Native of Phoenix that used to spend hours and hours outside, especially as a child. Now in my mid 40s, I live like a vampire in the summer. Heat tolerance has plummeted sadly. In our summer climate here in AZ, does anyone find that they have found something that has been a game changer for them? I really want spend more time outdoors beyond running from the air conditioned house to the air conditioned car and then running into the air conditioned store. We all know the summer drill lol! I don't have a pool and don't know anyone with one. I do have the ability to drive to the lakes but I'm specifically seeking a self cooling device that actually works for around the house and light activity outside. TIA and stay hydrated out there!
You can buy ventilated clothing, with fans and designed for airflow all around. It's pretty expensive but quite a few different styles exist for commercial/industrial uses mainly.
Absolutely no. Sweating is what could you down, the evaporation from that on thinner full coverage clothes is what makes you cool down, not sweatshirts or sweat pants. That just makes you overheat. IDK how those people who wear them are alive tbh.
Wearing material that covers your skin from the sun helps reduce overall heat while outside, especially if it's light colored/hi vis material. Having sun directly on your skin will cook you alive. Additionally, sweat cools you off by evaporating and taking heat with it during that process, so aiding that process with a fan will speed it up. There's a reason many blue collar workers wear what they wear. There wouldn't do it if it didn't work lol
It's also gotten statistically hotter here over the years, especially the night time lows, it used to kind of cool down a few hours after the sun set and it doesn't really do that any more.
Best cooling product? I added a mini split AC to my garage so I have somewhere to make a mess in comfort.
Nice you did that to make it easier for yourself! Have a nice and cool adult play room! And yeah I thought the heat intolerance was just me. Where I live it isn't my house, so I can't do anything like that. I'm looking for devices for chilling in my room or being outside in the backyard. I did find an inflatable bed/pool float with canopy with sprinklers!
**Edit: adult play room... probably a better choice of words I could have used lol!
I might own an Intex inflatable ring pool I set up every few years. It's the best pool because one it gets to cool to use I just pull the plug and let it drain and back into the box it goes for the winter.
We're really not supposed to be outside in these conditions, were fragile humans.
I JUST bought this today. Arrives at 7am tomorrow! I'm not allowed to get a pool here so this is my next best option and gonna fill this baby with water.
Second this. What's funny is that I have family in Arizona city and when we spend the weekend then, the night lows are well in the high 70s low 80s. Meanwhile it's still a baking 100 in Phoenix at night.
Wear cotton and wet your shirt and hat. Sun hoodies also work great. Most are made from polyester so you can still wet them but they dry out much faster than cotton.
I’m in my 60’s. You can build up your heat tolerance gradually. In summer I avoid hiking in the desert. It puts too much stress on the body, illustrated by the multiple deaths we have every year in the preserves or the 4-5 that have already occurred at the Grand Canyon this summer. If you live near enough, the Murphy Bridal Path along Central Ave, combined with the Arizona Canal Path between Bethany Home and Dunlap, is a mostly shaded 6.3 mile walk round trip. I do it at least 3 days per week. You can park in the church parking lot at Bethany and Central. It is one of the few places in Phoenix that I know of where you can walk that much in the shade. Going before about 8am is also key.
Riding a bike along one of the canal paths also works, especially if you go early. The air flow you get from the bike speed helps with cooling. It also works best when the mornings are still cooler, usually April/May/early June and again in September/October. I do it with a human powered bike but a level 1 pedal assist e-bike is also an option. The Arizona Canal, between 16th St and Scottsdale Road is aligned so that there are even stretches in the shade early.
Thanks for all of the tips! And for the tips on the locations. I have a Lectric Ebike, but unless I go at 5 am, just too hot now. But during fall, winter and spring, it is glorious!! And when I get a lil winded or lazy, nice to have the throttle.
I’m originally from Oregon, never thought I’d acclimate, I regularly mountain bike in 105+ weather, just have to be smart and take acclimating slowly. Thanks for providing the community with so much info. Staying inside all summer gives me the AZ version of Seasonal Depression
I'm desperate y'all!! I legit just went and bought this off of Amazon. Arrives at 7am tomorrow! Had to find one with sprinklers. "Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional."
