Not every piece of technology require power. Take the Elegear Cooling Blanket for example.
This summer in our wide brown land was one of the hotter ones in recent times. There was some real proper hot spells and warm nights that made falling asleep difficult.
For the record, I am one of those despised people that can pretty much fall asleep any time, any place, as long as I have decided that I need to rest. Seems these genes weren’t passed along though.
The Elegear Cooling Blanket comes in a few sizes. The one I have for review is a 150 x 200cm one, good enough for an adult. They do come in a smaller or two larger sizes.
First Impressions
For a blanket size of 150 x 200cm, the box it came in was just 12 x 12 x 15cm.
The material is thin and feels satiny. According to the marketing, the material is 100% arc-chill cooling nylon incorporating jade nano-particles. I had to do some reading about this so you don’t have to. So separating the marketing word salad, we have arc-chill cooling nylon and jade nanoparticles.
The fabric technology is arc-chill, which in this case has a Q-max value > 0.5 W/cm². Q-Max is a Contact Instant Cooling Rate, a scientific measurement used to quantify how “cool” a fabric feels to the touch. It represents the amount of heat transferred from the skin to the fabric in the first moment of contact.
A higher Q-Max value means the fabric feels cooler because it pulls heat away from your skin more effectively. At 0.5 W/cm², to human touch it has an instant cooling effect.
Jade stone has high thermal conductivity. It seems to always be cool to touch, no matter what the ambient temperature is. Historically it is used in cool applications precisely due to it’s thermal conductivity. If you are thinking of the green jade stones that is highly valued in the Chinese culture, yeah that’s not jade. That’s actually jadeite which is a different mineral but with similar properties.
The idea of incorporating jade nanoparticles into fabric helps the material with:
heat dissipation – actively drawing heat away from the skin
moisture wicking – nylon base to enhance breathability of the material and quickly evaporate sweat
In Use
Enough of the science lessons, does it make any difference in reality?
My partner Anita is a hot chick (obviously). With age and changing hormones, she feels hot even when it is not that hot at ambient temperature. When she sleeps, we have the fan on her but she still gets quite interrupted sleep especially waking up drenched in sweat.
I was interstate when the review unit arrived, an occasion that Anita was greatly anticipating (the blanket, and probably getting me out of her hair too but we don’t talk about that here). There was no way she was going to wait until I get back to try it out. The good news is, she reported that she does feel a lot cooler as soon as she puts the cooling blanket over her.
In fact with over ten consecutive days of using the cooling blanket, she has not once woken up in sweat as she has previously. Elegear claims a reduction of 2 to 5C in temperature with the cooling blanket on. Whilst I did not take actual measurements, the anecdotal feedback by Anita indicates that it is working sufficiently well for her.
The hot chicks gene runs from mother to daughter. There has been nights where I see my daughter drenched in sweat as she sleeps. Some nights it is so bad I have to change her pillow.
Just a few nights ago it was still in the mid-20s at her bedtime and she was really struggling to fall asleep. We popped the Elegear cooling blanket on her and she every quickly drifted off to sleep with it tucked right up under her chin. That was the last we heard from her complaining about being too warm that night.
Even just earlier when Anita felt she was too warm and uncomfortable, she literally just sat on the bed with the cooling blanket draped over her head like an early Halloween costume.
One last note, the blanket is double sided so you don’t need to fumble around to find which side is the cooling one.
Fabric care
There is some extra care required for the arc-chill cooling nylon.
Starting with the list of don’ts, because it is longer:
- do no iron
- do not tumble dry
- do not use bleach
- do not dry clean
You should use a gentle wash cycle no hotter than 30C, and hang in the shade to dry. It is also recommended to use a laundry bag for this.
The good part is, the material is so light it will dry in no time and ready to be used again.
Gripes
Only one. The cooling blanket is super light, so much so it does not feel like there is anything only you.
This is of course, a very personal preference as some people find it comforting to feel the weight of a blanket on them as they sleep. After all, there is a market for weighted blankets.
Conclusions
Elegear suggests their cooling blanket is the perfect gift for a hot sleeper, a pregnant mom, or someone going through menopause.
Our experience is that it does make a difference. When your sleep is on the line, every positive change would be welcomed. Unless it’s for our daughter, Anita is not letting this one go.
The Elegear Cooling Blanket as reviewed has a RRP of $64.99. There is a Prime Savings of $5 off which will bring it down a little more. The largest size has a RRP of A$145.99. It is also available directly from Elegear.
We are at into autumn here in the southern hemisphere, but autumn in Melbourne still brings in bursts of hot days and evenings. Being light weight and very portable, you can pretty much keep it on you. I can imagine Anita wanting to wear it like a t-shirt.
DRN would like to thank Elegear for providing the review sample. This one made Anita a happy girl.
