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Product Selection
Will a vest keep you cooler if
it is worn under a jacket? Also, will the cooling
effect last longer if worn under a jacket?
The vest will actively cool
you whether you wear it against the skin, over a
T-shirt, or under any garments that offer some amount
of airflow (so that the evaporation has some place
to escape). If you are riding in a really dry environment,
a jacket can aid in keeping the vest from drying
out too quickly; however, it is not necessary for
the cooling process.
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Can the hardhat liner or do
rag can be worn under a woven hat or a helmet?
The issue of wearing the
Do-Rag and the hardhat liner beneath a helmet has
been raised numerous times, and it all boils down
to the following considerations:
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The helmet must fit loosely enough to accommodate
the hardhat liner/Do-Rag. While the neither
the hardhat liner or the Do-Rag is very thick,
both are just dense enough to require a little
bit of extra space in the helmet. Given your
comment that your current helmet is a tight
fit, I am thinking this may not work for you. |
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There must be enough airflow to allow the
moisture added to the hardhat liner/Do-Rag through
the activation process to evaporate. This evaporation
is what causes the fabric to cool you; blocking
off the evaporation with a non-breathable fabric
defeats the purpose. |
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Unlike the liner fabric of the our headwear,
there is no durable water repellent on the outer
fabric. This means that it's possible for some
moisture to transfer from the hardhat liner/Do-Rag
to the interior of the helmet initially after
activation. Generally, this is minor and doesn't
last very long, but it is something to consider.
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If you choose to have
either headwear item activated (you can soak them
and store them in a water-tight/zip-lock bag)
and ready-to-wear as soon as you have your helmet
off (as many of our customers do), the choice
of which is the better style is a matter of your
personal preference...
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What is the difference between
the Classic Vest & the Zip Front Vest, other
than colour?
While both vests look nice
and work well, the Classic Vest is our higher-line,
more stylish vest. On the Classic Vest, the outer
shell is an overlay so that it is smooth and does
not look in any way like a cooling vest. This is
a more expensive style to manufacture, so it adds
to the cost of the Classic Vest. In the Zip-front
vest, the fabric is quilted together. While this
still looks nice, some find the quilted look less
versatile. Also, the Classic Vest has the zippered
pockets and side snaps; the Zip-Front vest has no
pockets and a Velcro strap around the waist (to
taper it at the waist). Essentially, you are going
to get the same cooling effect from either vest--
it's just a matter of the style you prefer.
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Which products are more suitable
as active-wear, such as for use in tennis, running
& golf?
All of our vests and headwear
can be worn for a variety of sports. For running
and bicycling, the high-visibility zip-front vest
(with or without reflective tape) offers additional
safety, as well as cooling. This same vest could
very well be worn for tennis and golf; however,
your choice would really depend on whether you
choose to wear bright yellow when performing those
activities. For golf, many have chosen the Classic
Vest because of the smooth outer shell and the
additional styling (it does not appear to be a
cooling vest, as the layers of the cooling fabric
are "bonded" together rather than quilted,
and the Classic Vest is more styled than the other
vests). But, if you are more concerned with price
than appearance, any of the other vests will perform
just as well.
Really, any of the pullover
or zip-front vests would be perfectly suitable
for whatever activity you choose. It's just a
matter of choosing the colour. The pullover style
utility vest fits as closely to the body as you
want and is available in high-visibility yellow,
khaki, and blue. The zip-front vests work and
look great while offering a bit more coverage.
These are available in khaki and high-visibility
yellow.
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How do Silver Eagle garments
differ from other cooling garments, like phase change
materials?
To get a better idea of how
Silver Eagle Outfitters garments compare to other
cooling products available, see our
Cooling
Products Comparison Chart.
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Activation and Care
Can Silver Eagle Outfitters garments
be chilled in a refrigerator?
Refrigeration will result
in an initial coldness that will dissipate fairly
quickly. The products are designed to provide gentle
cooling for hours through evaporative cooling without
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Can Silver Eagle Outfitters
garments be frozen? / Can I put those small frozen
Ice packs that you use in coolers under my Vest?
No. Silver Eagle evaporative
cooling products should NOT be frozen. Freezing
temperatures can cause vascular constriction and
can affect the body's ability to shed heat.
The good thing about the
fabric in our vests is that it offers subtle cooling
that reduces your body temperature without setting
your body in that "panic mode" that
ice packs and frozen vests stand the potential
to do. Freezing the vest or adding ice packs may
enhance the cooling feeling but will not
increase the cooling benefits.
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Can I put an activated garment
in a plastic bag in a saddle bag until I get hot,
or do I need to put on right away?
The vests each come in an
activation bag that can be used to store an activated
vest for use when necessary (though I would not
recommend leaving the vest in the bag for more than
24 hours at a time unless dry). You can also use
a waterproof stuff-sack to store the activated vest
until ready to use. As the vests are lightweight
and not bulky, they are relatively "stuffable" and
should compact to a small enough size to fit into
your saddle bag.
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What is the best way to activate
the blanket?
The easiest way to activate
the blanket is in the washing machine. Just throw
it in with the wash "size" set to small and let
it run through the rinse and spin cycle of the
washing machine (without detergent). The blanket
will be ready to use as soon as the cycle stops.
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How do I clean Silver Eagle
Products?
All Silver Eagle Outfitters
vests, hats, and blankets are machine washable.
In fact, you can take the garment directly from
the rinse and spin cycle of your washing machine
and put it on to enjoy the activated cooling.
The vests and blankets can go in the dryer or
be line-dried. To learn more about caring for
your products, see our
Caring
For Your Silver Eagle Product page.
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Can
I embroider, sew, or silk-screen onto Silver Eagle
garments?
Yes. All of our products
are unaffected by the puncturing process of
adding patchwork and embroidery, as we use a specially
blended batting as the core of our evaporative cooling
fabric rather than crystals or gels. Additionally,
all of our vests and blankets can be altered as
desired without compromising their effectiveness.
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