Cooling towels -- any positive experiences?

[cruisemom42]

I'm going on a cruise to SE Asia next month. I don't do well touring in the heat -- I'm not looking forward to temperatures in the high 80s/low 90s.

 

Has anyone used those cooling towels that you soak in water and then wrap around your neck? I've read reviews on some websites, and while some folks have loved them, others haven't.

 

I can see how they could cool you with evaporative cooling, but I worry that in a high-humidity environment (which is what I'll be in), there won't be a lot of evaporation, hence not much cooling.

 

I don't want to waste money and space on these if they aren't worth it, so I'm hoping for some voices of experience....

[cb at sea]

Yes...hubby uses them when he golfs...he LOVES them! There is a kind that once you dampen it, all you have to do to "re-cool" it, is wring it and shake it out....it really does the job! And we are near DC..the "armpit" of the country...very, VERY humid here!!! Go to a sport or golf store....it's worth it!

Edited January 27, 2015 by cb at sea

[cruise kitty]

I'm going on a cruise to SE Asia next month. I don't do well touring in the heat -- I'm not looking forward to temperatures in the high 80s/low 90s.

 

Has anyone used those cooling towels that you soak in water and then wrap around your neck? I've read reviews on some websites, and while some folks have loved them, others haven't.

 

I can see how they could cool you with evaporative cooling, but I worry that in a high-humidity environment (which is what I'll be in), there won't be a lot of evaporation, hence not much cooling.

 

I don't want to waste money and space on these if they aren't worth it, so I'm hoping for some voices of experience....

 

Hi Cruise Mom,

 

I have the coolcore towel, I use it when i walk/hike where we live, it works pretty good, you do need to rewet it after a while & do the special snap thing to it... the thing is, we don't really have humidity here (coastal s. california) it seems like the material itself gets a bit cool.

 

My favorite solution though, are the fever/migraine cool gel packs that actually stick to your skin & don't show/get wet under clothing, I can put one at the base of my neck, & they stay really, really cool for about 4 to 6 hours, they are a life saver for me when I know we're going somewhere warm, or into a building that's heated or no air flow.

[cruisemom42]

 

My favorite solution though, are the fever/migraine cool gel packs that actually stick to your skin & don't show/get wet under clothing, I can put one at the base of my neck, & they stay really, really cool for about 4 to 6 hours, they are a life saver for me when I know we're going somewhere warm, or into a building that's heated or no air flow.

 

Thanks for posting this -- I'd never heard of these so immediately googled them. They sound great. I'll give them a try.

[cruise kitty]

Thanks for posting this -- I'd never heard of these so immediately googled them. They sound great. I'll give them a try.

 

they really are terrific, maybe give them a test run before you go, but they've been fantastic for me.

[Smilefy]

Last year I tried cool-off. They are individually packed moist towelettes that are soaked in a solution that is meant to make you feel cool. It really did nothing other than wipe my sunblock off in the humid central florida weather. The only thing it ended up being good for was masking the smell of bathrooms.

 

I also purchased a shirt with Omni-Freeze technology sold by Columbia Sportswear. Omni Freeze is a clothing technology meant to keep the skin cool and it really did work the way it was described (even in the humidity). I intend to slowly invest in more clothing items with the technology as it is on the pricy side, but occasionally you can find great sales on their website. :cool:

 

I'm going on a cruise to SE Asia next month. I don't do well touring in the heat -- I'm not looking forward to temperatures in the high 80s/low 90s.

 

Has anyone used those cooling towels that you soak in water and then wrap around your neck? I've read reviews on some websites, and while some folks have loved them, others haven't.

 

I can see how they could cool you with evaporative cooling, but I worry that in a high-humidity environment (which is what I'll be in), there won't be a lot of evaporation, hence not much cooling.

 

I don't want to waste money and space on these if they aren't worth it, so I'm hoping for some voices of experience....

[cruisemom42]

I'm so glad I asked this question! I am definitely going to check out the Columbia shirts -- looks like they also have some other items too.

[Hoyaheel]

We have one of the Columbia omni-freeze sunhats and I love it. It's actually my husband's but I stole it for our trip to Shanghai in September (husband brought his Tilley). I loved the sun protection and the fact it didn't make my head sweat. Got it at the outlet when they had an extra % off sale so it was very affordable. We also have loads of wicking fabric shirts (columbia and otherwise) I'm rather fond of Air-ism from Uniqlo - super cheap, great base layers. But those are better for making me feel not quite as icky in the humidity vs actively cooling me.

[ncsongbird]

The cool towels really help. Last year Target carried a brand Enduracool that worked very well. They were light weight and and made of a soft silky fabric. You wet them down with water and when you needed to reactivate them, you gave them a couple of quick snaps or ran some more water on them.

[awhfy]

Love the Columbia omni cool shirts & pants. I also have the Columbia omni heat winter wear, it's great

 

 

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[ger_77]

We used cooling towels when we were in Egypt and they were wonderful. They kept us cool while not making a mess of our shirts. After a while when the cooling lessened, all we did was pour a tiny bit of water on them and the cooling action continued.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[slidergirl]

I used to have one of those bandanas that had the cooling beads in them - you wet it and it stayed cool for awhile. Used it when I was out golfing with the now-ex when we were in Arizona or Hawaii. Worked OK for me.

I can't stand hot weather - I get cranky when it gets above 75 ;)

When I was in Egypt, I used my ExOfficio Airstrip Lite shirts and my zip-off pants. I'd wear the long pants and kept the shirt sleeves rolled down most of the time. Yeah, I'd sweat, but I would get evaporative cooling from them. Put to the test in the Valley of the Kings, when it was 109!!!

Duluth Trading has a shirt called the "Armachillo" - made with something similar to what Columbia has for their cool-off shirts. ExOfficio doesn't make the Airstrip Lite for women anymore ( ;-( ), so I'm trying to find new replacements. I'm looking at getting one or two of those - anyone have experience with them? The solid colors have the extra advantage of SPF40 protection, but the plaids look fun, too. Duluth Trading has some quick-dry pants, capris, and shorts, too...

Edited February 3, 2015 by slidergirl

[uncleg]

I used to use those when I worked outdoors during the summer. They work great if the humidity is low, if it is high they are worthless. They only worked good on low humidity days which is a rarity during a SC summer.