Beating the heat at Comps

[Dan - 3eyzbbq]

For everybody that doesn't have an RV, any creative ways to cool down?

Can an A/C unit cool an EZ-UP at all?

Misters just don't work in 70+ dewpoints out east

 

[deguerre]

Sharper Image used to carry an item that you wore around your neck which would blow air to your head (and torso I think) with air about 30 degrees below ambient. Ran off of batteries and you just filled it with water. I don't know if it exists anymore but maybe a google search could find it.

 

[Scottie]

My neighbors had a misting system at the DC contest. I was actually amazed by how much it cooled the air. OK, I also was caught sitting in their area, but I wasn't shigging... :hand:

I know teams that have used AC units in a EZ-Up. It cools, just doesn't get very cool.

 

[The Pickled Pig]

Smoke On Wheels set up a misting tent with fans in Great Bend last year. It was 20 degrees cooler under that tent.

 

[Alexa RnQ]

Misters have their limitations -- if there's anything I hate worse than being hot, it's being hot and damp. And it's one more piece of gear to carry, set up and tear down week after week.

So far we've been relying on primitive means like gel neck wraps, and I'll spend free moments with my feet in a disposable half-pan of ice and water, but I will be watching the thread to see what other people are using!

 

[This Is How We Que It]

Nothing creative, just lots of water, zip-locks filled ice, keeping alchohol to a minimum (sometimes hard to do) shade, box fans, and packing up non-essentials early in the morning vs after last turn-in when its a lot hotter.

 

[Smoke & Beers]

My teammate brought along one of these to Hays last weekend...it was a life saver! Saturday afternoon when we were loading up my Red Thermapen said it was 110° in the shade

 

[ZILLA]

Look for a used swamp cooler. Build a Cooler based AC, there was a thread about this last week. Get off the asphalt and on the grass get some shade and fans.

I think I just cooked my last cookoff until September for the heat.

 

[Willie's BBQ]

we use one of these

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

 

[Stoke&Smoke]

Got pretty toasty at Lowell a couple of weeks ago, we went low-tech. cold water on your head, a cool, wet towell around my neck, and we always keep powdered Gatorade on hand. Cheaper than the prebottled stuff, and works/tastes the same!

 

[Rick Hamilton]

Dan, I just got a portable AC unit for the back of the trailer. It didn't make it cool back there but to point it at me during turn-ins was a huge help. Just the cold air felt good even if the room wasn't cool.

Joe and Voncile have some cooling thing also they bring with them. Feels real good to sit in front of. Maybe reach out to them to see what it is.

 

[heinz57]

We cooked a contest last summer and it was 104. We were on the asphalt which felt a whole lot worse! But amazingly enough, once they started passing out the trophies and the checks, the temp started to drop and it became a whole lot more comfortable. So the moral of the story is; as long as your winning, the high heat is a lot more barable. Unfourtunatly for me, it's been a hot summer this year. If you know what I mean.

 

[NelsonC]

I feel your pain, Dan. I have A/C in my trailer, but can't use it from Friday evening through turnin's on Saturday. It gets pretty toasty in the trailer during that time. In DC I came up with a way that didn't make me actually cooler, but helped me deal with the heat a lot better. I started wearing one of those under-armor-type moisture wicking shirts underneath my normal team t-shirt. It seemed no matter how much I sweat, I still never felt like I was drenched which went a long way in making me feel more comfortable in the heat.

 

[vexter1]

We have A/C in the toy hauler - a 13,500 BTU unit - but in this heat/humidity - it was struggling. We do have a misting system we use when the weather/area (not dirt) allows for it - that combined with a large fan makes it a bit more bearable outdoors.

Mist system - http://www.pro-products.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=62

Great customer service and the unit worked very well the few times we've used it.

 

[Goddahavit]

Dan looks like 97 this weekend, going to be a hot one in MD.....

 

[vexter1]

Sharper Image used to carry an item that you wore around your neck which would blow air to your head (and torso I think) with air about 30 degrees below ambient. Ran off of batteries and you just filled it with water. I don't know if it exists anymore but maybe a google search could find it.

Here it is I think - http://www.sharperimage.com/Toys+Le...m_medium=CSE&PROMO=CSE2010&CAWELAID=513992670

 

[Jorge]

Smoke On Wheels set up a misting tent with fans in Great Bend last year. It was 20 degrees cooler under that tent.

I was with Andy and Kim, and they had it covered. As I recall it was a little on the humid side as well, besides just being hot.

We hooked the mister up to the hose and ran it around the perimeter of the canopy as far as it would go, and also had a fan blowing into the area with one or two nozzles zip-tied to it. It had a steady stream of visitors, in the 100+ heat both days. I think Chris and Jana Early provided the wading pool in the center. More than once I thought about buying a bag of ice for it, and taking a nap.

On pavement the runoff may have been a problem but it was on grass.

That was the EZ-Up that could.:laugh: It didn't survive the storm the first night, but it toughed it out with a little help from some duct tape:laugh::becky:

 

[Jorge]

Misters have their limitations -- if there's anything I hate worse than being hot, it's being hot and damp. And it's one more piece of gear to carry, set up and tear down week after week.

If it's that hot, I'm going to be damp from sweating anyway. A few minutes of relief is worth it to me:becky:

 

[BBQchef33]

Bruce cains team uses a protable Air conditioner in a 10x20 tent. The wall off one half of the tent for a seating area and it does make it cooler and more comfortable.. Not gonna give anyone the cold weather look, but its still cooler inside the tent.

We had the AC running this weekend in troy. It made me regret not getting the trailer insulated when i bought it. It was much cooler and more comfortable inside the trailer, even though the temps were in the high 70s inside but the AC was really running hard to cool things down.

 

[Alexa RnQ]

If it's that hot, I'm going to be damp from sweating anyway. A few minutes of relief is worth it to me:becky:

You don't have hairtyle issues. :tongue: