Your best “beat the heat” products

[greeneyedchick]

I used a cooling towel (cheap from Amazon) in August. I think it helped a lot. We got stuck on Hagrids in the sun for 10 minutes. I put the towel over my head to stay out of the sun. It helped. The cooling effect lasted for 2 - 3 hours after wetting.

Do you know what brand/ kind of cooling towel you have? I'm trying to decide between PVA and microfiber

 

[Becky Mouse]

Do you know what brand/ kind of cooling towel you have? I'm trying to decide between PVA and microfiber

I use Frogg Toggs and also have their cooling hats. I'm not sure if they still sell their cooling hats, but other companies make them, too.

 

[barb969]

Do you know what brand/ kind of cooling towel you have? I'm trying to decide between PVA and microfiber

Search Amazon for stickit cooling towels. The one I got have YQXCC on the package. They are microfiber.

 

[greeneyedchick]

I use Frogg Toggs and also have their cooling hats. I'm not sure if they still sell their cooling hats, but other companies make them, too.

I bought some Frogg Toggs cooling towels, but like other reviews, the dye runs. Do you have any tips for getting that to stop?

 

[Becky Mouse]

I bought some Frogg Toggs cooling towels, but like other reviews, the dye runs. Do you have any tips for getting that to stop?

I never had that issue. Weird! We have blue ones and pink ones.

 

[elvispursley]

I never had that issue. Weird! We have blue ones and pink ones.

I have the pink and I never had any problems either. Maybe there was a bad lot?

 

[gottalovepluto]

I bought some Frogg Toggs cooling towels, but like other reviews, the dye runs. Do you have any tips for getting that to stop?

Forget that nonsense! Dump it and buy Afamo cooling towels from Amazon. Those are what I’ve used for a couple trips now. Never had one run, you can throw them in the washing machine when you get home and just hang it to dry.

( @greeneyedchick this is the brand we use so it gets my vote)

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

Eat fruit in the morning for breakfast. It adds hydration to your system. Grapes, watermelon, citrus fruits are especially good at adding some water to your diet and keeping you from dehydrating.

 

[AustinTink]

OP here. Glad someone bumped this thread because it looks like we are going back and it’s going to be HOT.

 

[AustinTink]

Eat fruit in the morning for breakfast. It adds hydration to your system. Grapes, watermelon, citrus fruits are especially good at adding some water to your diet and keeping you from dehydrating.

This is absolutely true. We ate grapes and oranges as we walked to the bus/boat in the mornings. It’s very refreshing and the hydration stays with you.

 

[mitsukoshi samurai]

Jinbei?

 

[gr8leg8]

These are the neck fans we have, and they worked amazingly well for us, both at Disney and at home. I am laid up on the 2nd floor of a house without a/c and it's been a lifesaver, and DH wears his when he mows the lawn or works in the garden.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DYRQ4L9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

We do NOT like the cooling towels. No matter how well we rinse them at night, they don't seem to dry in the Florida humidity and end up being wicked stinky after 2 days. Instead I freeze washcloths. I fold washcloths in quarters, soak them, put them in ziplock sandwich bags, and freeze overnight. These go in an insulated lunch bag (it's really thin, just folds over at the top, no hard structure to it) in my backpack. They stay frozen and then cold for quite a while and make a great wipe down in the hot afternoon sun. For some reason, the washcloths don't hold the stink like the cooling towels do.

I used to lug frozen water bottles around but now we get cups of ice water from the QS stands. We bring the little bottles of flavor/sweetener drops to add to the water cups. For some reason drinking plain water makes me bloated in no time, but if there is some sort of flavor in it, I can drink a lot more.

Feet: In the morning, I spray my feet with antiperspirant and let it dry before putting on my socks. Keeps my feet from sweating as much and wearing socks keeps the blisters at bay. I can only wear crocs and once damp feet start chafing in the crocs, large bloody blisters are guaranteed. Keeping my feet as dry as possible and wearing socks (with a back-up pair in a backpack) keeps my feet blister-free.

Avoid chub-rub (chafing of the thighs... or other tender areas) at all costs. I've been known to rub susceptible areas with antiperspirant stick and then liberally dust with powder to help with this.

Ponchos: I bought ultralightweight waterproof ponchos at Walmart. They aren't plastic; they are made from a thin fabric that is significantly cooler and far less sweaty than regular ponchos. I think they were $6. I think this is the one we have: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Frogg-Toggs-Adult-Emergency-Poncho/35736507?from=/search

Obviously, we strategically schedule watching shows or having snacks/meals to take advantage of the air conditioning, but I need to bring a thin sweater or gauze shirt with me. Sometimes when I am really hot and go into the a/c, I chill down far too fast and it's almost as uncomfortable/nauseating as being too hot. The thin gauze shirt seems to keep this from happening. Once I am acclimated, I can take off the shirt- or not, if I'm just "too cool!"

same here. I list this as "tissue" weight in my packing list.

