Phase Changing Material

[fawnheart2000]

I was wandering if anyone who does trooping in costume had used Phase Changing Material underneath their costume to stay cool in hot weather?
I live in Florida and it is murder wearing costumes in the heat, especially Darth Vader. If anyone has used this stuff let me know what you thought of it.

This is a link to a vest with PCM and is the cheapest I've seen.

http://www.painreliever.com/polarproducts_PhaseVest.html?gclid=COKg5KO5440CFRj BWAod8AiL0w#ProdDetails

And this link is to Trik Toys concealable vest.

http://triktoys.com/shop/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=73

I just wanted some other peoples opinions on these products, if they are worth looking into further.

[xwingband]

LAN-ED-TUL I believe uses one when he costumes as Vader.

I'm coming back to my x-wing costume soon for halloween and I plan on fanning up in the helmet. Also if I'm ever out for a long-time a camelbak to deal with the Florida weather.

[Jedi-Loreen]

Where would you put a fan in an X-Wing helmet where it wouldn't be seen, and be effective? Since it's an open face helmet. :?

[Hasid Lafre]

Sides, back , top, Make space for it

[xwingband]

Where would you put a fan in an X-Wing helmet where it wouldn't be seen, and be effective? Since it's an open face helmet. :?

In the back mounted in the space between the inner helmet and mohawk. It would blow air through the mohawk down past the visor...

I'll need to test to see if it's effective enough, but I'm thinking it would cool my face and the visor if I was hot (visor might fog). If it doesn't flow the air enough I'll flip it and point it at the back of my neck.

In the back no one will notice it at all unless I was unhelmeted and they were staring straight up into the helmet.

[LAN-ED-TUL]

what i used to use, last year was aphased cooling vest. it was a vest that had these packs that looked like water when warm, you slipped them in the refrigerator, not the frezzer, and chilled them, or use ice water to chill them. when cold they looked like wax.

i slipped them in the four pockets, 2 in front and 2 in back.

now my current setup with the new LA leather bodysuit is a full set of underarmor worn under the bodysuit. theyre made especially for heat applications. they make hot or cold underarmor gear.

its like a spandex type stuff, but keeps you dry, and it seems like when worn, if you get a lil air blowing on you at all, it makes you feel cooler.

that will only help out in the front panel and rear mesh panels of the bodysuit. the rest will just help me from getting too hot and keep me cooler in the suit.

[fawnheart2000]

Lan did you like the phase changing vest? Did it keep you cool? Why did you change to this new setup with the underarmor? What are the benefits to switching to the underarmor? From what I've read, the costume will still get wet from sweat and you need to have a breeze for the cooling effect to work. Any info would be greate.

[LAN-ED-TUL]

the vest in that setup was a must, it made it bearable to go 4 to 5 hours until i had to shuck the suit.


okay, first thing:

a phased cooling vest can be worn INSIDE the suit, because it DOESNT require any airflow to it.

your thinking of a regular heat exchanging type cooling vest, that you would soak in water, slap it on and wear till it dried itself out.

aphased vest works totally opposite.
it pulls the heat from your body via those packs placed in the suit.

now if you were to wear the other type inside a suit, you would be walking around leaving a pee-trail everywhere cuz it was dripping.

the phased vest dont drip, it all contained.

i switched setups, because i went from using the rubies (sauna) bodysuit, to a REAL leather lucas alverez bodysuit that has the entire back in mesh panels, and a strip across the chest that armnor hides when worn.

theres 2 differtent types of underarmor, cold wear and hot wear.

cold wear insultes against cold, and heat wear allows the body to breathe so it stays cooler, insulates against heat.

so a combo of the new leather suit and the underarmor should keep me fairly cool if the room temp is cool, or AC'd or its cool outside, the better.

im hoping since the con is 2 months away that it will be cooler than it is now, we got a heat wave goin on. like 100+ every day for a week now.

[fawnheart2000]

Cool, Thank you for all the info. I'm probably going to go ahead and get a phase changing vest along with a phase changing crown to go inside the helmet.

[Novastar]

The comparison seems to be...

Luxeon + heatsink = Lux won't fry.
.
.
.
YOU + airflow/cooling (heatsinking of a different sort) = YOU won't fry. :)

[LAN-ED-TUL]

neat analogy there nova!

but basically correct.

i have a link to a balaclava heat gear hood if anyone needs it. fairly cheap too.


if you get a LA suit with the mesh panels, you wont need the vest, just a set of heat underarmor.