Summer 2024 trends: 3 cooling vests and jackets tested in scorching hot Hong Kong
- Using fans, ice packs or both, these garments claim to keep you comfortable even in the most oppressive heat. Find out whether they do below
Tired of carrying a mini fan around or rewashing your cooling towel every two hours? As summer temperatures soar to new highs around the globe, enter the latest trend in personal cooling: hi-tech cooling vests and jackets.
These innovative garments claim to keep you comfortable even in the most oppressive heat.
We tested three in the heart of Hong Kong’s bustling Causeway Bay neighbourhood on a hot summer’s afternoon, with temperatures hitting 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit). One was equipped with dual fans, one with ice packs, and one with a combination of fan and ice packs. Find out how they fared below.
1. Pink polyester jacket with dual fans
This jacket feels like a fashion statement. Its eye-catching pink colour appealed to me as soon as I saw it and there is even a hood with a hole for my long hair. I can also pull the hood up to cover half my face.
The jacket comes with two fans and a battery, which were relatively easy to equip – though having the fans visible on the back felt like it detracted from its fashion appeal.
When I turned the battery on, the fans started circulating cool air inside the jacket, which became puffed up within seconds.
Wandering through the streets of Causeway Bay in this certainly turned heads. Wearing long sleeves in this heat?
To my surprise, the jacket did keep some parts of my body cool. I felt a breeze around my neck and back and I was not sweating as much as I usually would.
However, the cool air did not reach the sleeves, leaving some heat trapped there. Maybe the jacket would fare better as a vest.