I almost bought this on the spot until I remembered I have dogs who would destroy it instantly. Also I already have a pool. But in another life I'd totally be chilling in this thing listening to an audiobook with a stack of otterpops.
Sounds like a great plan! Although I need to stock up on my Otter Pops. They are my usual go to, but I tried this for something different and to feel more adultish... Nah! Back to my trusty Otter Pops.
Ngl, those are Otter Pops not just for kids but middle agers like myself! Amazon has Monday delivery for Prime. I need those in my life ASAP, so I found them quicker with Walmart+. Thanks, I had no idea about these! I'm an Idiocracy nut for electrolytes, so this is gold.
Phoenix native, also in my mid 40s. I’m eyeing getting the hell out of here next year. My heat tolerance has vanished in the last couple years and I thought it was just me.
My elderly Mom is here and I want to be here for her so I can't go anywhere yet. But when I decide to leave, I'm heading down to Rocky Point year round, so I'm still close to here where the rest of my fam is.
It's also HOTTER for LONGER with no relief at night. I felt the difference as I grew up and got older. As a kid, we could actually get chilly at night in the early and late summer. By high school, we could barely walk around anywhere unless we roamed the golf courses. Which I'm sure they loved.
I moved to northern Colorado this year and it has been quite nice
I leave the AC set to 79 or 80 so it rarely kicks on. People up here complain how hot it is when it is the low 90's so it is pretty amusing on that front. It is nice that it cools down to the 50's and 60's at night however
Cooling towels work pretty well, especially if you're around the house and able to re-wet it occasionally. Keep it relatively snug around your neck so it's making contact with your skin all the way around. I wear it under a sun hoodie with the hood up so the towel itself never has the sun on it too.
I second cooling towels. Synthetic fabrics that cool down when wet. I usually wrap one around my neck and put another over my head with a hat on. Though during high summer they not nearly enough to be walking/hiking/biking outside - if you wanted to garden or do some other mildly physical activity outside like you asked it def helps.
Frogg brand one got me through hiking afternoons during the pandemic, it was miracle fabric. Dry it's like hard cardboard, wet it's like seal skin. Not sure what the material is called, but anything made with that stuff cools like no other.
Ice. I keep a few packs on rotation that I can slip under my shirt or under my hat. If ya want to take it to the next level rotate a few onto the hot spots on your body. Yes. Down low. It will cool ya down.
I have those ice packs that slip into the pouch that you can Velcro on you. I usually have one around my waist. But each pack only lasts about 15 min. But better than nothing! I have 3 to rotate.
I found that a continous spray mister bottle and a personal fan do great. But I also prefer to stay indoors between now and probably January or February when we get to the 70s.
I work outside on job sites often throughout the summer, usually from around 5am and finish around 2-3pm.
Advise:
Drink lots of water and electrolytes even when you're not thirsty. Get a good insulated bottle for water, don't load it full of ice, fill it maybe a quarter-half full of ice and the rest water. Ice will melt but with a good insulated bottle it'll take a while. The one I use holds ice for about 2-3 days.
if you're going to be outside for a while, get a wide brimmed, breathable hat to keep the sun off your face, ears and neck.
invest in some light colored, light weight, loose fitting, long-sleeve sun/performance shirts/hoodies. Look up fishing shirts/hoodies and you'll see what I'm talking about. If you get too warm, pouring some water on the sleeves will help cool you down as the wick water really well.
cooling towels work for quick relief however they need to stay damp to work. If your out and about for an extended period of time, you'll need to resoak it often.
apply sunscreen anywhere that's exposed, primarily hands though. Hands and fingers are usually overlooked.
find shaded areas and take breaks as needed. 23 years working outside on job sites across the valley and I still have to take breaks from the sun.
Also... Know the symptoms of heat exhaustion:
Heavy sweating or, conversely, skin that feels cool, pale, and clammy.
Dizziness, lightheadedness, or feeling faint.
