Cooling neck towels - I don't get it

[blam84]

I keep hearing about these cooling neck towels and everyone who swears by them swears by them. Then there are plenty of other people who don't. My problem is, I just don't get it.

Here's what I imagine: I dip this thing in cold water, and head out of my resort room into the parks. By the time I get to the park, a lot of the water has probably already evaporated or is all over my shirt and then evaporated. It's 96° in the park so 20 minutes later, the cooling towel is dry. I now have to search around for a place to wet the towel again in order for it to keep me cool. Rinse, lather, repeat.

So help me understand. Why are these things worth it?

 

[neverlandsky]

We don't like them. We buy water bottles, drink 1/8 of them and throw them in the freezer overnight. Frozen water bottle = mobile ice pack and cold water.

 

[FamilyGuy]

They retain some moisture for an extended period of time. Everyone in our party found them to be helpful in keeping cool during our recent visit last month. I only found I needed to re soak the towels every 2-3 hours or so.

I think I would make it a point to avoid WDW during the summer - just way too hot - but if I did decide to dare and do it again, I'd definitely use cooling towels....

 

[miksicnarf]

It's the evaporation process that creates the cooling effect:

Evaporative cooling is a fundamental concept in thermodynamics, which is the study of how heat and energy are transferred between different systems. When water evaporates, it requires energy to break the bonds between its molecules and turn from a liquid to a gas. This energy comes from the surrounding environment, which means that the air around the evaporating water becomes cooler. This same principle is what allows sweating to cool our bodies down - as sweat evaporates from our skin, it takes some of the heat with it and makes us feel cooler.

Additionally:

The neck is a key area of the body when it comes to temperature regulation. The carotid arteries, which are located in the neck, are responsible for supplying blood to the brain. By cooling the neck, we can lower the temperature of the blood flowing to the brain, which in turn can help to cool the body as a whole.

They really do work!

 

[muppets3d]

Some cooling towels are better than others. I use Harbor Freight thick, almost rubbery, ones. Supposedly a knockoff of the Mission brand. The thin microfiber ones don't do much for me.

To me, on a hot day, they are much better than neck fans. Neck fans just blow hot air onto your face. Cooling towels actually help cool you off.

Now once the sun starts to set, I'd take off the cooling towel and put on a neck fan for sure.

 

[_19disnA]

I think those cooling towels work better for some than others. We tried those misting cooling fans last time at Disney and found they useless. Just seems to make you hot/clammy but apparently some like those as well.

I think the best approach is to avoid Disney in the Summer when it is way too hot to be walking all those miles with lots of other people.

 

[tom1944]

We use both frozen water bottles and cooling towels. We also wear wide brim hats. This year I am bringing a UV umbrella to see if that has any benefit.

 

[blam84]

We use both frozen water bottles and cooling towels. We also wear wide brim hats. This year I am bringing a UV umbrella to see if that has any benefit.

We are going Aug 21-28. I'm not sure when you are going, but I'd love to get your feedback on the umbrellas once you try them.

 

[blam84]

So I have been researching these towels a bit, and found some interesting information that is leading me to stay away from them.

Based on this study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3017491/ conducted by a scientist at Roehampton University, the following was found:

"Cooling the neck region allowed participants to tolerate higher rectal temperatures and HRs before they voluntarily terminated exercise at identical levels of perceived thermal comfort and ratings of perceived exertion in a hot environment. In our study, this dampening of the perceived level of thermal strain enabled participants to increase the time taken to reach volitional exhaustion. These data suggested that cooling this region masks the true state of the body, delaying the point at which the voluntary termination of exercise occurs."

So it seems cooling towels trick the body into thinking it is cooler than it is, which leads to an increase in internal temperature, and a willingness to exert oneself more than they should. This is enough for me to stay away from them.

 

[scrappinginontario]

It's the evaporation process that creates the cooling effect:

Evaporative cooling is a fundamental concept in thermodynamics, which is the study of how heat and energy are transferred between different systems. When water evaporates, it requires energy to break the bonds between its molecules and turn from a liquid to a gas. This energy comes from the surrounding environment, which means that the air around the evaporating water becomes cooler. This same principle is what allows sweating to cool our bodies down - as sweat evaporates from our skin, it takes some of the heat with it and makes us feel cooler.

Additionally:

The neck is a key area of the body when it comes to temperature regulation. The carotid arteries, which are located in the neck, are responsible for supplying blood to the brain. By cooling the neck, we can lower the temperature of the blood flowing to the brain, which in turn can help to cool the body as a whole.