 

[Jsharp13]

This thread came up in a handy search as the week I've decided to attend appears to be complete with a volcanic eruption coupled with a nuclear event - it's gonna be hot. I picked up some good ideas here so we'll see how they work.
I've never been a fan of cooling towels but I did get some new ones for this trip so I think they can't hurt to bring.
I have stainless water bottles that I'll fill to the brim with ice, and top off with water bottles I bring into the park, as well as gatorade, and I have some Propel drink packets also.
Each day I am planning a mid day break to swim and nap in the AC.
I used neck fans on a prior "really hot" trip and I liked using them actually. I know not everyone does. They look ridiculous. I did not care. I got this kind linked below. It is different than the solid band kind, and seemed lighter to me.
This trip I also bought one misting fan, so we'll see how that helps.
Last hot trip, I had no idea how to prepare and wore shorts and t shirts. COTTON t shirts and COTTON CANVAS shorts. Wow, was I a newbie. This trip, I have dri fit shirts and wicking skorts. Even got a pair of bike shorts. Planning an outfit change after the mid day break.

The interesting tip I've read here over and over is the UV umbrella. Heck at this point, might as well add that to my Amazon cart. It's worth a try! Folks here seem to really like it.

https://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable...8-4-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

 

[Princesca]

Hydration is key, but those neck towels that you get wet and whip around and they're magically cold were a godsend. We had fans, but honestly they didn't give us much benefit. Those towels though... we kept a plastic cup in the stroller, filled it at fountains, got them wet, and they were good to go for quite awhile. When they'd lose their cool, you just swing them around and they magically recharge. What a world we live in

 

[Jsharp13]

Hydration is key, but those neck towels that you get wet and whip around and they're magically cold were a godsend. We had fans, but honestly they didn't give us much benefit. Those towels though... we kept a plastic cup in the stroller, filled it at fountains, got them wet, and they were good to go for quite awhile. When they'd lose their cool, you just swing them around and they magically recharge. What a world we live in

Ok, I may be dense here... it's ok!

I've used these towels before... got then wet, squeezed dry, hung around my neck. They were only OK.
Do you really need to do this whipping action? Snap them? How does this even work?

 

[Princesca]

Ok, I may be dense here... it's ok!

I've used these towels before... got then wet, squeezed dry, hung around my neck. They were only OK.
Do you really need to do this whipping action? Snap them? How does this even work?

In my experience, yes, they don't work as well if you don't whip them around. Wet them, wring them out, step out of the line of traffic so you don't hit anyone, and whip it around a few times. Ours got legit cold when we did that.

 

[Jsharp13]

In my experience, yes, they don't work as well if you don't whip them around. Wet them, wring them out, step out of the line of traffic so you don't hit anyone, and whip it around a few times. Ours got legit cold when we did that.

thank you! I'll happily look like a fool to avoid stroking out from heat!

 

[godfather927]

I can't tolerate heat well so I was okay with spending some money to provide relief and comfort on those scorching hot days, which meant ponying up for G+/ILL, stacking rides for later in the evening when applicable, and also packing the following with us in my wife's sling bag:

PVA chilly towels (chill-its brand from Lowe's)
Urea Instant Cold Packs (Champ Sports brand from Kohl's)
Neck Fan (one of the bladeless models on amazon, cant recall the brand name)

The cold packs were sort of a last-resort, "break in case of emergency" type of use because they only provided 10-15 min of relief at most. But they worked so well to cool us down (stick them under your armpits for maximal effect) that I'd never go on a 90+ degree day without them.

The chilly towels leverage evaporative cooling so you need some air movement for them to provide relief, which when paired with a neck fan, worked somewhat well to cool us down. It was a lot of weight for two fans so we had to share them as needed.

And obviously stay hydrated as much as possible.

 

[godfather927]

I forgot to mention that the only drawback to the cold packs is the "waste" of a disposable item like that being thrown out after each use. If it weren't for that, I'd imagine Disney would make a hilarious amount of money from selling them in their gift shops on hot summer days.

 

[Jsharp13]

I forgot to mention that the only drawback to the cold packs is the "waste" of a disposable item like that being thrown out after each use. If it weren't for that, I'd imagine Disney would make a hilarious amount of money from selling them in their gift shops on hot summer days.

I agree with that waste, and unsure if they will help us or not, but what the heck... my last minute "few things for the trip off Amazon" has ballooned into $$$$, so I added a few of those too.

In my mind, if we are feeling horrible, and end up going back to sleep in a plain double queen hotel room for hours, I have wasted all of my Disney park ticket and G+ money. So, I might as well spend a bit more to stay comfortable and ensure that we can continue on our park day as long as possible.