Keeping Your Cool in the Summer Garden

Drinking Water by Darwin Bell

What’s the best kept  secret to keeping cool in your summer garden? I’ll give you a clue – it’s nothing to do with either cucumbers, or drinks.

Take Care, Heat Advisory

Outdoor temperatures are soaring, the local weather service has issued a heat advisory, and working in the garden could be the last thing on your mind. Right? But the garden is growing and you still need fresh air.

How About a Cool Vest?

Cool vests are perhaps best known for cooling industrial and construction workers who work in high temperatures and often need to wear protective gear. However, for the gardener who wants to go on enjoying the outdoors in the summer heat, while taking care of chores, they’re the ideal solution.

I’m recommending cool vests because it’s what I use myself. I purchased an RPCM® Cool Vest from CoolVest.com a couple of years back and as soon as the temperature rises above about 85°F I pull it out to wear. It’s certainly not the most fashionable of attire, but it can allow you to enjoy the outdoors even on 100°F plus days. If you struggle when summer hits, I’d suggest you take a look at what a cool vest has to offer.

How a Cool Vest Works

A cool vest is a vest with pockets for holding cool packs. However, wearing a cool vest is not like wearing ice packs. It does not feel cold, just cool. There are various types of cool packs for vests – they work by using the heat from your body to change the pack contents from solid to liquid at around 60°F. The specific advantage of the RPCM® packs sold at Coolvest.com is that their contents are non-toxic and food grade.

How to Use a Cool Vest

Your cool vest should be a snug fit and can be worn either under, or over, clothing. It’s quite easy to adjust the vests I’ve used as they come with either elastic and velcro, or straps and buckles. Depending on the temperature outside, you need to recharge your cool vest about every 1.5 to 2 hours. You can put it in the freezer, or, for a quicker recharge, place it in water and ice. Recharging in ice water takes about 20 minutes (using a freezer is slower).

Choosing a Cool Vest – Where to Buy

All of my family members have cool vests and we’ve tried two different manufacturers – CoolVest.com and TexasCoolVest.com. I really like the fit on the Texas Cool Vests and they are very robust, but they don’t come with non-toxic packs.

Order vests online and expect to pay $129 – $179. The vest price typically includes packs. Packs from other manufacturers work similarly to the RPCM® ones. Standard packs from the two above sources are interchangeable, from a size point of view.

My husband’s camo vest from CoolVest.com has seen more wear and washing than our others and had to be replaced when it frayed, though the manufacturer took care of this for us. I have the Tan Khaki vest which is going strong. I like that the RPCM® cool vests are 100% American made, green focused, and the company is veteran owned.

Is a Cool Vest for You?

Whether you’re a gardener or not, if you struggle in the heat of summer a cool vest could be a great investment. They reduce your risk of overheating and  last for years. There are children’s sizes available as well as adults. One manufacturer reports them being especially helpful for folks with health challenges such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

By the way, I have no connection with the above manufacturers, other than being a happy customer.

Related posts:

1. Why it’s OK to cry over your garden
2. What to do in your August garden