[Q] Cooling material

[tbev]

Is there a kind of material (fabric) that will cool the body?

[freeztar]

Yes and no.

 

Certain fabrics help to accelerate the evaporation process (which cools the body) with a process commonly referred to as "wicking", or more technically capillary action.

 

Here's an example of one such product:

Patagonia Capilene Performance Baselayers - Recycled and Recyclable Baselayers, Common Threads Garment Recycling

 

Note that this product is marketed as keeping you warm even when wet because it uses capillary action to wick moisture away from your skin, thus preventing the cooling effects of moisture in low temperature environments. Nonetheless, it works the opposite way too, to a certain extent. Wicking moisture away from the body in high temperature environments helps cool the skin by way of evaporative cooling. But, since these fabrics are polyester based, which is a good insulator, they are better suited for cold environments.

 

Other clothing designs incorporate cooling technologies such as zippable under arm vents, back vents, etc.

 

There's also these nifty cool bandanas that use a chemical that absorbs many times its weight in water, using the same concept of evaporative cooling to keep the fabric cool.

[tbev]

Is this a common material used in clothing now?

[tbev]

Another question: how does this material cool the body? I see its used for workout clothing.

[freeztar]

I'm not sure which material you are referring to, but yes. The wicking polyester idea has been copied by many manufacturers. You will not find it in Walmart, but you can find it in outdoor clothing shops such as REI. The same goes for the cooling bandanas.

 

I own both of these and can attest to their effectiveness. :confused: