Omni Freeze

[briansII]

I bought one of the Columbia t-shirts on closeout(discontinued style). I've been known to fish all day in 100 degree+ weather, so I thought I'd give this Omni Freeze stuff a try. I've used the shirt a few times in HOT weather, and I can honestly say I never felt "hot" wearing this shirt. One time it was around 106, with a mild breeze. The other times it was slightly cooler, but still in the 100s. Each time I was wading a local river, so the actual air temps is cooler than 50 yards away from the water. Anyway, I was skeptical when I bought it, but now, not so much.

One day I was wading deep and the shirt got wet up to my chest. I wasn't paying much attention, but when I took a quick break, I noticed how cool my torso felt. The slight breeze, and wet fabric had a very noticeable cooling effect. I was still damp on the drive home, and had to turn the AC down because i was getting chilled. I have a lot of lightweight, synthetic, "wicking" shirts, and have never felt this much cooling. On really hot days I would pour water over my head and shirt to cool off, but none seemed to cool like this shirt. Could be my imagination, but I now grab this shirt when I hit the water in hot weather.

http://www.columbia.com/Men%27s-Coolest ... lt,pd.html

briansII

[NorcalBob]

Too bad the white color isn't available in fat boy sizes or I might have tried this! Thanks for posting the link and review, as I thought it was all marketing hype!

[briansII]

I bought an XL in white. Mine has a small zip pocket. Looks a little cheesy, but it's great for holding a cig lighter, or floatant bottle. The only drawback to white, it's a bit sheer. I be sporting the "wet t-shirt contest" look.

briansII

[NorcalBob]

<<<I be sporting the "wet t-shirt contest" look>>>
I have a very disturbing image of this etched into my mind now. Thanks!

[Dry Fly Rie]

I haven't tried the Omni-Freeze line yet, but I'm a big fan of Columbia's fishing/active clothing. I have a couple of the Omni-Shade and Omni-Shield long sleeves in various thicknesses depending on the conditions. They all are very comfortable and work great.

I picked up one of the Omni-Wick short sleeve shirts on clearance last summer at a Sport Chalet for $10. It's been phenomenal! I always wear long-sleeves when I fish for sun protection (regardless of the temperature), so I wear the Omni-Wick underneath and it works great to keep me dry and feeling good. I'm intrigued by the idea of the Omni-Freeze, as I tend to sweat a lot, so if the shirt really cools you off the more you sweat, that sounds like a good deal.

Not to hijack, but I've also been wearing the Under Armour Heat Gear short sleeves as under shirts while fishing this summer. They've been awesome, as well. Extremely light weight and breathable. I hit both the UA and the Columbia outlets by Palm Springs right at the beginning of summer and scored all kinds of great stuff for dirt cheap.

[WanderingBlues]

That Omni Freeze is for real. As soon as it wicks moisture to the outer levels and a breeze hits, you know it. We were down in LA with 95 degree heat and high humidity and I was fine, while the wife was suffering in cotton. Even invited her to see that the cooling effect gave me 'headlights..' She turned me down flat...

[NorcalBob]

<<<Even invited her to see that the cooling effect gave me 'headlights..>>>
GEEEEEEEEZZZZZ, yet another unwanted mental image seared into my rapidly wasting mind! TMI guys!!!!