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How to beat the heat?


Just4FunLP

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If you ever go to a match in the south and see a guy that's dripping with sweat and looks like he's about to pass out, that's me... I live in Tallahassee Florida with high humidity, sunny days, and no breeze. I think I belong to that ginetic group of whitey white people that just don't belong in hot weather. You know what we look like.. ? I have the big umbrella, and found that rotating towels to and from my ice chest helps. Has anyone tried the evaporative cooling vests and hats? Seems like if I could rotate this in and out of an ice chest I'd have it made... Just don't want to waste my money. Thanks

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I've never tried any of those vests, and I doubt I ever will. If they worked really well, I'm sure you'd see a lot of people using them.

I've found that synthetic/wicking materials against my skin make the biggest difference. Wicking boxers (I like Ex Officio or Duluth), wicking socks, and a light colored wicking jersey or shirt. I try not to have any cotton touching my skin. A damp camp towel and staying out of the sun as much as possible helps as well and I'm going to try wearing a visor instead of a cap to allow my head to breathe. And as always, make sure you stay hydrated.

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Im usually the guy like you. Straight up suffering in the brutal heat. I always wore cotton and I finally went to under armor and bought some of their heat gear shorts and shirts. I was at a match in PA last weekend and we had 94 on the car thermometer when we left. For me thats usually means I'm soaked. I had worn the new UA stuff and at the end of the match I was one of the few guys that was actually almost completely dry. So worth it. It really made me feel so much more comfortable.

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I've never tried any of those vests, and I doubt I ever will. If they worked really well, I'm sure you'd see a lot of people using them.

I've found that synthetic/wicking materials against my skin make the biggest difference. Wicking boxers (I like Ex Officio or Duluth), wicking socks, and a light colored wicking jersey or shirt. I try not to have any cotton touching my skin. A damp camp towel and staying out of the sun as much as possible helps as well and I'm going to try wearing a visor instead of a cap to allow my head to breathe. And as always, make sure you stay hydrated.

Try the visor Idea. Huge amounts of heat bleed off through our head.
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My wife got me a collar and a thing to put on top of my head that has what looks like Styrofoam pellets in it. After soaking them in water for 1/2 an hour they keep me cool for hours in this South Tennessee heat.

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I nearly had a heat stroke at a match a few years ago. I picked up one of these and can't say enough good stuff about it. The extra pack stays in a small cooler of ice water (I use one of those folding wagons at the match). Anytime the one I'm wearing stops working, the other is charged and ready. Well worth the money.

http://www.blackicecooling.com/Personal_cooling_ccx-s_features.html

Edited by okorpheus
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On a related note, don't push it if you start feeling real sheat ymptoms. We were near the end of the match and I wasn't feeling well - headach and feeling just a bit nauseous. I thought oh I can finish and then I'll be fine once I cool off. Last stage I shot I was light headed and seeing black spots when I finished the stage (didn't pass out, but I think I was close). Cooling off was not the end of things. For the next 3 days or so I felt the worst I've ever felt.

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I use the Mission cooling towel that you soak in cold water, the snap it to reactivate the cooling effect when it warms up. Lifesaver at Rockcastle in August. Get them at Lowes.

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It ain't the heat ....

It's the humidity!

The only time I went to The Nationals (about 8 years ago), it was 114 F and we had a few RO's pass

out from the sun/heat.

And, that was MUCH NICER than a few weeks before that when I was in Virginia - it was about 20

degrees cooler, BUT, the HUMIDITY was overwhelming - unbearable.

Give me the heat - you can keep the humidity.

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Hello: Hydrate days before the match. Drink lots of water during the match. I still am not sold on the heat reducing cloths. Some feel hotter than loose knit cotton. I have a couple of shooting shirts that feel like I am wearing a garbage bag. I also have some that breath great and are cool. I will also say some of the new fiber shirts once wet stay wet a long time and will cool that way but if dry still feel very hot. One thing that does help me are socks that are built to keep you cool. Lastly wear sunscreen that is made for sports. They will tend to work better when you sweat and feel drier. Thanks, Eric

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Based on my personal experience I would avoid any of the vendor shirts or hats that utilize "Coldblack" material. Their pitch is that the material allows you to stay cooler by absorping less heat from the sun. The problem I observed is the material RETAINS heat! I've baked wearing hats and shirt made with this treatment compared to cotton or other Under Armour like materials.

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I've never tried any of those vests, and I doubt I ever will. If they worked really well, I'm sure you'd see a lot of people using them.

I've found that synthetic/wicking materials against my skin make the biggest difference. Wicking boxers (I like Ex Officio or Duluth), wicking socks, and a light colored wicking jersey or shirt. I try not to have any cotton touching my skin. A damp camp towel and staying out of the sun as much as possible helps as well and I'm going to try wearing a visor instead of a cap to allow my head to breathe. And as always, make sure you stay hydrated.

Basically what he said. I fished hard for years in Tampa and South Florida; out on the flats from 6am to 4pm pretty much year round. Try out a few different brands of "performance wicking" shirts. I'm personally a fan of columbia stuff but have a no-name that works as well.