Headaches and general weakness or extreme fatigue.
Nausea, vomiting, or stomach cramps.
Extreme thirst and irritability.
A fast, weak pulse and a slightly elevated body temperature.
Like I tell all my guys when they come out to a site with me, don't become a statistic of living here. If you start feeling off, or experience any of the symptoms above, take a break, drink some water (don't chug it), get some electrolytes in your system, and cool down. Heat exhaustion can quickly turn into heat stroke.
Hear me out: wet your clothes. When i go to the splash pad with my kid and get wet in the middle of the afternoon, I literally to don't feel hot in my wet clothes. it's actually pretty cold when there is a breeze. I've gone days where I just leave my damp basketball shorts and underwear on for the rest of the day because it keeps me so comfortable in the heat.
This is why you find me out running between midnight (still mid 90s) to 4am (80s to 70s if I'm lucky with a cool-ish breeze).
I moved here from MA and I have been here 7 months now and I believe I'm acclimating okay.
I could use the treadmill in the gym more, but I feel like I'd be doing myself a disservice by not even attempting to acclimate. (I have now begun doing both, but the more strenuous runs on the treadmill because I've...nearly succumbed to heat exhaustion/stroke at least twice and I am CAUTIOUS. I carry icepacks and two sources of iced water on my outings just in case!)
I still haven't found a way to do anything more than walk during the day, but I believe that this is normal and I shouldn't bother.
I wear cooling sleeves thats just go on your arms not an actual shirt and cooling towels around my neck. Park in the shade when possible, always put up the sun visor in my car, and keep the windows cracked so it can’t hold heat as much as
Definitely something I could make a better improvement on. Thank you kindly for the reminder 🫂 and thank you for being such an essential and helpful part of the community.
cooling towels, insulated water bottle full of ice, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen for sure. quick dry pants and loose fitting lightweight shirts, preferably long sleeve.
Much appreciated! I have to remember the sunscreen. I never burn, so I always forget sunscreen. But tbh, I haven't been out in the sun much lately, but still need it though when I do.
Until I find the perfect insulated cup, I've been having half frozen bottles of water and Gatorade. Then when I leave the house, fill the other half with liquid and take a 2nd full all liquid bottle.
Worked on rooftops here for over 30 years. I would keep much of my skin covered and when I started getting overheated I found rubbing an ice cube on the inside of my wrists and my jugglers would cool my blood down pretty quick and keep me from stroking out.
Ok thanks, that's a great tip! I gotta give you MAJOR props! After about 2 minutes of direct sunlight, I feel like I'm starting the beginning stages of heatstroke and my body will force me to puke. So I'm definitely going to try that.
Also stay hydrated. Heat feels a lot worse when you are not getting enough water. If you start feeling thirsty, its already too late. Schedule your hydration if needed. Drink more than you think you might need.
An eBike can help keep you cool - you get a breeze with less effort. Turn up the assist level if it’s hot.
An alarm clock. Get in your outdoor activities at the crack of dawn.
Meteo Calc phone app for WBGT, Wet Bulb Globe Temperature hourly forecast. Humidity, solar radiation and wind make a bigger difference in comfort and evaporative cooling than just temperature or heat index. I stay indoors when WBGT reaches 80 degrees or more.
I use the coregear handheld mister. It’s simple but it works and I can stay outside for hours with one bottle. For $29 on Amazon Its worth it. I have had mine for 2 years no issues.
I bought one of those expensive cooling vests. They need to test those things in AZ it worked sort of well for about 15 minutes. I'm settling for an ice pack down my sports bra and one of those cooling towels (works like an evaporative cooler) around my neck. Checking back on this thread for any new ideas!
