poormxdad

Gents,

I'm an old guy. I drive my a/c-less Miata to-and-from events. I went out to VIR last month in 95 degree weather and I was spent before the event even started. I needed to find something, so I bought this:

Amazon

Amazon

BLUF: It works very well for a 30 minute HPDE session once you learn the right way to recharge the packs. I’m keeping it.

I’m a fat, skinny guy. I wear a 43 long suit jacket. I don’t think someone smaller than that would be comfortable in the L/XL vest. I did not actually see the smaller version for sale. On track, I wore the vest over a long sleeve, collared, cotton shirt. No comfort issues with the vest itself.

I decided to try the vest on the way back to VIR for two days on the Full Course. My little weather machine indicated the ambient was 89. I have a piece of 2” ducting ziptied to the driver’s side view mirror blowing air down into the footwell, and inside the moving car it was still about 94. The fully frozen packs lasted 1+10. At an hour and 17 minutes, it was time to take the vest off. It was making things worse. I pulled over and put the packs into the cooler, which normally would have contained cold microbrews. I simply don’t have room in the car for another/different cooler. I drove the rest of the way without the vest to Emporia where I stopped for lunch. I have to admit, I felt like I was just starting the trip. The packs were in the cooler for about 1+30, but none of them were completely frozen when I finished lunch. I had plenty of ice, but apparently not enough water to ensure the individual pouches were in full contact with the cold. I put the two best ones in the back pockets of the vest. They lasted about an hour. I pulled over and swapped packs again. Just having the packs in the back of the vest made a noticeable difference in comfort.

I stay in a Paddock room at VIR, right there on the front straight. It has your basic small hotel fridge with the tiny freezer compartment. Two of the packs were refrozen in the cooler, and I put the other two in the freezer while I unloaded the car. When I was finished unloading, ~20 minutes, the packs in the freezer were recharged. I wore the vest while I was changing tires and front brakes. It was fantastic. Ambient was in the low 90s and I was right out there in the sun.

Afterwards, I stacked the four packs at the bottom of the fridge. Even after 14 hours, some of the individual pouches were not completely frozen in the two packs that were in the center of the stack of four. I assume they retain heat, too, and shouldn’t be in contact with each other when being recharged.

For my first track session with the vest, it was 95 ambient in the paddock. I don’t run the ducting to the footwell on track, and I didn’t take any in-car temps. The mostly frozen vest lasted about 40 minutes. Enough time to put it on, get some gas, strap in, wait on grid, and drive for 30 minutes.

I actively managed the packs the rest of the event by putting two in the freezer, the other two flat on different shelves in the fridge, and rotating them in and out of the freezer when I thought about it. They had two hours of open track scheduled in the afternoon. The fully charged vest lasted about 50 minutes.

I didn’t buy extra packs, but probably will. The vest really makes a difference, but it doesn’t last as long as advertised, nor does it recharge as quickly as they say. It does, however, last long enough for an average 30 minute HPDE session. Having the room with the fridge handy made it easier than having to use the cooler, but I suspect the right cooler (which I don’t have) with the correct mix of water and ice would be the best way to quickly recharge the packs.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

For half that money you can make your own cool shirt system that circulates ice water. There's a thread on it somewhere here on the forum for the one that I built. Uses of $12 cooler in the trunk with a boat bilge pump that runs on 12 volts.

matrussell122

iTrader: (1)

https://www.miataturbo.net/race-prep...-system-73268/

poormxdad

Agreed. However, as I am still driving her to-and-from events, space, and the use of that space, is a concern. One day, when I can trailer her, lots of the car will be rethought. Besides, I can wear it when I'm not actually in the car, and I'm not tied to the tubing and pump.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

True. I actually plugged my vest in and sat in a lawn chair next to the car at Sebring before I got smarter and stopped going to the track in the summer down here.

Schroedinger

I tried one of those vests last year. Didn’t cool enough to be worth it for me.

This year I sacked up and got the battery powered Coolshirt system with the soft sided cooler. Literally life changing. Between that and the tow dolly I bought, I can actually get through a summer track day or weekend in Atlanta in relative comfort.

Fireindc

iTrader: (13)

Which one did you get? Sounds awesome. I just did a track day today and the 90*+ heat was pretty intense, particularly on the 2.5 hour drive home after spending all day at the track.

Schroedinger

I got this one, 6qt with Li Ion battery. Used it again today, worked fantastic in 98 degree heat.

https://store.windingroad.com/coolsh...spx?noredirect