Has anyone tried these? I ordered two.
 

I thought they would be great for torching on hot days. Or just for hot days LOL!

http://www.hotheadz.net/coolingaids.html

I have one from when I was riding a motorcycle, I need to put it in my craft shack! Thanks for the reminder :D

Well you're welcome:) Sounds like you liked it.

ooh, very intruiging, does it really stay cool for days?

For days? Not what I have, but maybe it depends on where you are or maybe they have something else inside it.
The one I have has the little water absorbing crystals in it that appear the be the stuff you can get in the garden center to mix in your plant potting mix.
You soak it in water, they absorb it & then as they dry out they help keep you a bit cooler. (you can re-soak them though as they get too dry)
Some posters on the Women Who Ride forum were making them for the troops a few years ago.

PS. It doesn't take much to have enough crystals to swell to filling the tube if anyone is going to make one. Google "how to make neck coolers" & you'll see how little to use. I just bought one instead of buying the crystals & fabric.

Yeah, I figured for $5.00 each, it was hardly worth getting the materials to make them. I'm thinking I'll keep them in the refriderator for some extra chill.

Plus there was the thing about actually sitting down to the sewing machine & doing it, which may be the hardest part for me.
Nice idea of keeping them refrigerated.

We bought them and used them when walking around the State Fair in the hot Sacramento summer and they worked great, Cynthia!

I would agree that they didn't stay cold for "days" but they definitely helped for the entire time we were at the fair, which would be the equivalent of a nice long session at the torch.

I had one but after several uses it started to smell pretty bad. I don't think these are washable, so they may turn out to be "semi-disposable."


Aimee

ditto.

I have use them for years. I made about 300 of them for Noahs Wish. its a group I do rescue work with in disaster areas. Lots of folks make them for the troops as well, and I also make cooling mats for my dogs.

you can get the crystals that go inside them from a company called. watersorb

they are non toxic and actually meet potable water standards. you can also mix the crystals in your potting soil, or till it into a garden bed. No more need to buy the expensive water absorbing stuff from miracle grow

keeping them in the fridge keeps them from getting funky, and they feel good, I put mine in a plastic bag and alternate them as they get warm. but just the evaporation of the water is cooling

I was reading some reviews and one lady said she accidentally put hers in the washing machine and it came out smelling great with no damage. Maybe a cold water hand wash. I would think they would need to be washed eventually.

Also had a couple for years. They worked great. Good luck with yours.
Kept mine in the freezer.

Iraq tested! Not sure of the brand but used something similar and some days they were a life saver!

I had one; I thought it worked well, but it gave me a rash, so I can't use them again.

Use these in the TX heat each summer. Once they dry out, store them in a baggie with a bit of baking soda. Shake them out at the beginning of the summer and you're ready to go.

Great idea. and thanks for the links. :-)

I first came across these back in the 80's. A friend who was a forest-fire firefighter in Nevada told me that the wife of one of the firefighters made the original from a bandana and the crystals found in baby diapers and sanitary napkins. I used to get them for my guys in the ships engine room for those very hot SE Asia runs.

The way we used to clean them was to let them dry out (takes several days) and do a quick hand wash and quick but thorough rince.

Putting them in the fridge works for a short period of very cold use but slows the evaporation of the water in the crystals. The ones I used to get would last a couple days depending on the humidity.

Now days they make similar products such as vests and hats and other garments.

Interesting Cheng. Who would have thought sanitary napkins LOL! I saw the hats. They look like regular base ball caps. Maybe the fridge is not such a good idea then.

I do have a vest for riding in hot weather, don't know if it would work for lampwork though. It seemed to me the breeze made it feel cooler.

I'm still going to use my mini fan. It's nice because it's small and I can direct it onto me and not my flame. That should maybe keep the neck cooler doing it's job.

We used them when we used to work outdoor events in the heat - had a couple apiece, and kept them in the bottom of the cooler, so they started out REALLY cold. You can rinse them out as often as needed, they don't get funky if you don't let the sweat accumulate in them.

I'm going to try the neck thing for sure, I was meaning the vest I had questions about it working without a breeze, sorry for the confusion.

I remember the state fair in Sacramento. I remember playing hooky from work and going there with my DH. In the middle of the day during a work week Kenny Rodgers was playing to an audience of about 25 people. lol This was before he became big in country music.

No, I did not go there to see Kenny Rodgers. I just can't think of the fair without remembering that. :lol:

I use them often in the summer because of my MS. So we've always got several at my house. I wish they stayed cold a bit longer, but still they really help keep me cooler.

I might add that they work by the evaporation of the moisture on the surface of the crystals. That's why a breeze makes them feel cooler...they are cooler since the moisture is evaporating faster and carrying away more heat.

Remember the old canteens that had the checkered blanket covers? Idea was that you sprinkled a bit of the water on the cover and as it evaporated it cooled the water inside.

pjh

I knew that about the vest, had never heard that about the canteens, that's interesting!