I wear jeans,black t-shirts a fishing shirt over that and boots everyday so I get pretty hot when it hits 85° and up but keeping hydrated is all I can really say. Good for you getting healthy I always did like your posts and am happy that you plan on staying around for longer. You inspire me to try that myself !
 
Like most others who live in southern CA we have no choice but hike in the heat. I use cool bandana which every once in a while I would spin it in the air to cool it off. Figure out how much water I will need for the hike and then add an extra liter or two. long shirt and pants with large brim hat. Will wear a bandana under the hat and then wet it when ever it gets hot. Carry an apple for a snack and some Gatorade powder. I will mix it at 1/3 of what it says on the package. Most important is I take breaks even if I'm not tired just to cool off. and I tend to overheat easy.
For dogs I carry a large spray bottle and keep there neck and back moist by spraying against the hair. There really not much you can do to stay nice and cool while hiking in the heat.
just common sense and not over heat in the first place.
 
I'm in my latter 60s and do hiking in the desert around Phoenix most of the year. Distances aren't great — less than five miles — but there's usually an elevation gain of several hundred feet or so. I carry a 1 qt nalgene of tap water in a sling, a DSLR, and a wood hiking staff (none of those metal ski poles). Boonie hat, shorts, often sandals (despite the grit that gets into the footbed).

My routine is to be out early (arrive at trailhead just before sunrise). Aim to do the hike and finish before noon. After the hike, I'll go into air conditioned space and over about three hours drink two 1-qt bottles of refrigerated Gatorade or Powerade (whatever's on sale that weekend). By the time the second bottle is finished, I'm no longer thirsty and the fluids and electrolytes are replaced.

That's it, pretty much. Desert rule: if you're not peeing, you're not drinking enough.

If i were sleeping out rough, it would be a different story because you'd need to haul some gear.

Edit: I should add that when I hike, I go at one of two speeds: slow or slower.
 
If you plan on drinking the melted water, take plenty of liquid water. I have been caught out, with all my water drunk except the ice, which doesn't melt fast enough if you want it to.
 
Ice cubes wrapped in a bandana and tied around my neck with the ice on the back of the neck. Broner wide brim mesh hat. Wet as needed. Columbia PFG shirts. Wet as needed.--KV
 
I live where it is 30 centigrade in the day

Protect against the sun and heat
Loose light colored wicking long sleeve shirts and pants
Wide brim hat or boonie with a mesh in the side crown

Drink water
Wide 3 liters of water per day if you are hiking
1 1/2 per day if you are not active and inside

Test
Are you peeing and is it clear not yellow
 
Here's an interesting chart for pee color. Given all the a/c you operate in, you still need to consume water during your time indoors as the a/c typically dehumidifies the air; meaning while it may be cool, it's still very dry inside thus straining the moist tissues of your respiratory system. You may not need nearly as much fluids as when hiking, but the a/c is still pulling moisture out of you.

If your schedule allows, maybe shift the hikes to the morning hours during the hot season.
 
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It's been pretty hot down here in Texas this July. But then, it's been more of a dry heat than back home in Maryland, so it seems better to me. We've been out exploring our new area, and I keep a bandana around my neck. It's been nice and breezy, so it acts like a cooling tool around my neck. I always wear a khaki bucket hat to keep the sun off my head, and I go to thrift shops like Salvation Army stores to buy over size cotton shirts. I wear a large, but always look for extra large so the shirt is very loose and billowy in fit. The breeze goes through it and it's way way more comfortable than any t-shirt, plus the collar keeps the sun off my neck. For hot weather clothing, oversize and loose is a good thing. Look at what people in hot climates wear and duplicate that. They have way more practice surviving their hot climate than the clothing designers for high end catalogues.

For foot wear, I swear by my Keen sandals. Comfortable and rugged, good grip on all surfaces, and good venting. Been using them for years and now are on my second pair.

Brimmed hat like bucket or boonie hat.
Oversize cotton shirt with collar.
Cotton cargo shorts.
Keen sandals.
Couple bandanas for wet towel use and misc.
Two water bottles.
 
The one thing I am going to add for "hot weather" hiking is a small towel to wipe the sweat off my forehead and face (think utility towels from Sam's Cub which come in a big pack. Kitchen sized.). The salt sometimes burns my eyes. Might be useful too for simply wiping your hands off or wetting in a stream to cool off neck or whatever. Wash them when you get home.
 
I have several shirts made from fabric that is designed to dry quickly and keep you feeling cooler. They do help. I have used the cooling towels at work occasionally with reasonably good results.
 
If you are a big guy, the best and thing you can do to keep cool is lose weight. If you are carrying around 100 lbs of insulation, you will be amazed at how much cooler you feel after you drop it off at the gym...
 
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