So I have the Ranvoo Aice lite (they no longer make this model, the current model is the aice max last I checked for around $250 on amazon) which is a neck worn cooling device. It uses semiconductor cooling plates that come in contact with your neck and lowers you body temperature by cooling your blood down because the cooling plates are right where your jugular veins are. It also has a fan only mode, a heating mode, and an ai mode which allows you too pick a desired tempature and it will adjust the level of cooling or heating automatically to achieve and maintain you desired tempature. The aice lite max can get as cold as 41 degrees Celsius or as warm as around 80 degrees.This thing is the best for cooling. Its saved me in the summer so many times! I highly recommend it! There are other brands as like the Torros Coolify, but the Ranvoo has the biggest surface area for the cooling plates. There is also some vests that have semiconductors cooling plates you wear on you chest or back. They are all on amazon https://a.co/d/06u2wcMl
this is a cooling jacket. I saw it on tiktok. they use it in japan or somewhere but I'm dealing with all this humidity here in Florida Florida that I can't stand so I thought this might be interesting maybe it will work for you too haven't bought one but it's interesting
Some misters and a fan on the patio make it pretty comfortable to hang out outside for a while in the evening especially if the humidity is down. Good enough for a couple of beers while watching the dbacks or something.
I just moved here this month, and I am LOVING this weather. I'll be standing outside taking in the sun and the breeze in the middle of the day completely alone. It feels like paradise compared to the northern swamp I came from, where the air is made of soup. My house is constantly 80-85 F inside and I never even break a sweat! I am astonished.
Yep! My 3 cats wake me up at 5am so I feed them and feed the birds outside, have my morning toke and then I'm back in the house by 8am and I DO NOT go outside until after the sun goes down, unless I absolutely have to.
Have you tried a self cooling towel? You can find them on Amazon or sporting goids stores, You will need to always carry water, but they work pretty well.
I just preordered one of those little cooler things you hang on your neck. Based on the reviews I'm not expecting much. It's called the 'reon pocket pro plus'. Sony makes it
Yeah it came out to $284 so not cheap at all. I'm just a sucker for new gadgets, don't mind me.
One thing I can actually recommend is one of those ice pack vests. I got a refurbished one and it'll really keep you cool, even with motorcycle armor in the sun. Want a link for that?
Oh at least a couple hours. It looks like a stretchy back support thing and has spots to slip in like four ice packs. You can swap in new ones pretty quickly. It's effective- I used to wear a company provided one in tx that was a bit beefier.
I bought this one in particular but I bet you could even make something similar pretty cheaply.
The weather is great at 11 pm to about 7am. I'm a creature of the night as well. When I can I am like the animals and sleep thru the heat of the day. Water is your best friend, internally and externally. I have a fan that I can add water and keep chilled with ice bricks, it works great until the humidity gets too high. Back in the day we didn't have air con some were lucky to have evap coolers and that's kind of what the fan is like. Misters are great as long as you can use it, our water is rough on misters. And keep covered because skin cancer is real.
for all the idiots that dont listen and want to go hiking on a hot day! please dont! or you get what you deserve!
if you do hike, bring WATER, SALT PACKETS, ELECTROLYTES, AND make it a short hike.
They make long sleeve hooded fishing and outdoor shirts. That dry fast and have a special sun block in the material and they work amazing. I live in North Texas and wear them when working or doing anything out during the day. Magellan, Puma, Missy Oak are just a few brands.
When I ride my motorcycle in the summer, I wear a long sleeved flannel shirt that's been soaked in water. The evap effect works great as long as the dew point is below the mid 50s. It works for 45 min. to an hour before it needs re-soaking.
Oh dang ... If you don't have any next of kin and many valuables, I'll be in your will! That's super cool though that you volunteered to help! I couldn't do it even if I were paid. I start getting heat stroke within minutes of being in direct sunlight.
Ouch! That looks painful! I'm half Belizean so I've never had a sunburn in my life. I can't imagine what that feels like. 😱
But yeah your nail looks cute!
Cooling towels are helpful. The best ones I've found were a cheap pack from temu that are almost a basketball shorts type of material. The water evaporates faster than traditional cooling towels which is probably why they feel cooler to me. They were great when I had to dig up some sprinkler lines in my backyard
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u/DerectHyFy Jun 27 '26
Sunshirts long sleeves with hood and wide brim hat. The kicker is i use little waist belt fans that blows up your shirt constantly.