Which Size Will Fit Me Best?

Phase Change Technology requires a "snug" fit to the body because this technology is a conductive heat transfer acting as a heat sink to the body. The Polar Vests are designed with great adjustability. Polar Vests need to apply the Polar Pack cooling packs to the upper area of the cardiovascular cavity. Cooling the "gut" and lower back area minimizes the cooling capacity afforded to the body. Please refer to the sizing chart to select the best fitting Polar Vest possible.

How Accommodating Is The Fit Of The Polar Vest For Women?

Phase Change Technology requires a "snug" fit to the body. Women Who Wear Our Vests Have Taken A Single Polar Pack And Cut It In Half. The Picture To The Right Illustrates How The One Polar Pack Is Divided Into Two Pieces. Then One Of Each Pack Halve Is Used In The Front Two Pack Pockets Of The Vest. Having Only A Half Of A Polar Pack Gives A Woman More Room Where It Is Needed.

How Long Will My Polar Vest Keep Me Cool?

Cooling duration is a function of many variables and factors. The Polar Vest in the standard configuration has been tested in a laboratory controlled environment and exhibited a cooling duration a little over 2 hours. The lab environment was 104° F and the test subject was performing a 600 watt workload (medium pace on treadmill). So, depending on variables such as ambient temperature, exposure to radiated heat source(s), human work load and factors such as individual wearer’s physiology and level of fit, you should experience between 1.5 and 2.5 hours of effective cooling capacity when exposed to high heat environments around 100° F. Keep in mind that heated environments below 91° F will not extend the cooling capacity of the Polar Vest due to the fact that the standard human skin temperature is around 91° F.

How Do I Recharge My Polar Packs?

The fastest way to re-charge your Polar Packs is to submerge them in ice-water for about 20 minutes. The key to this re-charge method is to insure that the Polar Packs are submerged below the ice. Since the PurePCM is lighter than water, the Polar Packs will tend to "float" on top of the ice-water keeping them from charging in the normal 20 minutes. To re-charge the Polar Packs in a refrigerator or freezer, simply place them on a shelf without stacking them. PurePCM is a great insulating material and if the Polar Packs are stacked on top of each other, it will take quite a long time to charge them. Although a Freezer may charge the Polar Packs slightly faster than a refrigerator, any environment below 65° F will inevitably charge the PurePCM Polar Packs. The best way to check if the Polar Packs are fully charged is to hit 2 Polar Packs against each other. You should hear a crisp "plastic" sound as opposed to a "thud" associated with a partially charged Polar Pack. A partially charged Polar Pack will drastically decrease your effective cooling duration. Many times it is difficult to assess the level of charge for a Polar Pack by visual inspection only since the PurePCM will charge from the outside to the inside meaning that if the Polar Pack is only partially charged, it will still look like it is fully charged. Therefore, please utilize the method for checking charge level as described above. Lastly, keep in mind that the Polar Packs will be liquid when you charge them and they will come out of whatever charging medium you choose in a hard, solid state. So, whatever way your Polar Packs are shaped like going in is the same way they will come out.

What Is The Shelf-Life Of My Polar Packs?

Polar Packs incorporating PurePCM have an unlimited shelf life and will always work exactly like they did the first time you used them. We utilize a medical grade urethane that does not contain a UV blocker (causes urethane to become brittle) so we recommend that you don’t leave the Polar Packs out in the sun as it tends to discolor them. It does not affect the Polar Packs any other way than appearance. We offer a 2 Year warranty on our Polar Packs.

What If My Polar Packs Rupture Or Get Punctured?

Polar Packs are manufactured utilizing the absolute best materials known for PurePCM encapsulation. Polar Packs are highly resistant to puncture and are almost virtually immune to a rupture event. In the extremely rare case that a pack ruptures or is punctured, simply remove the compromised Polar Pack from the Polar Vest and wash any area of the body exposed to PurePCM with soapy water. Although PurePCM is non-toxic, it can cause a skin irritation on some individuals so it is a good idea to wash the area. Also, wash the Polar Vest garment in warm water and baking soda to remove any residue.

Do You Take Phone Orders?