They really do work!

Thank you so much for this! I've successfully used cooling towels for years but never understood why they work - just that they do. We use Frogg Togg brand.

I keep hearing about these cooling neck towels and everyone who swears by them swears by them. Then there are plenty of other people who don't. My problem is, I just don't get it.

Here's what I imagine: I dip this thing in cold water, and head out of my resort room into the parks. By the time I get to the park, a lot of the water has probably already evaporated or is all over my shirt and then evaporated. It's 96° in the park so 20 minutes later, the cooling towel is dry. I now have to search around for a place to wet the towel again in order for it to keep me cool. Rinse, lather, repeat.

So help me understand. Why are these things worth it?

We put our towels in a ziploc bag of ice until we need them and then also to refresh them as required. Yes, our shirts get went but in the FL heat they don't stay wet for long once we put the towels away.

We are going Aug 21-28. I'm not sure when you are going, but I'd love to get your feedback on the umbrellas once you try them.

I carried a UV umbrella last year but found it heavy in my backpack. When I used it, it worked well, especially in places like lines where it was impossible to get out of the sun. It's a challenge to ensure I don't hit others with it but I'm very aware of that and cautious.

 

[miksicnarf]

So I have been researching these towels a bit, and found some interesting information that is leading me to stay away from them.

Based on this study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3017491/ conducted by a scientist at Roehampton University, the following was found:

That study was not done with cooling towels; rather, collars containing gel refrigerant...similar to an ice pack.

 

[tom1944]

We are going Aug 21-28. I'm not sure when you are going, but I'd love to get your feedback on the umbrellas once you try them.

We will be there from 8/11 until 8/20.

I will try to let you know how it works.

 

[muppets3d]

That study was not done with cooling towels; rather, collars containing gel refrigerant...similar to an ice pack.

An important difference!

 

[Lumpy1106]

Personally I think they're kinda disgusting. YMMV

Fans too - I don't get it. Just seems like one more thing you have to carry around and keep track of. Hard pass.

I carry a CamelBak so I have a constant source of water. That has worked better than anything else I've ever tried.

 

[blam84]

That study was not done with cooling towels; rather, collars containing gel refrigerant...similar to an ice pack.

It is still a relevant proof of concept study even if the cooling mechanism is different. Though, if you have any studies that support the use of implements that cool the neck, I would be glad to read.

 

[Duck143]

I keep hearing about these cooling neck towels and everyone who swears by them swears by them. Then there are plenty of other people who don't. My problem is, I just don't get it.

Here's what I imagine: I dip this thing in cold water, and head out of my resort room into the parks. By the time I get to the park, a lot of the water has probably already evaporated or is all over my shirt and then evaporated. It's 96° in the park so 20 minutes later, the cooling towel is dry. I now have to search around for a place to wet the towel again in order for it to keep me cool. Rinse, lather, repeat.

So help me understand. Why are these things worth it?

We had one cooling towel for the 4 of us. I had no interest and thought the same thing that you wrote above. Wow, was I wrong! This towel was amazing and definitely worth getting and best of all, they work! You wet it with any temperature water and ring out the excess and trow it around your neck. It stays wet and cool for awhile and when it does dry up you just wet it with any water you are closest too, bathroom, water fountain, a cup of water, etc. Definitely worth bringing to the parks with you.

 

[sheilafri]

We use both frozen water bottles and cooling towels. We also wear wide brim hats. This year I am bringing a UV umbrella to see if that has any benefit.

Let me know how you like the UV umbrella. I wear hats when walking at home but they do get hot.

 

[tom1944]

Let me know how you like the UV umbrella. I wear hats when walking at home but they do get hot.

Will do

 

[sb127]

We freeze our water bottle and then wrap the towel around it. We then put it in a plastic bag. Keeps your bag dry and the towel moist. I cut the towels in long strips so the are comfortable around the neck and fit the water bottle. Towel and water last quite a while and both stay cold longer. We never stay in the parks all day in the summer (too hot).

 

[cincystamper]

Let me know how you like the UV umbrella. I wear hats when walking at home but they do get hot.

My mom uses a UV umbrella at Disney and loves it. The temperature differential is noticeable. She finds it most useful at Epcot, where we're walking in a big circle and can always aim it easily in the right direction to actually shade from the sun. If we can't find a shady spot for a rest, she pops her umbrella and cools off pretty well.