Beating the heat!

[capetrees]

Other than drinking as much water as possible, what have you guys been doing to beat the heat as of late? This isn't regular heat, this is crazy hot. I drink a combination of Gatorade and water back and forth, it helps, but was wondering if there's something else or different to use. Climbing can be dangerous in that once up top working in the sun, access to drinks isn't readily available and can get bad by dehydrating (happened to me once).

and ideas?

 

[nitro1253]

Look up drip drop. You add it to water. Definitely helps more than gatorade will

 

[Mad Professor]

I make my own hydration mixture:

1 tsp lite salt (KCl)

2 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp table salt

1/2 the recommended amount of Tang drink mix to make a gallon mix

Dissolve the above in 1 gallon of water.

I make up a few gallons at night and put them in the fridge.

The baking soda (raises pH) and the sugar in the Tang, help your body absorb the electrolytes and water.

The Tang also has other ingredients: citric acid, ascorbic acid, and calcium and phosphorous........among other things

I used to just use sugar instead of the Tang, but then it just tastes like sweet salty water.

 

[PithFreak]

Pretty much what’s said, I drink lots of water with a bottle or 2 of Gatorade, really the issue with me is having sun contact, if I can manage working in the shade, I got the heat half beat. I rotate shirts, within 15 mins I’m pretty soaked, I’ll let it dry on a branch and use the next shirt for 2 hour or so then repeat. Sweat rag is needed too it gets to the point I’m pouring sweat into my eyes and it makes it hard to see

 

[capetrees]

That sound exactly like me yesterday!

How about Squincher? Anyone use it? I see where it's kinda the equivalent of Gatorade but more potassium, more for working guys as opposed to athletes.

 

[Mad Professor]

Pretty much what’s said, I drink lots of water with a bottle or 2 of Gatorade, really the issue with me is having sun contact, if I can manage working in the shade, I got the heat half beat. I rotate shirts, within 15 mins I’m pretty soaked, I’ll let it dry on a branch and use the next shirt for 2 hour or so then repeat. Sweat rag is needed too it gets to the point I’m pouring sweat into my eyes and it makes it hard to see

The sweat on the T-shirt help cool you off.

I'll spray down my T-shirt with water and dunk my head to get my hair wet.

 

[lone wolf]

The sweat on the T-shirt help cool you off.

I'll spray down my T-shirt with water and dunk my head to get my hair wet.

All day long as needed!

 

[SS396driver]

I use these add on tab per 16 oz of water

 

[PithFreak]

The sweat on the T-shirt help cool you off.

I'll spray down my T-shirt with water and dunk my head to get my hair wet.

Yes I know that’s the point of sweating, doesn’t change the fact I hate being drenched with clothes stuck to you

I do the dunking my head into cool water but dry myself off quickly after

 

[Mad Professor]

I just looked some of those powders/tablets prices, pretty expensive.

The mixture I make up with Tang costs about $7-8 to make 3 gallons.

I remember working on a farm as a teenager, baling hay in this kind of weather/heat. Worst part was stacking the bales inside the barn/hay mall.

 

[soloz2]

I've been trying to get out as early as I can in the morning, which is either 7 or 8am due to local noise ordinance for outdoor power tools. If I'm splitting I set up my canopy over my splitter the other day which kept me in the shade and really helped.
Push water and then I've been drinking an electrolyte water and/or a mix to replenish what the body needs. I'm also taking today off to get some rest.

I picked up some of these when I was at Costco. Price is reasonable and flavor is not bad. Definitely too sweet when mixed in a smaller cup so I use a liter cup. https://www.costco.com/liquid-i.v.-...ks-in-resealable-pouch.product.100301223.html

 

[Abbeville TSI]

Amen, brother! And wear a long sleeve shirt in the loft.

 

[ValleyForge]

I leave the a/c running in the kubota…lol

 

[MFV]

I put a shade on mine helps a lot. But not as much as an a/c cab. I also make homemade pickles and mix in drinking a little pickle juice on days I am drinking gallons of water.

 

[uniballer]

I use a Carhartt Beverage Holster when I work in the sun (e.g. greenhouse roof), but not sure if that would get caught on something climbing a tree...

Mine holds a 500ml water bottle, or 12 oz Gatorade.

