Cool Wings for those with shorter arms?

[emily_in_nc]

I should have asked here before I ordered, but here goes:

I just received my order of Cool Wings from TE (plus some new bike shorts, yay!) I didn't even think about the fact that they might be too long for my arms, as I usually wear "petite" sizes in street clothes (I'm 5'2"), but they are definitely long. As a result, if I push them up to the appropriate place on my wrists, the fabric on my arms is wrinkly. I ordered the size small, and they're still quite tight even with the wrinkles -- tighter than I expected since I wear XS in pretty much everything but was scared to order XS in these since anticipated (correctly) that they wouldn't stretch all that much.

Are they still functional in keeping the arms cooler if they are wrinkled? All the photos show them fitting the models perfectly smoothly.

We are in eastern Washington, which is having a heat wave right now, with plenty of sunshine, so anything that might keep me cooler is a plus, but I'm just Just not sure if I should give them a try with the potential fit issue or return them.

If you've used them, I'd appreciate your opinion. Thanks!

[AppleTree]

I don't think too many are in this corner of the forum, ha! I just happened in here while noodling around. I don't have cool wings, but sounds like they would be a hassle for you in the long run and annoying with all that extra fabric hanging around, might make it hotter too. I have the specialized sun-sleeves, but not sure about sizing for those, but they do work really well shielding from the hot sun and help keep you a bit cooler, unless it's a really humid day. Good luck Emily! Welcome to Washington State too, eastern Washington is always hot, but we are getting scorching weather on the west side too this week, whew. Stay cool!

[ny biker]

I had to go up to a size large with the Cool Wings, after buying two in a medium a few years ago. It seems that the sizing has changed, and the jacket is shorter than it used to be. With the large, the sleeves are not as snug on my arms and there are a couple of wrinkles. However it is just as comfortable for me on a hot day as either of my old ones.

I'm planning to buy a pair of sun sleeves for days when it's warm but not hot and I'm wearing a short-sleeved jersey rather than sleeveless. I haven't decided if I'll go with DeSoto Arm Coolers or the Craft sun sleeves, which several of my friends have. The Craft fabric looks like it might block the sun better, which is my main reason for wanting them.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks ladies. I am leaning towards sending them back. At $44, if they don't work out, that's a kinda pricey mistake, for me at least.

Thanks for the welcome to WA, AppleTree. It's definitely hot here, but with the low humidity, as long as we get going in the morning and back before noon, we've been fine so far. However, tomorrow there's a heat advisory starting at 11 am, so I'll probably do a shorter ride. High is supposed to be 106-107 (!!) though it won't reach that until sometme in the afternoon. It's 100-101 right now, and we're inside, of course, but our morning ride to the farmer's market was fine. It doesn't feel nearly as hot here in the mornings as it did in NC with the high humidity/dewpoint there.

[GLC1968]

Hi Emily! I had no idea you were out our way! Are you following me? ;-) Actually, I'm still quite a ways west of you.

My cool wings are too long on me, but I never noticed it being a problem in terms of cooling. I actually like having a little extra fabric at the wrists to ensure they reach all the way to my gloves and avoid a brown strip of tan on my wrists!

[emily_in_nc]

Hi Emily! I had no idea you were out our way! Are you following me? ;-) Actually, I'm still quite a ways west of you.

My cool wings are too long on me, but I never noticed it being a problem in terms of cooling. I actually like having a little extra fabric at the wrists to ensure they reach all the way to my gloves and avoid a brown strip of tan on my wrists!

Thanks, but they're going back...they are really long on my arms, like half-way down my hands. And I am not sure I really like the tight, minimal stretch of the fabric. Of course, if I were able to try them on the bike before returning them, I might find I adore them, but I'm just not optimistic, and since I paid full price, it's just a risk I don't want to take. I am also afraid I'd end up having to hand wash 'em after every single ride since I ride 6 days a week and sweat a lot...and I can just see the fabric getting stained up. The more I thought about it, they just seemed like more trouble than they were worth -- to me.

We are spending the summer in eastern WA. but unlike you, this is not permanent (we couldn't take the winters), but we're enjoying it very much. The dry heat suits me better than NC's humid summers, I think!

[GLC1968]

The dry heat suits me better than NC's humid summers, I think!

I totally hear you on that! I do NOT miss the east coast humidity at all.

I love our gorgeous summers and mild (if a bit wet) winters, but it's fun to visit the east side of the mountains, too.

[malkin]

My cool wings are too short and I have to remember to put sunscreen on my wrists for the gap to my gloves.
I do like cool wings though. I notice more that they block the stinging sun than that they feel cool. I guess they are cooler than any other piece of clothing that keeps sun off my arms and some days sunscreen is just bugs me too much.