Velotoze cooling vest review

Ice vests are nothing new in cycling, and it’s common to see pros using them as they warm up for time trials. But Velotoze has created a cooling vest for both outdoor warm-ups, as well as trainer rides.

Even with a sufficient fan set-up and plenty of fluids, it can get mighty hot during your Zwift workouts. The Velotoze cooling vest is a comfortable solution that can keep your core cool when the going gets hot. It’s made of light mesh and has a full-length zipper on the front. If you’re riding inside, there’s no reason to wear a jersey underneath. If you were warming up for a race, it would fit over your skinsuit or jersey.

On the vest itself, there are four pockets. In each pocket you insert one of the four cooling packs that come with it. There are three small packs and one larger–the top pocket is for the bigger one. They are similar to the ice packs you’d find at a pharmacy, and in fact, I even tried an existing one I had and it fit fine.

You don’t need to have the vest fully zipped when you ride, if you want, you can unzip fully and it will stay secure.

I must admit I was skeptical if I ever needed a cooling vest on the trainer. I definitely know that using a vest, or any sort of ice before a hot race outside is helpful. However, after the first tough Zwift race I did with it, I was hooked. The other thing I noticed was the duration in which it stayed cool. Even when the packs begin to “heat” up, you can still get some comfort after a full hour. And when you’re done, give them a rinse and just put them back in the freezer for the next day. Washing the vest was no problem, and even after several months of riding it is still in good condition and well-fitting.

An interesting side note for me is that over the winter I was having some upper neck and shoulder pain. Although most of it is thankfully gone after some physio, I noticed that it offered some relief on those spots when I was riding.

I haven’t used it outdoors yet, but I definitely will when warming up for a race. But as far as trainer workouts, I noticed the benefits of keeping your body cool and comfortable.

Velotoze cooling vest with cooling packs, $124