Choosing the Right Cooling Vest

Sometimes the best method for staying cool is to take the cooling system with you wherever you go – even in the form of a wearable vest. With some diligence and research, you can find cooling vests that are both practical and stylish. Wearing them can also be a boon to those with various physical conditions, such as multiple sclerosis; warm days and MS, experts say, simply don’t go well together.

Here’s how to choose the right cooling vest for you, courtesy of ActiveMSers, a group that’s dedicated to helping people stay active while dealing with MS:

First, decide which kind of cooling vest you want – active or passive.

Active vests require a power source (electricity or batteries) in order to maintain their effects. These devices are usually more expensive, starting somewhere around $150 and easily going into four figures.

Passive vests have no components requiring a power source. This makes them more portable and useable away from home. However, they can only provide cooling power for anywhere from a half hour to upwards of four hours.

Some passive vests use ice packs for cooling while others take advantage of phase change packs, which can last for longer periods of time at higher temperatures (between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit). Other passive vests, such as those from a leading outfitter, use evaporative cooling techniques – just soak the vest in cool water, wring it out and you can begin cooling, albeit while dealing with some dampness. These should only be used in desert or low-humidity environments.

Active cooling vests, as noted above, tend to be more on the pricier side. These work by recirculating cooler fluid through a tube system embedded in the vest, which requires power to pump the fluid as well as to periodically chill it. These are not very practical for outdoor activities, but can be used for indoor exercise by setting the cooling and pump equipment next to an exercise bike, for instance. These vests are also most effective at reducing a wearer’s core body temperature.

There are also active cooling systems that are not produced in vest form. Instead, these are devices that, when gripped, seek to extract heat from the body.