The Lotus Cars Community banner
  • Hi there! Why not register as a user to enjoy all of the benefits of the site? You may register here. When you register, please pick a username that is non-commercial. If you use a name that appears on any search engine commercially, you must pick another name, whether it applies to you or not. Commercial usernames are for supporting vendor use only. If you want to become a supporting vendor and grow your business, please follow this link. Thanks!

CoolShirt 6qt Bag Cooler

6K views 22 replies 5 participants last post by  rosscarlson 
#1 ·
All,

I figured I'd share a quick review of my new CoolShirt 6qt bag based cooler system. To those of you that aren't familiar with these it's essentially a reservoir for ice water that then pumps it through tubing on a very tight shirt you wear under your shirt of suit. My shirt includes a hood that pumps that cold water around your head as well and for me that's the best part of the setup. Even though I'm from the south I don't do well in the heat and I'll start sweating just thinking about it being hot out so I've been wanting a solution like this for a long while.

I've had the larger 12qt hardshell cooler for a number of years that I've primarily used with endurance race cars where space isn't an issue. While it will fit in the passenger footwell of my Exige rather well that prevents me from taking a passenger. As I instruct quite often and really enjoy giving folks rides I've wanted a solution that would fit in the car while I have a passenger. I know some have installed coolers in the trunk and run the tubing into the car but I both didn't like the idea of having to cut through the firewall (@GunPilot solution by running it where his rear windows was as it's now replaced by a panel looks great for this) and I also worried about keeping the hoses clear of things and the heat that's generated back there anyway.

That lead me to the small 6qt bag solution that's designed for Formula cars, karts, etc. It's essentially an insulated bag with a huge zip lock bag inside with a small pump and connection points for the tubing. I'm very happy to say that if I slide the driver's seat all the way forward I can just cram the bag behind my seat running the tubes behind the seat over to the left side of the seat (as that's where the tubes come out of my shirt). For the original system I had installed a small thermostat/knob already so I just wired to that (just need 12V) and bingo bango everything is ready to go.

I had an opportunity to use it this past Sunday as it was mid-90s in Denver (VERY hot for us) and I was involved with a charity event where we'd give rides to people for a $200 donation to the charity. Usually I just do TT or lapping days so the longest session I get to run is about 25 minutes where this one was 90. We wound up running about 70 minutes or so and I'm happy to report there was still ice in the bag when I finished and it absolutely saved the day. There would have been no way I could have handled doing that long a stint in my car without the cooler.

At just under $500 for the hooded shirt, bag cooler and thermostat/control knob it's not cheap but if you, like me, struggle with heat exhaustion I can't recommend it enough. Simple and effective it makes my time in the car that much more comfortable and therefore fun!

I'd post pictures but there's really not much for me to post as you can't really see it well when it's crammed back there and I'm sure you can all picture what that would look like.

-Ross
 
See less See more
#4 ·
Sorry I didn't think to include links, here you go:

6qt CoolShirt Bag Cooler

Hooded CoolShirt Shirt

Temperature Control
(I have a slightly different unit but this is essentially the same)

As for hanging it behind the seats for a more permanent install that wouldn't work as you need to pour out the water once the ice melts and refill. As it's not that hard to cram it back there it's not a big deal to just do that. As my car is still in the trailer I'll snap some pictures and update my original post once I've unloaded it. It may be tough to show though as it's really rather simple, just slide the driver's seat all the way forward and jam it back there. Oh, I should point out that I've done a full interior delete so I don't have the speaker/light panel back there anymore and I'd have to guess that it most likely wouldn't fit if you did as it's fairly tight without it. I'm also using Tillet B5 carbon fiber seats which may also factor in given how thin they are. I then just tapped 12V from where the stereo head unit was.

-Ross
 
#7 ·
I have to admit for something so expensive I was rather surprised and somewhat disappointed to see that it was a standard zip lock baggie top and not even one of the nicer zipper style bags. With moderate use I could see that becoming an issue.