No! But We will take email orders. Purchasing through our website or via paypal keeps our transaction charges low and gives you the consumer peace of mind. Also, you can choose to mail us a personal check or moneyorder if you prefer.

How Long Will It Take To Get My Order?

We pride ourselves in processing orders the same or next day. We also take great pride in keeping our website inventory matching our actual inventory. In the rare event that your order could be delayed greater than 24 hours, we will contact you and give you options for an alternate selection.

How Do You Ship?

Our standard shipping is provided via USPS which offers exceptional service to residential addresses including Saturday delivery at no additional charge. We can accommodate almost any shipping request.

Why 65°?

There have been many claims regarding Phase Change Material applied temperatures. Water is a PCM that has a freezing temperature of 32° and has a very strong "heat of fusion" value which equates to actual cooling capacity. Unfortunately, ice is too cold to try and cool the human body due to concerns regarding vasoconstriction and frostbite. With regards to the various PCM temperatures claimed by other companies, Polar Vest utilizes PurePCM....there are many phase change formulations within the industry. The phase change formulation incorporated by NASA is a 65° F paraffin based technology....PurePCM technology. The vegetable oil based PCM wasn't included in the original patent because it has a very broad range of thermal stability unlike water/ice which is 32 degrees and PurePCM which is 65 degrees. Unfortunately for the industry, a lot of companies danced around the original patent that NASA paid to develop and came up with "phantom" temperatures below the 60 degree cut-off of the patent. 50 degrees, 55 degrees and 58 degrees are all mixtures of several alcanes (worst case scenario) or are simply PurePCM which is truly 65 degrees (best case scenario).

How Do I Store The Polar Packs?

Polar Packs can be stored anywhere. I prefer to store mine in my freezer for quick use. We only caution storing the Polar Pack in direct sunlight for reasons listed above.

Can I Wear My Polar Vest Directly Against My Skin?

Absolutely, 65° F is not dangerous to the human body. I prefer to wear a t-shirt or a micro-fiber shirt between me and my Polar Vest but it is not required. One of the great benefits of PurePCM is that your body will give off heat very readily to 65° F without concern for vasoconstriction or frostbite. Your body will actually acclimate to 65° which allows the most effective conductive heat transfer to occur. The goal is to artificially remove heat from the body without causing the body to resist giving off that heat because it believes that it is no longer hot. It has been scientifically proven that temperatures above 60° F will not cause any level of vasoconstriction. Vasoconstriction is a dangerous physiological response to skin sensors determining that the applied temperature to the skin is too cold. The body begins to actually insulate itself from this perceived cold environment by closing down the body’s outermost capillaries...preventing the body from giving off heat. A very dangerous condition when considering the situation.

How Is The Best Way To Wear My Polar Vest?

Snug to the body is the rule. Conductive heat transfer is the most effective means of heat absorption so the Polar Vest needs to be worn tight to the body. This can be achieved by adjusting the elastic side straps (3 on each side) and the shoulder straps. Wear your Polar Vest with the Polar Packs higher rather than lower.

Why Are The Side Straps Only Adjusted From The Inside Of The Polar Vest?

The unique design of the Polar Vest takes into consideration the multiple applications associated with our customers. The original design back in 1996 utilized the same 3 elastic straps per side and the zip on/off function. However, we incorporated plastic buckles that were adjusted on the outside. This made adjusting vests for multiple wearers easily accommodated and adjustability was very quick with one down-side the straps "dangle" off the sides. This isn’t a problem for the industrial safety market due to the fact that most workers wear this vest on the inside of some type of protective garment. For our markets, the "dangling" straps are problematic and un-necessary. With the Polar Vest, you make a one-time adjustment to the side straps and shoulder straps then simply zip on and off the vest.

Will The Polar Vest Help Me With My MS?

MS is a very unique disease that does not affect any 2 people the same way. Prior to MRI’s, diagnosis of MS was accomplished by submerging the patient in a hot bath and evaluating the patient’s pupils. Thus heat obviously has a role with MS. Heat affects each and every MS patient differently. We have many customers who have been able to effectively manage their symptoms better in the summer by wearing a Polar Vest. However, we cannot guarantee that it will work for you. Polar Vest offers a standard 90 day, no questions asked money back guarantee. For MS patients, there is no limit to the offer.