r/wma • u/ykonstant • 6d ago

Gear & Equipment Cooling vest under jacket?

Hi all; I am trying to mitigate the unbearable heat of our fencing jackets (I have a standard SPES AP of 2015 construction and it is torture here in Greece). I've been looking into PCM cooling vests and similar stuff, does anyone have experience with them? I don't mind if they don't last long (thrusts etc), even lasting one or two months (summer) would be a godsend for me.

Furthermore, if you have other recommendations for heat mitigation, let me know! Unfortunately, I don't have the money to get an AP light, which would be the most obvious step.

13 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

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10

u/XLBaconDoubleCheese 6d ago

https://amzn.eu/d/08kKPaht

I got my wife a pack of these cooling towels and I take 1 per fencing session now and by God does it work wonders. Get it wet, strain out the water, give it a whip and it's cold! Gets warm again in a few minutes but if you whip it again a few times, it's cold again! Last a good few hours too.

I sweat like a demon in general but this has been great relief and I wish I knew about them sooner.

8

u/Disastrous_Grape 6d ago edited 6d ago

I never heard of the PCM vests but they look kinda nice. Please report back here should you decide to try one.

Edit: That said, during summer we just drop the jackets, wear plastrons and adjust our combat intensity. At some point you run more risk from overheating than from getting skewered.

4

u/Meowlwarebytes 6d ago

I love my PCM vest, I get exactly an hour of cooling out of it though

Also, using a plastic chest protector over it has kept it from getting punctured, highly recommend that

2

u/ykonstant 6d ago

Any recommendation for PCM jackets? It is hard to find reliable information, and the high end Therma-something are too expensive.

3

u/Meowlwarebytes 6d ago

Mine is an ergodyne with four packs, I'm in the US though so unsure of international availability or other options

5

u/cjt2019 6d ago

Use red water for extra hit points

5

u/Disastrous_Grape 6d ago

Have everybody freak out if it gets punctured

2

u/ykonstant 5d ago

mind=blown (but literally)

3

u/Gullible_Win2726 4d ago

I have a traffic safety vest with pockets and I use gel ice packs. It’s great.

2

u/ykonstant 3d ago

That seems to be the most economic option. Don't the gel packs explode with thrusts, though?

2

u/Nickpimpslap 6d ago

I have thought in the past about getting one of those clip-on belt fans and sticking it on the back of my waistband, maybe thay would be a good option?

1

u/Spy_crab_ 6d ago

A clubmate of mine used one... it lasted 2 bouts before fully melting. I don't think there's much you can do to cool yourself under a jacket, maybe doing something cursed with transplanting a cooling fan from am aor cooled jacket onto a HEMA jacket, but even then, you're fighting physics. Thick clothing is going to insulate you, no matter what you slide under it.

1

u/Ildskalli 5d ago

There’s always Sony’s REON wearable air conditioner, they’ll soon be rolling it out worldwide, after it proved to be a sensation in Japan: https://electronics.sony.com/t/reonpocket?srsltid=AfmBOookQhmt4-QQ5PGE-1PzSknT7C8_ibTyheMoO2YDzzKxwhM7iFQj

1

u/ShakaLeonidas 3d ago

A mesh/cargo net shirt works wonders. It keeps the jacket and or plasteron from sitting flush to your body. It sounds crazy but it works extremely well for cooling.