Wearing a visor, appropriate sunscreen and keeping about every inch of my body covered helped tremendously. I was that goofball with the keen sandles, Columbia fishing pants, long sleeve wicking shirt, buff over the neck & face, visor, and wrap-around sun glasses. I may have stayed a nice milky white but was cool & avoiding skin cancer.

I do like the black ice / cold wrap kind of items. Use them around your neck, specifically the main arteries, cool the blood = cool the core. If you pour cold water on your head then make sure to dry your head afterwards, otherwise that water will get hot & start to trap heat.

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I have recently tried the Columbia Pro Fishing longsleeve sun shirts and the Outdoor Research caps with the built in "cape." Really helps keep the sun off your skin and the back of your neck which made me feel much less heat. Also, this combination keeps the arms, ears, and the back of the neck protected from UV so makes the dermatologist happy.

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I live in South Mississippi and summertime temps can be 95-98, with 80-90% humidity on top of that with little to no breeze. I shoot with my three kids (ages 11-17) and all of also sail competitively, so we have a bit of a routine that really helps us stay as cool as we can and still maintain our competitive focus in our two heat/sun intensive sports.

  1. Starting hydrating as soon as we wake up. The older kids get there cup of coffee (my one concession) in the morning and after that immediately start pushing water and sports drinks. I make them eat breakfast. They have to drink 8-12 oz of water/drink at every stage. We go through a 8 pack of gatoraids and waters every local match. We carry the cooler in arrange cart. After two-three stages, they have to eat a granola bar or something. Hydrating AND eating helps to maintain focus and concentration.
  2. Wear white or light colored wicking shirts AND undershorts AND short. No cotton at all. Columbia makes lightweight bathing suits with belt loops that the boys cut the mesh out of. My daughter has similar wicking underwear and lightweight shorts. No dark clothing. Wicking visors.
  3. Stay in the shade as much as possible. The range has big fans that they can stand in front of. Some of the old timer have big box fans and small generators they tote around.

Biggest things I’ve learned: wicking clothing, hydrate, eat.

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If you ever go to a match in the south and see a guy that's dripping with sweat and looks like he's about to pass out, that's me... I live in Tallahassee Florida with high humidity, sunny days, and no breeze. I think I belong to that ginetic group of whitey white people that just don't belong in hot weather. You know what we look like.. I have the big umbrella, and found that rotating towels to and from my ice chest helps. Has anyone tried the evaporative cooling vests and hats? Seems like if I could rotate this in and out of an ice chest I'd have it made... Just don't want to waste my money. Thanks

The best thing I ever bought for the heat is a go fast shirt and underarmor drawers. None of that sweat running the crack of your.......well you know what I'm talking about. I'm ready to get a new shirt and I'm getting soild white this time around.

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I work outside as a lineman. My work location is very rural with lots of fields, and farm land in East Ga. We often have highs 90-95* with humidity around 80-90%. Unfortunately my work clothes are not at all cool, and many days I spend 8-10hrs climbing poles out in pastures with no shade around. Twice in 17yrs I have experienced heat exhaustion. Once you have it once, it will come on quicker the next time. The key is to stay hydrated. I drink mainly water, but do add a Gatorade twice during my work day. On average I drink 1.5 - 2 gallons of water per day.

Both times I experienced heat exhaustion, I was drinking water but not enough to keep pace with my sweating. I try to drink two 20oz bottles of water per stage when shooting. I also mix in a Gatorade, and eat something light like a granola bar, or jerky. At big matches I try to stay away from the provided lunches since most in the south are BBQ, or dogs & burgers. I will usually eat non salted oven baked almonds, and lots of fruit. This is pretty much my daily lunch at work during the summer. Today I had Almonds, banana, apple, and a bowl of watermelon, and cantaloupe.

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After surgery a few years ago, I found that my tolerance to heat and humidity went out the window. Working or playing outdoors for more than a few hours was borderline painful.

Along with lots of hydration and a good baseball cap, a phase change cooling vest allowed me to stay on the range for a full match. Several brands out there. Here is what I bought.

http://www.fourseasonssurvival.com/TECHKEWL-Phase-Change-Cooling-Vest_p_124.html#

You will get a few wise cracks about "why the flak jacket", but they really work well for me. Wear it between stages and pop the inserts into an ice chest at lunch time to recharge.

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I have found that the better shape I am in, the better I can handle long days in the heat. I also try to train in the shittiest conditions I can. If it is freakishly hot and humid out, you can bet I'll be training (whether it is physical, dry fire, or live fire) outside in it that day.

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Get a Camelbak backpack (one of the slim, minimalists ones). Fill the bladder about 85% full and freeze it the night before a match.

Wear it at the match. It will keep you cool and hydrate you while it thaws.

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It's a sad fact that if you don't work or train in the heat often there is not much you can do. You must be hydrated though. And being fit helps.

I work in it and the first 2 weeks of stinkin humid 90+ weather still takes me 2 weeks to get used to every year.

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I have found that the better shape I am in, the better I can handle long days in the heat. I also try to train in the shittiest conditions I can. If it is freakishly hot and humid out, you can bet I'll be training (whether it is physical, dry fire, or live fire) outside in it that day.

+1

Physical fitness is huge. As far as practice in bad weather, I do that too. Not so much by choice, but mother nature knows when I have spare time to shoot and she hates me.

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