Have your arms ever felt like two strips of bacon in the broiler oven on a really long summer road ride? Even with sunscreen, I’m a little paranoid about too much exposure, so I thought I’d give DeSoto Arm Coolers a try. The claim is that the fabric’s wicking power is so great, they will keep your arms cooler than simple sweat evaporation directly off the skin can.
They just slip on like arm warmers and have the grippy band at the top of the sleeve to stay put. I tried out a size medium for fear that a small would be too short (I have moderately long arms) but I must need more weight work for my biceps because they tend to work their way down my arm eventually.
On a really hot day, I can’t say they were cooler than nothing at all but it was worth feeling a little warmer for the relief from direct rays reflecting through sweat! And less worry about skin cancer is a plus, too. I’ve used them all summer off and on and now that the days are cooler, they make excellent light-weight windbreakers for the ride in to work, when a jacket would have to be peeled off after about a mile of riding!
DeSoto arm coolers are available from Team Estrogen (www.teamestrogen.com) and cost $27.95
