Cool Wings - product review

[witeowl]

OK, I got mine, and I'm a bit disappointed. First, I listened to those who said that their cooler was too small, so I went ahead and listened to my gut and ordered a large (my measurements said a medium). They fit well.

93 degrees today, so it seemed a good time to try them. I put them on and instantly felt hotter; kind of stifling. I figured that maybe they'd work better when on the move. The stifling feeling stuck with me, even when coasting downhill. In fact, I was noticing that I could feel the breeze through my jersey better than through the coolers! Finally, I took them off and felt instantly cooler. Not a lot cooler, but enough. It was wonderful to feel the wind on my arms again.

Here's my hypothesis: I live in the desert. Any sweat on me is nearly instantly evaporated (well, until I really start sweating, of course), so my body can keep itself pretty cool despite the heat. (The benefit behind the old cliche of, "Yes, but it's a dry heat.) So, the way I figure it is this: In the low humidity, my body is better able to cool itself down. In higher humidity areas, the humidity is a detriment, and the arm coolers help overcome that problem. But here in the desert, they don't help at all. That's my hypothesis, anyway.

In any case, I'm stuck figuring out what to do with these things. TE doesn't give refunds for "useless in my region", so I wonder if De Soto would be willing to give a refund. I could hold on to them for any future trips to higher humidity areas... Oh well, live and learn.

Glad they work for the many of you who love them!