Besides the stuff suggested above, I think you should give some thought to preparing for the extreme heat you're likely to experience on your trip. I went on a similar journey last year at exactly the same time of year. It is HOTTER than you can possibly imagine... take a blow dryer and point it at your face and imagine experiencing that for hours on end. Aggressive hydration will be paramount. I knew I would need to drink a lot of fluids, and thought that I was going to need to stop and use the restroom every 5 minutes. I ended up sweating so much that I didn't need a restroom on the road once. Probably TMI, but illustrates my point. You'll be sweating more than you realize because the sweat will be drying so fast in the wind. DRINK... DRINK... DRINK!
My favorite accessories on my trip:
Camelbak water bladder. Buy the largest one you can find. Fill it with ice and water as often as necessary... and enjoy.
Aerostich Evapodana. This thing made ALL the difference in the world. It has two layers w/ holes at the top so you can get it wet and then fill it with ice.... then it continues to cool you and stay wet as the ice melts.
Visene. The dry, hot wind will dry your eyes out really fast... even with a full face helmet. Same for your lips... so bring some chap-stik too.
Some more info on hot weather riding:
Sweating
The body has sweat glands to keep the skin damp. The evaporating sweat sucks heat from the skin, and transfers it to the air. Of course sweat is primarily water, so it’s critical to keep replenishing the supply. That's one reason why we need to drink about a pint of water every hour during hot, dry conditions. One problem for motorcyclists is that at highway speed, the sweat glands may not keep up with the evaporation. Or, if the sweating uses up too much water, your body temperature regulating system goes on the fritz, like a dry battery.
Symptoms of trouble
The human body won't take much of an increase in core temperature without complaining. The symptoms of overheating are leg cramps, tired muscles, headaches, dizziness, and even fainting. The various symptoms are trying to tell you how overcooked you're getting.
Heat Cramps
Muscle cramps caused by heat usually affects the legs and lower abdomen first, then the arms. Heat cramps are a symptom that the body's electrolytes are running low. It’s not smart to ignore muscle cramps. Find some shade and take a break. Sip water or an "exercise" drink. Exert firm pressure or massage the cramped muscles to relieve the spasms. If you’re still in pain, the recommended first aid dose is 1/2 teaspoon of table salt per half glass of water every 15 minutes.
Heat Exhaustion
Heat exhaustion occurs as the body continues to shunt blood away from the brain and muscles. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
1. Headaches, dizziness, nausea, momentary fainting
2. Cramps
3. Tiredness, weakness
4. Profuse sweating
5. Pale, clammy skin
6. Approximately normal body temperature
If you begin to feel these symptoms during a desert ride, take immediate action before you pass out. 1. Get into some shade, preferably into an air-conditioned room.
2. Loosen clothing and wet down skin or undershirt to increase evaporative cooling.
3. Slowly sip water, or salt water solution, same dose as for heat cramps. Avoid alcohol or caffeine.
4. If you feel faint, lie down and get feet raised above head level.
5. If you can’t keep the salt water down, get emergency medical aid. You may need an intravenous salt solution.
6. Even after you begin to feel normal again, consider staying out of the heat for a day or two. Your body needs some time to recuperate. If you are on a long trip, consider a 24 hour layover in the next air-conditioned motel.
Heat Stroke
If you experience heat exhaustion and just try to "tough out" the heat without getting cooled down and rehydrated, the body thermostats will begin to fail. Core temperature continues to rise (may go as high as 106 or 107 degrees F.), sweating stops, the heart beats even faster, and you may pass out. If you are coherent enough to recognize the symptoms, immediately get medical aid while you are still mobile. And watch your riding buddies for any of the following heat stroke symptoms.
1. Victim incoherent, staring vacantly, blanking out, or unresponsive
2. Skin hot, red, dry (no perspiration)
3. Rapid pulse
4. Body temperature elevated
Yes, heat stroke is life threatening. It’s a medical emergency. Don’t be bashful about calling 911 for assistance. In the meanwhile,
1. Get the victim into some shade, out of riding gear, and cooled down by any means available. If possible, get the victim into an air-conditioned room, or use fans to help provide evaporative cooling.
2. Repeatedly sponge skin with cool water or rubbing alcohol. Apply cold packs or ice cubes if you can get them. The goal is to get body temperature below 102 degrees F.
3. Don't give the victim any stimulants, especially not any alcoholic beverages.
4. If the victim's temperature begins to rise again, repeat the cooling process.
5. As soon as possible, get the victim to emergency treatment.
Avoiding the Ugliness
Even after a heat stroke victim has been cooled down and rested, the ugliness isn’t over. It’s not uncommon to have intestinal upset for a week or so, with food coming out both ends of the pipe. I know you’d rather avoid that sort of ugliness.
