EMILIO'S FIRST LAW OF TRIATHLON:

NEVER USE ANYTHING IN A RACE, THAT YOU HAVE NOT TESTED FIRST IN TRAINING.

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Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com

Of course. I always train in what I wear to make sure it feels good and doesn't do anything weird. How hard are they to get on? Your stuff is great!

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Twitter - Instagram

If you can, store them in ice water in T1/T2 and throw them on when you get there, it makes them easier to put on and they're already cold which is awesome!

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-Andrew Saar
It is better to do the right thing and be paid poorly,
than to do the wrong thing and be rewarded richly.

Thanks for your kind words. As for putting them on, the more you practice the easier it is. If your hands are wet, slip the Coolwings on using plastic bags on each hand.

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Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com

Well than you all suck!! j/k :)

Ill reap those benefits in March for IM Oceanside.

I have worn my long sleeved skincooler top under my sleeveless speedvest, and it worked great. Just have to apply a liberal amount of body glide in all the usual spots. Sorry Emilio, I broke your rule and tried this for the first time on race day.

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"The runner-up John Dunbar, a US Navy Seal, led after the second transition and had a chance to win but ran out of water on the marathon course; his support crew resorted to giving him beer instead." -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironman_Triathlon

Wait a minute! Obviously, you did not see my post from a couple weeks ago.

High Cliff Triathon (HIM distance) on Saturday, June 18.
Monday - New bike.
Monday - New bike fit.
Tue - New aero hydration unit.
Wed - Ride new bike with new fit for first time.
Sat - RACE!

PR on the bike! Isn't that how you do it? ;-)

On a serious note - I have been using the arm coolers for the last 2 years and like them a lot. I like the idea of the wings for a little more coverage and to go over the shoulders. Hopefully, they arrive on Wed and I can play with them for a few days before the race (it is a HIM). However, I am training right through this race in prep for IMC, so, the race may actually be pretty good testing grounds. ;-)

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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

Well done. Good luck in the upcoming race.

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Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com

I put the long sleeve skin cooler top on during T1 on Muncie after using speedsuit for swim. The top was awesome! Going to go with this approach again in Louisville.

If you don't mind my asking, which model speedsuit did you use?

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

The new one from Blue Seventy.

I think you could just borrow one from your wife to try it out- http://compare.ebay.com/...emTypes&var=sbar

Couldn't help myself emilio.


jeff

How much of a P.I.T.A. was it trying to get that skin cooler top on in T1? I have one as well and love it, but even when I'm bone dry it's a hassle to put on. I'd like to wear it for Louisville as well, but I'd also like to avoid a 20 minute T1 wrestling with that shirt.

I raced this past weekend in coolwings and wore them
under my T1 wetsuit. No problem getting the wetsuit on; was actually easier than usual as the rubber glided nicely over the fabric.
Didn't feel the coolwings at all during the swim, and the wetsuit came off normally.

I raced this weekend as well and wore the shirt under my sleeveless wetsuit and had no problem at all. I'm a MOP swimmer, but noticed no additional drag...in fact, I PR'd for the swim leg so it couldn't have hurt me much, if at all. Glad I wore it as it was 95 on race day and I think that shirt saved my run.

Just bought the Cool Wings and used them for the first time today during bike and run. My only complaint is the coverage. I wore them UNDER my Kiwami one piece suit and found it bunched up a little bit during a 20 mile ride and there were gaps in coverage on my back area and on my chest. Do you prefer to use it over or under your trisuits?

How do these garments work in humidity? I'm racing IM Los Cabos and I'm expecting heat, but I'm also guessing the humidity will be high (at least on the bike). Any thoughts, experience?

I've not used the wings but I've used the long sleeved skin cooler shirts a ton and I've also used the skin cooler sleeves just for tri run legs. While perspiration just can't possibly evaporate as well in humidity as in dry conditions, I find the skin cooler stuff to be more comfortable in humid conditions than anything else I've tried (I'm in Philadelphia so plenty of experience with hot, humid conditions in summer here). It's very form fitting and thin, so doesn't chafe yet it still seems to reflect away a lot of radiant heat from the sun. In short, you'll still probably be hot and miserable at Los Cabos but less so than with other garments. Good luck!

I'm older and slower and find the arm sleeves work well on the bike and I do a quick wetting with aid station water. They often but not always (no wind or super high humidity makes it work less well for cooling purposes) work on the run portion. I have no problem sliding the arm sleeves under the wetsuit.

Hey thanks for buying the Cool Wings. Sorry to hear the Kiwami trisuit did not work well with the Cool Wings, but with all respect to them, we create our Cool Wings to work best with De Soto Trisuits and for the most part they do well with all other brands. My suggestion is to wear them over instead of under. Also give some thought as to how carefully you are donning them. Take your time in putting them on and make sure they are not on upside down.

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Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com

I wore mine over my trisuit for my first ironman distance race. That was a bad decision when I had to stop and take a dump mid race. Now I always wear them under and, of course, I've never since needed them to be under my suit like I did that one time they weren't under.

This is what I was wondering too. Doing IM Chatt and last year it was blazing hot and humid so not sure how helpful they would be in hot/humid conditions. Afraid they might be worse than sleeveless.

I'm considering getting the De Soto arm coolers for Eagleman, and that is usually a very humid race as well. Not sure if it would help or not.

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Blog: http://262toboylstonstreet.blogspot.com/
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I have hundreds of hours experience using skin cooler products in very humid conditions since I live in Houston.

They're universally terrible at keeping cool when it's hot and humid. The whole point of products like that comes down to evaporative cooling, which doesn't really happen much in high humidity enviros.

I feel warmer with them on because the sweat/water just gets trapped between your skin and the skin cooler.

The products work as advertised in low humidity situations. When I did IMC-Whistler I was like, "Wow, this is what this is supposed to feel like?"

I wear stuff like that for sun protection only.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One