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The summer season is typically for vacationing, beachgoing and visiting Disney World, but this year, it’s mired with extreme heat. While sunscreen and supportive breathable shoes are essentials for the season, consider a cooling towel for your next sunlit adventure. After dipping one into some water, these towels feel cool on your skin and can be used to wipe away sweat on a swampy hot day. Several reviewers call these products “lifesavers” for theme parks, beaches and deserts, and one user even says it’s like having an icepack on your skin. If that cool relief sounds like heaven on a summer day, you can grab a four-pack of these nifty towels on Amazon for 30 percent off. At $10.39 a four-pack, that’s less than $3 a towel.
These towels measure 40 by 12 inches, and each comes in its own waterproof pouch with a carabiner attachment for easy carry. Whenever you need to cool off, you can either dip it into some water and wipe your body for an icy sensation or, like many users suggest, lay the damp towel over your face or around your head or neck. Some say the wind or a slight breeze can amplify the cooling when you’re at the beach or taking a walk. They’re also designed to provide UV protection!
One reviewer named Juju says they’re an Amazon driver who uses it on scorching hot days driving in SoCal. “I picked up a set of these bad boys and man, I have been sleeping on them,” they say. “I usually ball up the towel, and slowly pour water over the top while rotating it so that I don’t waste too much water. Ring it out just enough so It’s not dripping but still has enough moisture, give it a couple wave in the wind, and then tuck it under my hat. Productivity has increased massively as I don’t have to keep stopping and taking a break to avoid passing out in this heat… Also really helps keep my neck out of the sun which is great!!!”
If you’re looking for heat relief on a hot day, grab a pack of these cooling towels for your next venture into the hot outdoors. And in case you need more convincing, read on for more promising reviews.
“I first tied one around my neck with the ends hanging in front, but found that it wet my shirt and it was not that effective in keeping me cool. So I tried tying it around my forehead with the tie in back. This was 100% better. My shirt didn’t get wet, and the ends were keeping my neck cool. I wear them in the house, as I can keep my a/c at 79, with a fan on. Yesterday I mowed the grass wearing one, and I was not hot at all, even though it was in the high 80′s. They dry out fairly quickly, so in about an hour I wet it again. I have even napped with one on. Interestingly, when I removed it last night, my forehead was freezing, as was each side of my neck. It felt like I’d had an ice pack in those areas. No kidding. I want everyone to have one.” — S. Proctor
“We were heading to Disney in the dead of summer and needed a way to stay cool while in the parks. This was the BEST thing we brought with us (aside from our hats, water bottles, umbrella, and backpack). The towels are the perfect size, they stayed damp enough for a long time. All we had to do was shake them out from time to time and instant cooling once they hit our necks. On our last day in the parks, I “discovered” that I can use it as a head band by tying it around my head… OMG! This was wonderful! Too bad I didn’t figure that out earlier. My husband and sons wore them over their heads under their hats as well as around their necks. I have too much hair to have felt anything wearing it that way, but I did tuck the ends into my bra straps on my chest and that gave me great relief from the heat. We simply re-wet them in the sink on our trip to the bathroom when they felt like they needed re-wetting. Simply wet, wring, and shake them out… voila! Easy Peezy!” — MamaLlama (This review has been edited for length. Read full review here.)
“i dipped it in a vendors ice water for beet bottles and it got super wet and super cold i wrung it out ,not al the way and wrapped it around my head. it was super dusty and hot and humid. i have panic issues when i get too hot and i went alone from michigan. as you can see the sun was beating down at the Butcher babies time slot. so i didn’t care about fashion and here we are but it lowered my temperature so much that i didn’t sweat or feel hot or panic. so it was a great deal for the money. i love them i gave two to my chef brother who works in florida and his work has no air in the kitchen hes a transplant so its really really hot for him he said these were life savers. oh and mine lasted about 4 or so hours before i would re dip but by that time it had cooled down to the 80s so i didn’t need it.” — dawn
“My Husband bought these for me because I have horrid hot flashes due to Menopause. They are the size I would say of a Kitchen towel. I get them wet, squeeze it out, fold, put in the plastic baggie each one comes with and then freeze them. When I need one, (especially at night) I just put the frozen folded towel on my face and then slowly start to unfold. That way, they stay frozen and colder longer. One of the BEST gifts my Husband has gotten me!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!” — Kathleena Sammy
“These clothes work pretty well for what they are. It’s not like a super-cool backpack AC unit. It’s more like a small swamp cooler. It’s basic physics. The evaporation of water cools. Water will evaporate more if the air is dryer and the air is moving. Also, the more surface area you have for evaporation, the more cooling you get. The cooling cloth is not going to work well in still air on the Gulf Coast of Florida at 100% humidity. But if you’re in the dry SouthWest and you have a breeze or create a breeze, you’ll get a decent cooling effect. I’ve used it out in my yard in Texas at 107 deg F with a few mph breeze in the evening or early morning hours and the cloth definitely helps (note breeziness often varies by time of day – usually more around sunrise or sunset, less around noon.” — Jim Lewis (This review has been edited for length. Read full review here.)