Three ways to stay cool. Each has a limit.
In short: the best cooling vest is the one that matches your weather. An evaporative cooling vest is light and needs no power, but works poorly in humid air. A PCM cooling vest feels cool whatever the humidity, usually for about two to four hours; then the packs need a fridge, freezer or ice water. A fan vest runs for hours, yet in air hotter than your skin it mainly moves hot air.
✓ 30-day returns · ✓ 2-year warranty · ✓ 4.7 on Trustpilot · ✓ 10,000+ users
Gløde does not sell cooling vests (yet). This article compares types on how they work and on what institutes and manufacturers state. It is not a test and we did not try the products. We name no brands.
New to the subject? Start with our guide to cooling clothing →
The types compared
| Type | How it cools | What it needs | How long | Where it stops | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evaporative vest | Water in the fabric evaporates and takes heat away | Tap water and moving air | Varies widely with the weather | Humid air, still air, closed layers on top | Dry heat, walking, gardening |
| PCM vest | Packs melt at a set temperature and take up body heat | A fridge, freezer or ice water | Usually about 2 to 4 hours per set | Limited time, weight, cold storage | Humid heat, indoors, under work clothing |
| Fan vest | Fans blow outside air over your torso, so sweat evaporates faster | A battery or a 5 V USB power bank | Often about 4 to 10 hours | Very humid air, very hot air, tight layers on top | Long days in dry to moderate heat |
How a cooling vest works, and where it stops
Your body loses heat to cooler air, and through sweat that evaporates. Both depend on the air around you. Your skin is about 35 °C: air hotter than that gives heat to your body. And humid air cannot take up much more moisture, so sweat and water evaporate slowly. Every cooling vest runs into one of these two limits.
In extreme heat, cooling clothing does not replace shade, water and breaks.
Type by type
Evaporative cooling vest
The fabric stores water. You soak the vest in tap water, and the water evaporates through the warmth of the air and of your body. That takes heat away. When the vest dries out, you wet it again.
It is light: one manufacturer states about 600 to 800 g once wet. It works best in low to medium humidity and with some airflow. Manufacturers quote anything from hours to days per soak, so we give no number. In one comparative test by a German statutory insurer, evaporative vests were more comfortable to wear than PCM vests.
PCM cooling vest
PCM stands for phase-change material. The packs in the vest melt at a set temperature, often between about 15 and 29 °C. A lower melting point feels colder. A higher one feels milder and is easier to make solid again.
While the packs melt, they take up body heat. That usually lasts about two to four hours per set. Then they must turn solid again: often 10 to 30 minutes in ice water, about 45 minutes to 2 hours in a freezer, or 1 to 3 hours in a fridge. With a spare set of loose PCM packs in a cool box, you can swap when the first set has melted.
PCM does not depend on humidity: nothing has to evaporate and the surface stays dry. The weak points are the weight and the cold storage you need nearby.
Fan vest
Two small fans, usually at the back or sides, blow outside air into the vest. The air leaves at the collar, armholes and hem and speeds up the evaporation of your sweat. Manufacturers often state about 4 to 10 hours per charge.
In very humid air a fan vest does less, and in very hot air the fans bring heat to your body. UK public health guidance says to use electric fans if the air temperature is below 35 °C. The World Health Organization says to use them only below 40 °C; above that, fans will heat the body. We state both and do not pick one. More in our fan jacket and fan vest comparison.
Cooling shirt and sports cooling vest
Cooling shirt
A cooling shirt mostly relies on evaporation too. Some you wet like a vest; others are sold as spreading your sweat over the fabric. Either way, the humidity limit is the same.
Sports cooling vest
A sports cooling vest is mostly worn around the effort: in the warm-up, in breaks and after the finish. A PCM or ice-pack vest suits those moments, as it needs no airflow. While moving, a light evaporative vest is the usual pick.
How to choose
- Dry heat and you keep moving: an evaporative vest.
- Humid heat or indoors: a PCM vest, with a spare set of packs for a long day.
- A long day with power to hand: a fan vest, as long as the air is cooler than your skin.
- On a motorcycle: see our motorcycle cooling vest comparison.
- At work: a PCM vest fits under work clothing. A cooling vest is a personal measure that comes after technical and organisational ones; see cooling vests for work.
Interested? We'll let you know.
Gløde is considering adding a cooling vest. Leave your email and we'll send you one message if we launch it. No newsletter unless you ask for it.
We only use your email to send you one message about this. More in our privacy policy.
What Gløde offers today
We do not make cooling vests. What we do have is power: a fan vest built for 5 V USB runs on a USB power bank, and ours supply 5 V USB. Some fan garments use their own higher-voltage packs, so check the stated input first. We make no promise for garments from other brands.
Both are in our power banks collection. Not sure which size you need? Read our power bank guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best cooling vest in 2027?
It depends on your weather: an evaporative vest for dry heat, a PCM vest for humid heat or indoors, and a fan vest for long days with power to hand, as long as the air is cooler than your skin.
Do cooling vests really work?
Yes, within limits. Evaporative vests and fan vests rely on evaporation, so they do less in humid air. PCM vests work in any humidity but only for a limited time.
How long does a cooling vest stay cool?
A PCM vest usually stays cool for about two to four hours per set of packs. A fan vest often runs about 4 to 10 hours. For evaporative vests it varies too widely to give a number.
Does an evaporative cooling vest work in humid weather?
Poorly. It works best in low to medium humidity and with some airflow. A PCM vest is the better type for humid heat.
Can you wear a cooling vest under other clothing?
A PCM vest can, because nothing has to evaporate. An evaporative vest needs air and works poorly under a closed layer. A fan vest needs room for the air to flow out.
Does Gløde sell cooling vests?
No, not at the moment. Leave your email in the form on this page and we will send you one message if we launch one.
Interested? We'll let you know.
Gløde is considering adding a cooling vest. Leave your email and we'll send you one message if we launch it. No newsletter unless you ask for it.
We only use your email to send you one message about this. More in our privacy policy.
All our heated clothing comparisons →
Gløde — warm the person, not the room.
