Pre-soak in water then supposedly keeps you cool for hours:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005H58TKG/ref=pd_cp_200_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0JVX2NGWBHMVNKRCPYN4

Would be very interested in hearing whether it works.

Thanks. 🙂

I have a couple of hats which do the same thing. They give a welcome dose of cool on the hottest days.

On the hottest days I like a bandana* kept damp with water and tied around my neck.

*Posh term for big spotty handkerchief.

how much do you want a wet bandanna tied around your head?

Thanks xora, very helpful.

sog – nope cos this is hi-tech!

nick – if it sorts out my menopausal hot flushes then yes please. 😀

It gives the illusion of cooling. Given the percentage of the rest of your body that’s hot and all those warm blood vessels nowhere near your forehead, this is doing as much as Deep Heat does in the cold.

I’ve got an old ‘item’ like that except you wear it round your neck. It’s got some type of beads inside that swell up when you soak them in cold water. I don’t suppose for one minute it actually cools the body down to any extent but It’s nice to have something cold on the skin when its warmish. I haven’t used it for yonks though! Mite try it tomorrow.

http://printedimagechico.com/store/nature-facts-bandanas

I’m tempted.

Damp Bandanas? Pah!

What you need is the Elite Sports Vest like what those F1 mincers wear…

A snip at $275…

Bandanas make you look like Axle Rose

Not used one but at Dogfest last weekend (it’s a Fest for dogs, the man in the mac in the car park flashing his lights clearly got the wrong memo) there was a stand selling dog coats made from them.

http://www.ruffwear.co.uk/dog-gear/dog-coats/swamp-coolertm-redesign

Now……..

I’m kind of an evolutionary sort, and I think dogs have managed for millennia by lying down in the shade and panting when it’s hot, as opposed to taking to wearing evaporative cooling coats.

But……..I have to admit the doggy models walking around wearing them (bit like bikini women at the car shows but with wetter noses and more tendency to suddenly stop and lick their own parts randomly) were noticeably cooler and less panting than the other dogs walking around.

Still wouldn’t make me spend £65 on one though.

So to the OP – yes, seen them (sort of) and they do seem to work.

Bandanas make you look like Axle Rose

That looks like Keith Lemon!

I’ve done this with a buff when riding in the south of Spain. It worked really well 🙂

I have ridden and run a lot in very hot parts of Oz. (ie 30 – 40ºC desert, and humid rainforest)

I reckon all that sort of stuff is a waste of time. Keeping direct sun off your head is more effective.

A wide brimmed hat* and a Buff to protect your face from the sun does the job for your head.

Drink lots of water and wear loose fitting cotton so your sweat cools you. The best place for any water is inside you, not applied to your outside.

Sunscreen stuffs up the benefit of sweating, so avoid using it on body parts that can be covered up. Long sleeves which can be rolled up are handy, and long shorts which protect the tops of your legs.

*In Oz helmets are compulsory so we used to extend the peaks of our helmets or wear legionnaire style hats under them to get max shade.

Edit: you won’t win any beauty contests though… 🙂