Occunomix TechKewl Phase Change Cooling Vest Blue

I've had one of these for a couple of years so can now give a worthwhile review.As others have mentioned, it's a little bulky due to the packs of "ice" (6) that are inserted in the pockets in the back & front of the vest. Until a better technology arrives, I can live with the bulk.Today the vest kept me comfortable during several outdoor work sessions while our heat index was near 100 degrees.I've tried an evaporative cooling vest, which works OK in low humidity but fails in our Southern summers due to high humidity. The TechKewl vest works without regard to the humidity level.Given enough heat and physical exertion, you can overcome the cooling capacity of this vest. During low exertion activities (e.g., riding lawnmower) my vest keeps me comfortable for about 2 hours.Mine came with an insulated carrying case that I've used to transport the "frozen" vest to an outdoor work location. It kept the inserts frozen for the hour drive.Sometimes in the breaks between outdoor work sessions I put the whole vest in the refrigerator and let the inserts refreeze while still in the vest. The "ice" packs are comfortable against a cotton T-shirt (not too cold).The vest material and zipper has held up through several washings.I've not tried other brands of phase change cooling vests, such as Glacier Tek or Cool Vest, and couldn't find any reviews for them.Bottom Line: This vest allows me to work in summer heat that I couldn't otherwise. Without it, during the hottest summer days I'd have to restrict my outdoor work to the first few hours of daylight.

I love this vest ! It keeps me cooler for about 2 hours in temperatures around 80 to 95 degrees !I can then take out the melted ice packs that came with the vest and replace them with cheap"Polar Tech IB6 Ice Brix Leakproof Viscous Gel Refrigerant Poly Pack, 4" Length x 6" Width x 3/4"that will stay cooler for even longer than 2 hours, maybe as long as 3 or four hours !!!!!Of course you can search Amazon or the web and find all kinds of cheap ice packs that may workwith this vest !!!! But I would not DARE PAY the ridiculous price of 86 dollars for the"TechKewl 6665 Replacement Inserts for Phase Change Cooling Vests"You don't have to use/fill all of the ice pack slots on the vest if the vest becomes to heavy or to cold for you !Someone that reviewed this vest said that the vest may weigh around 15 pounds while using allthe ice packs that came with the vest !The L/XL "adjustable" vest fits a person between the weigh of 175 to 250 according to the TechKewl website !!! I weigh around 235 and the vest fits me just fine !So if you ever needed to stay cool this vest will help a lot !On a really hot day I also use cooling towels like the "Mission Athletecare Multi Cool Headwear" andthe Mission Athletecare Enduracool Microfiber Towel I purchase both of these at "LOWES" for far cheaperthan anyone else is selling them for !!!!!!!!!! I also bring a spray bottle of cold water with me to spray the towels and parts of my body, to stay cool !But one of the best ways I know of to help stay cool is take a big plastic empty juice bottle andfill it half way with water and freeze it ! Before you go out fill the rest of the bottle with cold water !Now you have ice water that will stay cold for many hours !!!!!Try to stay in the shade as much as possible, you can also take along and use a small umbrella to help shade yourself !!!!!! I hope this review helps some of you stay cooler this summer !God bless you,Earl

I would not buy this again. The main reason is that it's very difficult to get the ice packs in the little pockets after they are frozen. They have pointy corners that stick in the mesh, in the pockets are really narrow to try to slide them into. If you plan to freeze the whole jacket with the ice packs already in it, this wouldn't be a problem. But I do not have that much room in my freezer.The second reason is that the entire jacket is thick and insulated. I don't understand why you would want insulation where there are no ice packs (like the shoulders, chest, and upper back)? I want water to be evaporating where there's no ice packs. Something lightweight and moisture wicking seems like it would be a much better choice in those areas. But to be fair, we've only tested it out once so we'll have to try it out some more.It is heavy, but that's to be expected with all cooling products.It does stay cool a VERY long time, and if you put the freezer packs in the freezer they freeze nearly instantly - we were both really surprised how fast they froze! It didn't feel 'too cold' while wearing it, like some ice products can.It comes in an extremely fancy insulated bag, which is REALLY nice.The quality is good and it looks like it would last a long time.This vest has a lot of potential. I just see some design flaws that should be addressed. I debated between three and four stars, but for some people I think this would work better than for others, so I went with four stars.