Just out of curiosity did you replace the inner bag or come up with another better solution?

-Ross
 
#8 ·
Wow. This thing arrived today with ground shipping -eek- Very compact and nice. I can run it with the battery which means I can take it to other cars, or plug it into power. I ordered the SFI 3.3 Rated 2Cool FR (SFI 3.3 Certified)

 
#9 ·
Where do you plan to mount yours? Please post back here once you've used it as I'm curious of your thoughts on it.
 
#10 ·
I did a bit of conversion work 2011 Lotus Exige S260 Final Edition - CoolShirt System Conversion so it can be used both with the battery or through the lighter plug.

My bag is a bit larger so for now I will be mounting it on the passenger seat with the harness around it. It also has a strap that will go around the back of the seat to hold it in place.

I am going to test the system when I go to Road America and COTA this month. I am thinking if it works well I may make a custom box and place it in the trunk out of the way.

Now I have to mend my suit :facepalm. Need to make an exit path for the hose. This became a project :D
 
#11 ·
Now I have to mend my suit :facepalm. Need to make an exit path for the hose. This became a project :D
Does the front of your suit not have a double zipper? If so the idea is that once you zip it up you and unzip the bottom near your waste to put the hoses through there. I've only owned a couple suits but all mine have had that feature.
 
#12 ·
Just checked out your page with the pictures of you modification, great job man. Question about the bottles, is the idea you fill those with water, freeze them, put them in the bag and pour water around them? Interesting idea - BTW one little tip (that's probably obvious) I cut a Gatorade/water bottle and use it to get the melted ice water out of my cooler. Cuts down on the water sloshing around in the cooler and puts the coldest water possible in the bag.

And damn, now I want that black shirt you have - those things must be made of unobtainium given how incredibly expensive they are. Does yours have a hood? I got the hooded one and have to admit that's my favorite feature as it keeps my head cool and I don't have to wear a balaclava.

-Ross
 
#16 ·
Well done my friend, well done. And huge kudos for all the documentation you've done as you've modified the car.

When do you get to try it out?
 
#18 ·
I mounted the big cooler in the boot. Wired it to the battery. Ran the hose down the left side of the engine compartment, double foam insulated and foil taped the line. Since I have a rear Kevlar panel and not a window I entered there, down the back of the seat over to the left side. Used some sticky Velcro to secure the hose. Have a switch on the hose by the connectors. No controller as hot as it gets here I want it wide open!













 
#20 ·
I mounted the big cooler in the boot. Wired it to the battery. Ran the hose down the left side of the engine compartment, double foam insulated and foil taped the line. Since I have a rear Kevlar panel and not a window I entered there, down the back of the seat over to the left side. Used some sticky Velcro to secure the hose. Have a switch on the hose by the connectors. No controller as hot as it gets here I want it wide open!
:facepalm Thank you for creating another project for me when I have absolutely no time for it.... :D

But seriously,

  • The Momo shirt looks nice. Do you think it works better than the CoolShirt tubing system?
  • That is a nice setup and these pictures are going to be very helpful when I get around to do it. Do you have an accusump?
 
#22 ·
Update

Tested the Coolshirt system at COTA @ about 98 degrees. Filled the bag with ice and did not use the bottles. I added a bit of water and the battery pack is really cool. I was able to walk around the track and stay cool. Once inside the car, I connected the bag to the cigarette lighter and it worked great as well. The ice melted completely after 50 minutes of use, so this is a great system for 30 minute track sessions. I was most impressed with the fact that I was able to walk around with the battery in hand :grin2:
 

Attachments

#23 ·
For me it makes a huge difference as you've never seen someone that sweats as much as I do. I've always been a heavy sweater and thanks to some medication I started taking earlier this year I just pour with sweat. I pretty much always have to change my t-shirt and boxers after each run as they'll be completely saturated with sweat. When I wear the CoolShirt I don't stay bone dry but I at least sweat like a normal human. I think I'll order the battery pack soon as that way I could use it in student cars when instructing and not just driving.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top