VERY interesting!

LOL... the things people come up with.. Its funny because just today I sold some of the Soil Moist I carry to a lady that makes neck wraps for people to wear with the polymiers in it,, they get it wet and wear it around their neck and stay cool all day... go figure! LOL.. I just had to roll my eyes, but the thing is there great for working outside during the day

Here is a link that might be useful: 2 links on this topic

Seems like a brilliant idea if your neck is the only thing that gets too hot...

Patrick Alexander

You'd be amazed at how cool the rest of your body stays if your neck and head are cool. I was skeptical, but a friend already had one and told me about it. I NEVER would have bought one unless I knew it worked. It has a tiny fan in it so it acts like a small evaporative cooler. Granted I'm just tooling around in the garden :) I don't think it help much if you're laying asphalt :(

How neat! (And so true that keeping your neck/head cool keeps all of you cool.) There's also this micro evap that's worn around the waist within a little fanny pack, but it's an outrageous $150!LOL

Tried some of those artic hats (hats with a freezy type thing in it) for the guys and it gave them a headache...it sure works but talk about a major brain freeze!LOL

The granules in a neckband are VERY popular here. I wonder if you could make a granule-filled beanie or baseball cap.

And "CoolPaws" for dogs are great.

Here is a link that might be useful: CoolPaws

Is it very light? I'm one of those weirdos who can't stand anything restrictive around my neck (mock turtlenecks only!). But I got a Sharper Image gift certificate for graduation ... and not being able to garden right now is making me crazy...

GT, that Sharper Image device looks coooool! Not a bad price either...

On the neck bands filled with polymer beads: Don't quote me on this but I had heard a few years back when they became popular that some considered them a health risk. I don't recall the source but it was about the chemical components in those beads being wet and in extended contact with your skin given that skin is a highly absorptive organ where transference takes place - e.g. transdermal drug delivery via modern 'patches'. The concern was that used wet they were possibly leaching unhealthy chemicals while worn for long periods of time while lying against the skin. I do not have any sources to cite on this but you may want to do a bit of digging before getting cozy with these neck bands.

For myself, I'm a bit of a nut about not putting anything on my skin unless it's a natural substance and always look to make sure skin preparations don't contain petro chemicals and other icky stuff. So when I heard this, I 86'd the neck bands from my list of stuff to try. Instead I have used plain cotton tube socks filled with a few ice cubes -- very refreshing even if they do drip on you!

That said, lots of people like the neck bands and I'm sure they work like the ice socks I've used. Just wanted to share something to consider given that we know the skin allows absorption into the system and now science tells us that plastics are not always great for health (recent studies say we should never heat any food in plastics due to unhealthy chemicals released into the food during heating).

The cooler is 10 ounces, nothing to it. I'd say it would be the equivalent to wearing your i-pod head phones around your neck? I was out in the garden for 3 hours this a.m. (starting at 4:48) it didn't bother me at all :) It's weird what a big difference it makes ;) Kathleen, I had heard the same concerns about the crystals they're using.

The horsey people are using vests that keep them cool. Kathleen, have you seen those? Karen has one that she wears and says she's able to ride even in this heat, in the covered arena, though. Nothing would help a lot in the sun. :-(

Nope, Judy, I hadn't seen those vests. I don't see too many riders professionally in the summer as they are all hiding under shade where it's too dark for great shots. Can't blame them and can't blame them for trying the vests. I remember riding in the summer every single evening at dusk. Sweat city.... to say the least. I hope you'll tip Karen off, even if it is a great thing, better for her to know and choose.

GT, you are certainly a lark up and working at 4:48! Good to hear that cooler collar works for you. It sure seems like it would be a good thing. I'm glad to hear someone else heard about those cystals too.

PC, go get it and I'm sure Sharper Image will let you return it if you are unhappy - they seem like a good store that probably has a fair return policy.

That's true. And I'll probably like it more than the Roomba I've been lusting after (it's a robotic vacuum cleaner!)

The Personal Cooling System is a great gadget- but don't loose your packing slip and order information.
The Sharper Image does have a very liberal return/ replacement policy, though and if yours fails they'll most likely get you a new one a.s.a.p. if you have all of your info. (notice the "extended warranty" offered- not a good sign.)

I used to work at their Corporate Office in San Francisco and I've never seen a company take so many returns for their products and still stay in business. NEVER buy one of their shower CD players. I can't even tell you how many returns and refunds have been issued for those! Oh, and their gel insoles explode in your shoes. The wave radios were constantly returned for getting stuck on the seagull sound and the volume would break and get louder and louder. Lots of angry phone calls from parents that had tried to use them to soothe their children to sleep..... the massage chair is fabulous, though. We had one in the office. :)

Well if you can afford the Roomba, get the Discovery model. A cousin claims it is WONDERFUL and quite effective. But you need to get that model as it has all the features and attachments.

Seems like you can't lose with either choice: the Roomba will give you more time in the garden while the personal cooler will help you enjoy the summer out in the garden. Heck you better get both!

TikiPatio, which one of those chairs? The iChair for several hundred or the big bucks full leather one that is at least $1k? Both look and sound wonderful but nice to hear a real report. It too would be great for the aches brought on by all that gardening :)

... and horseback riding, right?

>smileWell, I better check and see how much the gift certificate is for - trying to save for a new refrigerator right now. Sometimes I really hate being a grown up. I'd rather buy a water slide! A big one.

Kathleen, the big bucks leather one. :) They would send products up to the offices to try out and once a week for an hour we had to go downstairs to the store on the street level to play with products. They wanted everyone in the office to have hands on experience with the products so customers concerns could be addressed better than just reading information from a computer screen or catalog.

Once a month they have people in to present their product ideas and the line usually goes down the stairs and out the front door with all of these people with their strange "inventions" in hand. I still remember the guy with the white noise machine that was designed to cover the noise of "bathroom sounds" so that no one would know what you were doing in there. It was always an interesting day.

The owner of the Sharper Image can be a mean evil man (and he's in the office pretty much every day, very hands on with his business) and frequently makes the list of worst bosses in America to work for but his business strategy is nothing short of brilliant. He's a runner and got a watch that kept track of heart rate or something. From there he started selling them to other runners, progressed to a small ad in a running magazine and it all snowballed into what it is today- all with him in charge of every move.

Pagancat, I recommend you use the gift certificate in store and not online if you can. The stores are intentionally set up for you to go in and play with the products and it's really helpful since you can see which ones are junky and which are nicely made.

Ahhhh, micro management. LOL!

Okay, I got one! It's neat, it opens up with a kind of spring action so it fits whatever size your neck is. Woo hoo! $30 is definitely worth my sanity.

Thanks for the insider hints, tikpatio. Glad I can buy from the man and not work with him - his type makes me NUTS.