Staying Cool in summer heat

[OakLeaf]

I haven't had good luck with the bandannas. They're too thick and actually insulate my neck. But I recently read that even when they do "work" - when they cool the neck - they trick the body into thinking it's cooler than it really is, which seems to me it could be dangerous.

I make sure I have one bottle of plain water that I can pour over myself - back and thighs seem to make the most difference. I will wear a hydration pack if I know I'm going to be a long way between water stops (this usually only happens on organized rides), but generally don't.

I have an evaporative cooling vest that has literally saved my life more than once on the moto, but haven't tried it at bici speeds yet. I don't want to be stuck carrying the thing if it doesn't work or makes things worse the way the bandannas do for me. I'll probably try it out at zero speed (gardening) in the next few days.


...

not everyone wants to ride dripping wet

I'm dripping wet ANYWAY. Pouring water over myself means I'm dripping with air temperature (or slightly cooler) water rather than body/sun temperature sweat.

Some people freeze their water bottles. I don't bother, since by the time I've been out long enough to want the chill, they're air temperature anyway. I don't use insulated bottles because I don't want to have to clean them. Running in the heat I do put a lot of ice in my pack.