It’s pretty hard to stay cool when you’re working in the summer sun for long hours each day, but trying to stay cool is something that shouldn’t be overlooked, because being exposed to excessive sun and heat can affect your performance in the short term and your health in the long term. The way you dress can help keep you cooler, for instance by not wearing dark, heat-absorbing absorbing hats, but there are some other ways to keep cool as well. Here are a few product offerings which are intended to help you manage those hot summer days, working in the sun.
Bandannas and headbands
A company called Ergodyne manufactures cooling products which include bandannas, headbands, cooling vests, wrist sweatbands, hardhat inserts, and triangle hats which make use of the principle of evaporative cooling. All these products have zero moving parts and are easily worn as part of your clothing for the day, and each of them achieves its effectiveness by promoting evaporation which cools the skin.
Cooling towels
A line of cooling towels is manufactured by Frog Togss which claims to be able to absorb as much as eight times its own weight in water, thereby prolonging the evaporation process, and encouraging longer cooling. By wetting it and wrapping it around your neck, you can achieve the benefits of cooling for a considerable amount of time, before you have to wet the towel again.
Cool water bottles
There are of course, tons of water bottles on the market, in which you can carry cool liquid on-the-job, but this one from Cool Gear 32 is a little different. Called the EZ-Freeze Water Bottle, it has a convenient flip-up drinking straw, a carry loop, and a gel-filled freezer insert which helps keep any fluid cool for long periods of time.
Cool crew socks
Even your feet can be kept cool by using special hiker crew socks manufactured by Thorlo. Extra cushioning in the ball of the foot and the heel absorb the shock of constant walking and pounding while you’re on your feet all day, and ventilation side panels wick away moisture that would otherwise accumulate, and make for uncomfortable, sweaty feet.
Cool T-shirts
These specialty shirts are sold by one of the better-known T-shirt manufactures in the country, Hanes, so if you’re concerned about trusting your summer cool to an exotic company, this is one area where you can rest easy. The Hanes Short-Sleeve Cool Dri T-shirt brings ultraviolet protection into the weave, along with the shirt’s ability to wick away moisture from the chest area. It’s especially well-suited for construction workers, because it has reinforced stitching at the bottom hem, as well as in the neck and sleeve, so it performs well under high stress exertion, while also keeping you cool.
