Veskimo?

[Vanderwho]

Is anyone using the Veskimo active cooling system? (Veskimo uses a "plumbed" vest connected to a cooler that contains a submersible 12v pump; you add ice and 16 oz. of water. It's said to be very effective -- for a couple of hours, when more ice is required.) I'm tired of waiting for someone to bring a CTC-100-like device to market, and am considering dropping the almost $500 asked for one.

What's motivating this? My wife and I are retiring in August, and I'll have a lot more free time for LD (and other) riding. Concurrent with our retirement, we're moving ...to central Mexico, about 10 hours south of Laredo. Our destination is at 6,100 feet elevation, so it doesn't often get terribly hot there, but the ride to Laredo will be a scorcher much of the year.

If anyone has any first-hand experience with the Veskimo, I'd love to hear about it. Likewise for any genuine alternatives. Thanks in advance for sharing.

 

[Greg Cook]

Is anyone using the Veskimo active cooling system? (Veskimo uses a "plumbed" vest connected to a cooler that contains a submersible 12v pump; you add ice and 16 oz. of water. It's said to be very effective -- for a couple of hours, when more ice is required.) I'm tired of waiting for someone to bring a CTC-100-like device to market, and am considering dropping the almost $500 asked for one.

What's motivating this? My wife and I are retiring in August, and I'll have a lot more free time for LD (and other) riding. Concurrent with our retirement, we're moving ...to central Mexico, about 10 hours south of Laredo. Our destination is at 6,100 feet elevation, so it doesn't often get terribly hot there, but the ride to Laredo will be a scorcher much of the year.

If anyone has any first-hand experience with the Veskimo, I'd love to hear about it. Likewise for any genuine alternatives. Thanks in advance for sharing.

I have no experience with them, but have looked at them for a while. Trying to decide if I want to use one or if it's even worth the hassle. I try to keep things simple when I ride and haven't committed to something like this, yet. I noticed a rider in this last IBR had one called "Cool Shirt Pro". It seems to be a good option you may want to check out. Sure would be nice to get some relief from heat and humidity. I've used a cooling vest quite a bit with good results, but I live in Utah where humidity isn't an issue. When I ride in the south my evaporative vest stops working.

 

[Vanderwho]

Interesting... I checked out the Cool Shirt Pro web site. Seems possibly more oriented toward auto racing, and more expensive than the Veskimo, although possibly more capable, too (with a larger reservoir). For better or worse, I've ordered the Veskimo. Seems like a better solution than a bag of ice dumped into my jacket at a gas stop (to the obvious amusement of a nearby eight or ten year-old girl).

 

[Greg Cook]

Interesting... I checked out the Cool Shirt Pro web site. Seems possibly more oriented toward auto racing, and more expensive than the Veskimo, although possibly more capable, too (with a larger reservoir). For better or worse, I've ordered the Veskimo. Seems like a better solution than a bag of ice dumped into my jacket at a gas stop (to the obvious amusement of a nearby eight or ten year-old girl).

Great! I'd be curious to know how it works for you. If you have time and think about it, shoot me a message after you've had it a while.

 

[Vanderwho]

Will do.

 

[lyseoy]

Hi Vanderwho!

How was your experience with the Veskimo? I'm considering to get one for myself, but wondering how well it works, the build quality, practical issues etc. Would love a firsthand account!