THE ALPHA COOL CIRCULATING COOLING VEST
By Paul Strubell – 9/1/23
I recently got my hands on @alphacoolapparel latest design. The Circulatory Cooling Vest. A luxurious innovation designed to make inhospitable conditions a bit more bearable.
It works by circulating icy water around your body, using a 7 volt rechargeable battery, mini water pumps, and three liter water bladder. The applications are endless. It could be used as an aid for hot weather labor, to aid recovery from exercise ETC. Its purpose is to cool the core of the human body, but it was sent to me to check out in regards to adventure motorcycling and touring.
The vest seems well made and simple to use. The materials and stitching were tight. The velcro adjustments were easy to use and solid. I had it out of the box and working within an hour of receiving it and most of that time was just waiting for the battery to fully charge as a matter of good practice.
To get the best results, fill the 3 liter water bladder with ice cold water and ice cubes or you can even freeze the bladder into an icy slush. Once the cold water in the bladder is to your liking, you install it back inside the backside of the vest by strapping it in and clipping in the hose connections. From there you connect the fully charged battery and click the on button. The cool water then starts to circulate around your core for anywhere from 1-4 hours depending on how cold the water in the pouch was to begin with.
On a hot day the cooling sensation is welcoming and effortless. I played around with the vest both on and off the bike. Wearing it while mowing the lawn and underneath my moto jacket on a 45 minute ride in 95 degree heat. The vest worked as advertised.
You might be saying to yourself “that this seems like it’s a bit extra” and that is true. It’s a luxury item. Many people can not afford a $400 cooling vest on top of all the other necessary gear in your motorcycle gear bag. It’s not for everyone.
While it may be a little bit extra, it certainly works. Many riders know that if you prescribe to the ALL THE GEAR ALL THE TIME practice, hot weather can also make you think twice about riding on the hottest days. It’s a pain to throw on your heavy duty moto apparel, helmet, boots, and gloves when the temps are high. The vest allows you to take to the roads safely on those hot days by neutralizing the heat with the cooling vest.
The #alphacool circulatory cooling vest can keep you comfortable in your riding gear and therefore a little bit safer as well because you are more likely to wear your moto gear.
It works as one would expect. You can feel the cooling water move around and it will keep you cool. I wear a slim fitting moto jacket and did not struggle to get my jacket on over the vest. It is slim and snugs your body.
You should not expect miracles though. It brings comfort and relief, but it’s not like you’ll want to put a sweatshirt on right after wearing it.
I think the Alpha Cool 7Volt Cirulating Cooling Vest can be a useful addition to any type of rider’s kit. You can wear it on the long hot highway days or throw it on at the bivouac in between races if MX or hard enduro is your passion. As I mentioned earlier this has no limitations to the moto world. It can be used to cool your body during just about any activity.
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