FlexiFreezeIce Vest Cooling Kit - Cooling Vest with Additional Refill Panel and Travel Cooler

I bought this for my husband because of heat issues and we live in Oklahoma on a farm. I am impressed with the quality of the vest and the ice packs. It came with a large extra sheet, a extra set and a insulated bag. I have it freezing right now. But so far, I am impressed and worth the money!

I purchased this vest for my mother who works in the medical field. She wears lead aprons in the operating room and it tends to get a little steamy. She had complained for years about how hot is made her and had mentioned a cooling vest. I purchased a couple of different ones previous to this one and had returned each one because they didn't work or the fit was uncomfortable.She has now been wearing this and carrying it back and forth to work for several weeks and she is still in love with this vest. She loves the carrying case that keeps it all together. She even loved the neck cooler which I didn't think she would since she is claustrophobic. It fits great, which is adjustable) and is light weight enough it doesn't bother her standing and working in it. We worried about it condensating and getting her wet, but it hasn't been a problem.So far there are absolutely no complaints about this vest. If it begins to fall apart or have problems I will post an update.

I have MS. I need something to allow me to walk my dog a few miles a day. I notice that on moderately hot days, it holds up well and keeps cooling. One these recent brutally hot days, however, it melts in less than an hour and no longer helps.This is the advantage of having a backup set of ice sheets. I have to limit my time outside in high heat anyway, but with two sets I can stay out longer if I need to.

But for the VERY FLIMSY zipper, I would give this cooling vest 5 stars. For the price of this vest, you would think, and rightfully expect, it would have a more substantial zipper. The zipper on my vest has separated several times. The vest does what it is designed to do but if you are going to be outside for any length out time, say more than 90 minutes, you definitely want the extra panels. Although the bungee cords are a good idea because they allow full range of motion, if you have lots of stuff on your belt, they can be a pain in the rear because the cords can get tangled up.

I was able to work for an hour in this vest in 95 degree heat before I had to take an inside break. Many of the pockets of ice had not yet fully melted yet, it was just me not being able to move the cool around (I have some circulation and weight issues). That was an hour of work that would of been 0 if I had not had the vest. I recovered inside with the vest off much faster too. (To be blunt, my body was able catch up and move the core heat to the cool fat on by belly.) I have outside chores involving animals that just HAVE to be done some days no matter what the temperature. This vest made that possible without endangering myself through overheating.

I got the vest for pain control. What I found is that living in the desert temperature control is very important. You need to work with the vest and see how long the inserts last. In the Los Angeles desert at 100 to 110 degrees they only last about an hour. So I ordered two additional sets of inserts. So I have about 4 hours out to do errands. I would recommend trying the the vest if your sensitive to high Temps, have pain issues that have not been able to be controlled this is helps me. And also for night sweats and hot flashes is amazing.

Really keeps the core temperature down

The vest is helpful for short periods, but when working in the heat and full sun, don't expect more than a half hour to 45 minutes of cooling. After it starts becoming ineffective, it's a detriment and accelerates overheating. Its best use is probably for more passive activity - something like operating a riding mower. For more physical activity, construction work, etc., the extra weight and extra heating at the end of its duty cycle caused me to quit using it altogether.Their choice of zipper for a compression-fitting over-garment is odd. Zero stars for the zipper that's a bit fiddly to connect before zipping up, then pulled apart several times while wearing the vest. The zipper should have been something like the heavy zippers used on insulated overalls and similar heavy-duty products.