Ice Vest for Men and Women Adjustable Cooling Vest with Ice Packs

Ice vest makes a difference. I use when tending bee hives in Florida summer heat. I wore vest under bee suit next to under shirt and nearly got frost burn from direct contact with ice packs. You need a better layer of protection than a thin T-shirt. Now I wear on outside of bee suit. More comfortable and lasts for several hours but you still get very warm from the summer heat. Cooling power is reduced a little wearing outside of suit. Ice vest doesn’t completely erase heat and provide ultimate cooling but makes it more tolerable and lets me work bees in summer heat. You get 20 bags you can fill and freeze for ice packs. Suit only uses 6 bags at a time so you can get 3 full sets of ice packs before a major refreeze of ice packs. They are a little difficult to initially fill with water but so far once full I have no leakage from ice packs. When vest is full of ice packs it is a little heavy but weight is distributed across shoulders and back. Not a problem for me. Sizes are Large and Xtra Large. I wear 38” belt and Large is a snug fit. If you have a larger waist I recommend getting the Xtra Large size. I recommend vest if you must be out in summer heat and I will continue to wear it.

First off, the adjustment straps on the sides, come loose sometimes. Second, do NOT fill the ice packs to the full line, or they will be too fat to fit in the vest once frozen. Make sure to leave ice packs FLAT to freeze! Better shoulder adjustments are needed. Vest works great at keeping you cool, but only last for a couple hours in high temps. So basically you have to have a freezer on site, that you can rotate out your ice packs quite frequently.. Definitely need to have different size vests for people.

I wasn't expecting much when I initially ordered this vest and volunteered to test it out complimentary. When I opened the box, I was impressed. The vest is well-made and it feels like good quality. I was surprised to how sturdy the material felt and how strong the zipper, velcro pull away shoulder flaps and side adjustable straps all appear to be. There are four compartments to place the ice packs in the back of the vest and two in the front. The stitching around these compartments are also neatly done. Overall, undeniably very well-made.You receive 20 inserts/ice packs filled with water activated gel powder crystals. You soak them in water to expand and place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, you insert them in the vest. I can see the benefit for hot days when you need to get a ton of yard work done, or even for working as a longshoreman or construction worker in the summer heat. Overall it's a great concept when you need a quick cool-down.

This is literally a cheap vest with inner pockets to place hard ice packs in. Have you ever felt a hard gel ice pack? #1 it's heavy #2 ice packs are bulky and don't freeze perfectly flat1 frozen gel ice pack is hard, bulky and heavy now imagine having that pressed up against your back and chest. My son said it was heavy and not only was it uncomfortable the weight hurt his back. It's unfortunate that they don't give you the soft gel ice packs. Meaning the ones that freeze and get really cold but stay soft. That would make a substantial difference in how the vest felt. My son would rather continue gathering carts in 110 degree hear then put the best on for aom relief due to how uncomfortable it is and how much of a strain it put on his back.

Performed well under a bee suit during a heat wave. The little pouches they give you to fill with water and freeze, say it doesn’t matter if overfilled..it does matter. They become too bulky and fat. Also lay them flat when freezing. Now if your really going for a endurance day, use frozen bottles of water. They fit well in the pockets and you have your rehydration water tight at hand for those long fair days or concerts! Yeah, I like it so far!

The vest was not practical for our needs. Ice bags were too "fat" and was completely impractical to be worn while racing. With the ice bags frozen and in their pockets very uncomfortable and was soaking wet within minutes. Returning this product.

The ice packs are cumbersom and the vest stays cool for less than 30 mins. WHen working in the heat, I expected it to work for longer periods of time!

This vest is way better than the one for $29.99 whose straps would not stay tightened. It's virtually the same vest but better quality. So when you put it on with the ice packs in it, it is VERY heavy. I didn't weigh it but it's easily over 5lbs. Then in order to feel the cool, you have to pull the side straps really tight to get the ice against your body. This is difficult to do alone, much easier if you have someone tighten them while you're wearing it. Because the ice wasn't touching my back the first time I tried it, I actually got sweaty on my back. Once it was sufficiently tight the ice felt great. I am extremely heat sensitive due to some medical issues and I use this for walking my dog and working in the yard. I live in north Florida and at the beginning of April the temps are already reaching the 90's. Don't worry about my dog, I walk her really early in the AM. So if you have a strong back and can tolerate the weight, I would highly recommend the AlphaCool Vest. Good value for the money spent. BTW a tip for filling the ice packs, the water wants to back up when you first start filling them but once you get a little water inside, the "valve" opens up and you can pour the water in much more easily. I used a funnel and that helped a lot.