 

[pdqdl]

I grew up not drinking any water all day, and working in the sun. So I was definitely hardened up against the heat. Unfortunately, I seem to have outgrown that strength.

I had a real nice spell of heat exhaustion about 10 years ago. I was climbing a tree, and began to feel weak, so I was hurrying on the removal. On the last cut, I made a bad cut, and ripped the power off the house. Then as I got to the ground, I found that I could no longer stand up without being extremely dizzy and weak. So I laid on my back, drank large quantities of water from the nearby garden hose, but to no avail. Every time I stood up, I was quickly settling back down on the ground.

No amount of water or rest would help. Not until I accepted a Coke from the homeowner did I feel any better. Since then, I have learned that all that nonsense about salt balance is mostly myth: during heat exhaustion you are suffering as much as anything from low blood sugar. ALL the remedies for heat management include sugar.
Since then, I've had quite a few occasions when I felt the heat coming on, I broke immediately for some form of sugar water, and my heat exhaustion symptoms began declining.

I have also found that drinking 8oz of water not less than every 15 minutes lets me blast right through the heat and keep working. I had a friend on manuevers in the desert, the Army made everyone drink not less than a quart per hour. Having tried it out, I agree that it works pretty well. My guys get tired of me pushing the water, but they don't wilt in the heat as badly, either.

 

[alanbaker]

Switchal old haying drink, basic recipe is one teaspoon honey and one teaspoon cider vinegar per quart, has many variations. What I have found works and tastes better is one tablespoon of fruit vinegar in a pint of water. I make the fruit vinegar with any berry, raspberry is the best. Two cups of fruit,crush the fruit add two cups cider vinegar, cover and let sit 7 to 10 days (keep the fruit flies out) strain liquid through cheese cloth ( like making jelly) for each cup of liquid add one cup sugar, heat to dissolve the sugar store in canning jar or resealable beer bottles. Also makes great salad dressing.

 

[Bikerbrian]

I grew up not drinking any water all day, and working in the sun. So I was definitely hardened up against the heat. Unfortunately, I seem to have outgrown that strength.

I had a real nice spell of heat exhaustion about 10 years ago. I was climbing a tree, and began to feel weak, so I was hurrying on the removal. On the last cut, I made a bad cut, and ripped the power off the house. Then as I got to the ground, I found that I could no longer stand up without being extremely dizzy and weak. So I laid on my back, drank large quantities of water from the nearby garden hose, but to no avail. Every time I stood up, I was quickly settling back down on the ground.

No amount of water or rest would help. Not until I accepted a Coke from the homeowner did I feel any better. Since then, I have learned that all that nonsense about salt balance is mostly myth: during heat exhaustion you are suffering as much as anything from low blood sugar. ALL the remedies for heat management include sugar.
Since then, I've had quite a few occasions when I felt the heat coming on, I broke immediately for some form of sugar water, and my heat exhaustion symptoms began declining.

I have also found that drinking 8oz of water not less than every 15 minutes lets me blast right through the heat and keep working. I had a friend on manuevers in the desert, the Army made everyone drink not less than a quart per hour. Having tried it out, I agree that it works pretty well. My guys get tired of me pushing the water, but they don't wilt in the heat as badly, either.

Once you get heat stroke it seems real easy to get it again from what I have been told ..

 

[Del_]

Lots of good advice has been posted.

There is a limit to how much working in the heat people can take. That limit varies but there is a limit for everyone. I've worked in the heat for decades and when it comes to day after day of beating down heat and humility sometimes you just have to limit work length times and sometimes take whole days off at a time. As mentioned earlier, once you get heat exhaustion, you get heat exhaustion much easier from then on.

I take days off and treat them like I would if they were days with 2 ft. of snow.

Live to fight another day.

Don't fight it until passing out in the tree, or on the ground.

In the tree you just may hang there and die before anyone can get you down.

Or you may pass out and slip out of your saddle. When inverted most saddles are quite easy to slide out of.

You gotta stay conscious or you may become a dead man.

.

 

[pdqdl]

Just for a medical perspective: heat stroke is severely dangerous, and has completely different symptoms than heat exhaustion. One is a medical emergency, and the other can become one quick enough.

Look 'em up and study for yourselves. I haven't found a good comparison article yet that isn't very accurate except for technical medical articles.