Dehydration

[Bengt_Phorqs]

We're planning on pulling out of Bedford (Fort Worth) Texas early next Saturday morning.  First night is somewhere south of Memphis Tennessee on our way to Charlotte, NC and then on to the BMW rally in Johnson City, TN.  If the weather is true to form I fully expect the temperatures to be around 100F.  (It was so hot today that I looked outside and saw a dog chasing a cat and they were both walking!)

Theresa and I are both proponents of dressing for the crash and wearing the right gear, but darn it, it's hot.  So what do you other folks do to cope with the heat and the risk of dehydration?  We do plan on taking frequent stops, say every  1 to 2 hours, to rehydrate and cool down.  But that sure slows down the progress and can make 300 miles take about 10 hours.

I'd like to hear from the rest of the inmates in this asylum.  Any comments on camel packs or clothing?

[montmil]

CamelBack hydration system? Wet T-shirt under a mesh jacket?

Mike, there ain't much between Little Rock and Memphis but rice fields. You've no doubt scouted motel sources...

Say, you do know the difference between a Texas Aggie and a wet saddle?  They both chap your a**!  

Monte

[nhmaf]

I've got one of those Silver Eagle neck wraps that one wets down with water in the morning, and it keeps you cool for ~4 hours or so (Silver Eagle is a brand name, but other places sell similar cooling vests/wraps).
That helps reduce swating, but I also have a camelback that I will use sometimes - not sure if I'll use it or not heading down to Johnson - eventually we'll get to summer like weather around here, but we've had rainy, cool weather for the past 21 out of 25 days with average temps running 15-20 degrees F below average, and rainfaill way above average..   I'm looking forward to some sunshine - I'll probably regret saying that, but hope that my tent doesn't become a houseboat at the rally...

[Altritter]

From montmil: <<Say, you do know the difference between a Texas Aggie and a wet saddle?>>

Aggie jokes on a sophisticated international forum?   That lowers the cultural level by a factor of about four!  

Totally OT, Monte, but do you know if the various volumes of The Aggie Jokebook are still in print? When I lived in El Paso, there seemed to be about 100 volumes in the series, crowding good literature off the shelves of bookstores and newsstands even way out there in Texico.   I wish I had purchased what I think is the first of the series, for on its cover is one of the funniest cartoons I've ever seen.

[R65Guy]

I wear a wicking shirt and underwear with running shorts under a mesh jacket and mesh pants to stay cool.  I carry a 50 oz. Camelback water bladder in my tank bag and sip as I go to stay hydrated.  Last year coming back from Gillette it was so hot that I drank my whole 50 oz. of water between Omaha and Kansas City.  I was out of water before I burned my first tank of gas.  ...and that was in the morning!  Stopping every hour and drinking water just doesn't work when it gets real hot.  We're leaving Sat. morning as well.  Probably spend the evening around Huntsville.  See ya on the road!
Neal

[montmil]

...I wish I had purchased what I think is the first of the series, for on its cover is one of the funniest cartoons I've ever seen.

Our village has a huge and well known used book store that I regularly haunt. I'll keep a weather eye out for you.

Bengt really isn't an Aggie but he qualifies because of his "De-Horn 'em" anti-University of Texas decal on his R100.   He'll be popular rolling thru Alabama!

See. I'm On Topic here...sorta.   Monte

[suecanada]

I wear the wicking undershirt and bottoms too. The 2 quart MSR bladder is in the tankbag with gatorade so I can drink while rolling along. I found the cooling vests to be heavy and get slimy so I sewed together 2 of those microfibre cleaning rags that are now available everywhere and cut a little opening in the middle for my head to go through. When this is wetted down it stays wet for quite a while especially if you are not wearing a mesh jacket. I wetted a bunch of cloths and the conclusion was that the microfibre one stayed wet longest. Closing the vents on the jacket makes one into a small refrigerator for a whlie that is. I'd guess that over 90 degrees close the vents to stop the sweat from drying instantly. I don't know..hot is hot! A wrap around the neck is essential and I wonder now if wet "tennis" wrist wraps would be useful? Cooling the body temperature spots of back of the neck and wrists. Hmmm? When these cloths are not used keep them in a plastic bag so they stay wet each day. I suppose if you never used them they would be pretty moldy without some airing!!

