Keeping cool during our outdoor activities can sometimes be more difficult than staying warm. After all, there is only so much clothing you can remove to cool down and you can almost always add more layers to stay warm! Of course, having some cool place, like an air conditioned RV, vehicle, boat or cabin or even a shady awning or canopy or tree will provide wonderful respite from the heat. But many times we will be involved in outdoor activities on hot days and need to know hot to stay as cool as possible during those times.
If you do have an air conditioned RV or boat you will want to make sure the air conditioner is properly maintained and operating efficiently before you head out. I like to begin cooling my rig early in the day rather than wait until it uncomfortably warm inside. I believe it is less stress on the air conditioner and the generator and I KNOW it is more comfortable for me and my family!
Dressing for the weather is the primary key to staying cool during outdoor activities. Loose fitting, light weight clothing that allows adequate ventilation for perspiration to evaporate is usually the best choice for staying cool. Think about how desert nomads dress: loose, flowing robes that essentially provide portable shade for them wherever they go. Light colors will stay cooler in sunlight than dark colors. Those pastels may not be the most macho looking, but they are going to be a lot cooler. While T-shirts and tank tops are popular choices for summer wear, loose fitting long sleeved shirts may actually keep you cooler along with protecting you from sunburn.
A good broad-brimmed hat is a good option for protecting your head and face. For hot days I like a straw hat that I can soak with water for even better cooling.
A bandanna around your neck will help protect against sunburn and when soaked with water will help cool you more than you might expect. For one thing, there are large blood vessels in your neck that can be cooled by the wet bandanna, thereby helping cool your brain and even other parts of your body.
When boating you can, of course, wear swimwear which allows you to plunge into the water when you need to cool off. However, exercise caution and use plenty of sunblock when sitting around in swimwear because you will be exposing a lot more tender flesh to the sun than you normally do.
Anytime you are near the water you may be able to go into the water to cool down. There are a few exceptions. You aren't going to cool down going into hot springs but you might cool down once you come out, especially if there is a breeze. Never enter contaminated water or go into water where human contact is prohibited. Exercise caution where ever there are other people in the water. You never know what kind of pollution they might be introducing.
Evaporation is one of the best ways to cool down. Our bodies are even designed to use evaporation to help regulate body temperature. That is why we sweat. Dressing in clothing that facilitates enough ventilation to allow evaporation is one way to help our bodies take care of themselves. When that isn't enough we can sometimes wet at least some parts of our clothing and/or skin to increase evaporation and aid cooling. We can also spritz parts of our exposed skin with water. The application of cool mist is refreshing and it will help cool us down as it evaporates. My family and I keep spray bottles with clean water in our RV and boat (and near the patio at home) just for that purpose.
Options for keeping cool when operating an OHV are somewhat limited. Unless you have an enclosed side-by-side with A/C (very rare!) about your only option it to keep moving so the apparent breeze carries away unwanted heat. You can start by dressing as lightly as possible. Avoid wearing thick underwear that will trap heat. Dress in light colors to minimize solar heating. Avoid riding during the hotter parts of the day. When riding in the Mojave Desert in summer we usually did two rides a day: one in the early morning and then another one in later afternoon/early evening. On occasion the evening rides ended up in us not getting back to camp until well after dark. It was a real challenge leading 18 or so dirt bike through the desert with only 1 or 2 having headlights! You will want to avoid staying out on the trails after dark unless you are properly prepared for night rides!
Keep your cool!
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