From May until September, temperatures in Chandler, Arizona are constantly in the triple digits. For the first four summers since I moved to Chandler, the heat constantly affected my MS. I found that during the high heat that I was more fatigued, more irritable and had less energy than I did during the cooler months. I also noticed that my cognitive abilities and vision were not as crisp when temps were in the hundreds. I often wondered if cooling products could actually improve my quality of life.

I recently had the opportunity to try out a cooling vest when I was sent a Kool Max cooling vest by Polar Products. I wanted to conduct some tests to see if cooling vests really made a difference. It was important to me that the vest was comfortable, easy to move in and didn’t obstruct my routine.

To review the Kool Max, I tested it in tough desert conditions. Typically to avoid the sun, I do my outside chores in the early morning before the sun comes up. For this experiment, however, I cleaned the pool and picked up the backyard during the late afternoon hours. The temperature was 102 degrees and my chores took me an hour and half to complete. I also took my dog for a walk in the afternoon when it was 104 degrees, wearing business casual clothes.

Here are my results:

• The vest is lightweight and I had no problems moving around while wearing it.
• Despite the heat, the cooling cartridges stayed frozen the entire time.
• The compartments that hold the cooling cartridges kept my clothes dry, but I still got the cooling benefit.
• Because my core stayed cool, I had more energy to stay outside despite the triple digit temperature.
• If I could change one thing, I would have taken the cooling cartridges out of the plastic bag they came in and placed them in the freezer flat. Because I froze them balled up, they were harder to insert than if I would have put them flat in the freezer.

In conclusion, I found the Kool Max cooling vest to be comfortable and lightweight, allowing me to conduct my daily routine without getting in the way. My core stayed cool, which seemed to give me more energy and allow me to be outside for a greater time than I would without a cooling solution. As a person living with a chronic illness, I would definitely recommend the Kool Max cooling vest as a way to stay active in the heat while keeping your core temperature cool. I will be using mine all summer long!

Matt’s YouTube Video Review:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/fozvgSWcxl0]

To learn more about Kool Max or other cooling solutions by Polar Products please visit: http://www.polarproducts.com/