[Altritter]

Thanks, Monte.

I'll take any of them, but the one I really want has a cover cartoon of the most clueless-looking Aggie senior imaginable, with a pig under his arm. (The cartoonist who did the Aggie Joke Books was highly gifted at visually portraying stupidity.) A voice bubble from someone not in the frame asks, "Where did you get him?", at which the pig replies,  "Won him in a raffle."  (As a matter of explanation to forum members, Aggie seniors are (were?) recognizable by their distinctive uniforms: Essentially a 1930s US Army cavalry officer's uniform, with polished brown riding boots, flared riding trousers (slightly off-khaki color), long-sleeve khaki shirt and tie, "Sam Brown" belt (a wide brown leather belt about the waist with a single, narrower crossbelt from waist to shoulder, and WWII-style soft cap).)

<<He'll be popular rolling thru Alabama!>> Not to mention Austin!  

The best "Aggie joke" I ever read was a Newsweek article about a halftime performance by the Rice University band at a football game at Kyle (the Aggie stadium) circa 1980. The Rice band lined up at the goal line in military formation. The student announcer took over the PA system and gave a rousing dedication of its halftime performance in honor of the Aggie Marching Band (revered by Texas A&M folks and many others in Texas.) The announcer gave the "go," whereupon the Rice band struck up the "Aggie War Hymn" and goose-stepped down the field. According to the article, the Rice band needed a police escort to leave the stadium.  

Really, I like Aggies and the Aggie band. I consider it Texas Tech's Red Raider Band to be the two best college marching bands I've ever seen. (Sorry, Longhorns: I've seen the Longhorn band several times, and though they were good, they were a bit too much a glitzy "show band" for my taste.) The Aggie band is military, and the Raider band relies on geometric marching patterns and a huge, double-choir sound, heavy on the low brass.

[DeeG]

I'm pretty happy with my Joe Rocket evap vest.  I usually carry a 2 gallon Ziplock with a bit of water in it to re-soak the vest between stops.  I also use a Platypus bag with watered down Gatorade.  Full strength is fine, when its cold, but after a couple hours on the road, warm Gatorade is nasty stuff.  lol.  

Sue's idea of the towels is good.  I may have to try that.  The vests are good for the torso, but don't do anything for your neck.

[sixfifty]

i use a small camelbak with water, then when i stop for fuel i get some gatorade.

i've had bad luck with gatorade in the camelbak, but there are some tablets you can but that dissolve in your water and help restore some of the things you lose while perspiring.  they don't taste that great though.  

there are some neck wraps that work pretty well, although i don't have one.  search for cooling neck wraps.  seems like there was one called a cucumber or something.

i also use wet bandanas around my neck, and wear nothing but my boxers and a tee shirt under my gear.  if it's supremely hot, ice in the pockets of my gear.

no caffeine, if you can.

[Bengt_Phorqs]

After the ride to the national rally I can report that a camelbak system was definitely the way to go for me.  I bought the 70 oz model and wore it almost every day.  On the morning we left at 0630 it was about 82 degrees but by the time we had ridden a couple of hours it was up in the 90's.  I don't believe it hit 100 that day but the humidity was in the 80's and 90's going through Arkansas and into Memphis.  The only disadvantage I found to the camelbak was I had to open the face shield an inch or two to suck the water out.  I wear one of the HJC Symax 2 helmets.  Had I been wearing my old Scorpion bucket it may not have worked well for me.  I would fill it with ice every morning and it lasted all day long.  Definitely kept me healthy and alert.

Oh one other disadvantage, purely on a personal note, was that Mrs. Phorqs continually referred to it as my colostomy bag.  What are you going to do with 'em?

[montmil]

Glad y'all are back safely, Mike. Now... What about some photos?  

Monte