People from cooler climates often react to hot weather by removing clothing. That helps cool the skin--providing air temperature is less than body temperature. Heat transfers from a hot object to a cold object. Pick up an ice cube, and it feels cold. What’s happening is that the ice is rapidly absorbing heat from your skin. Even if the air is 89F, the air will absorb heat from your skin (assuming your body is around 99F). Now, consider what happens when you curl your fingers around a hot cup of coffee. Your skin rapidly absorbs heat from the cup, because the cup is hotter than your hand. The same thing occurs when the air temperature is hotter than your body temperature.
You may think your body is hot at 99 F, but it’s "cold" compared to air at 118 F. If you expose your skin to air that’s hotter than you are, your body just soaks up more heat.
The lesson here is that if air temperature is in the 80s or 90s, it helps to open up the jacket vents, or wear a mesh jacket. But once air temperature climbs above 99 F, the best way to keep from getting cooked is to keep your insulation on, and the vents closed. Desert nomads wear long, loose wool garments, both to keep the sweating skin in the shade, and to insulate the body from the hot air.
With the temperature in triple digits, I wear my leather gloves and insulated riding gear. My feet are down in the air stream that’s first been heated up by the pavement, and then heated some more by the engine. Are my feet hot? Sure, but not as hot as if I were wearing thin boots or shoes that exposed my ankles.
Same for the helmet. Wouldn’t it make sense to crack my visor when it’s really hot, or at least open up the helmet vents? Nope. Any hot air allowed to reach my skin will heat up the skin, not cool it down. Inside my helmet at 118F, I’m sweltering, but the temperature is probably under 100 F. That crushable helmet liner inside the shell is there to cushion my brain against impacts, but it’s the same expanded polystyrene foam they use to make insulated picnic coolers. So, the helmet actually provides insulation against the hot air.
One additional concern about exposed skin is sun and wind burn. Even if you wear heavy duty sunscreen to protect against a nasty sunburn, the wind at motorcycling speeds can also irritate the skin. If you’re riding more than a few miles, it’s best to keep your skin covered.
Evaporative Cooling
More physics now. When water evaporates, it cools down. Blow hot air through a wet bandana, and the bandana cools down. Cooling the skin cools the blood, which cools down the whole body. Evaporative cooling works best on areas of the body where there are large blood vessels close to the skin: the groin and the neck. A motorcyclist's groin is too close to the engine and too far out of the air stream. That's why wearing something wet around your neck is so important.
The bad news is that evaporative cooling only works well in dry climates. When the humidity is already high, (you're 99/99 in Missouri in August--99 degrees and 99 percent) neither perspiration nor the water in your neckband evaporate very well. Limited evaporation; limited cooling. But of course there is shade in Missouri, so the best tactic may be to simply take more breaks in humid climates. Or, you can ride early in the morning when it’s cool, and rest in the shade in the afternoon.
For those of us riding in the deserts of Washington, Oregon, and California, the air is relatively dry, so evaporative cooling works very well. A wet bandana around your chin will cool you for a few minutes, but the hot wind blast will quickly evaporate all the water. You need to keep replenishing the water every few minutes. Better yet, wear thicker fabric that holds a lot more water.
For instance, Aerostich makes an "Evapodanna"made of the same fuzzy material used in camp towels. ("evaporative bandana", get it?) You just saturate it with water, and wrap it around your neck. Occasionally dribble some water on it and it will continue to cool all day. There are also some tubular neckties containing special polymer crystals that soak up a huge quantity of water. They are an advantage for slow speed activities such as golf, but the crystals release the water very slowly, and can’t give off enough water at motorcycling speeds to provide much evaporative cooling.
Keep Your Tummy Tank Full
The other important tactic for hot weather is to drink lots of water, to replenish your electrolytes and refill your sweat glands. We’re talking at least a pint per hour. Exercise drinks containing "electrolytes" (salts) are acceptable, unless you have high blood pressure. And flavored drinks may be very high in sugar, too. Carbonated soft drinks are better than nothing, although it would be best to get the water without large doses of salt, sugar and chemicals. Almost all grocery stores and convenience markets have chilled filtered water in plastic bottles, handy for both drinking and wetting down your bandana.
More than a few riders carry a water bladder, such as a "Platypus" carried on the back in a fabric holster, or in a jacket pocket. Some water bladders can be pressurized with small pumps, and evaporative cooling wrappers are available to help chill the bladder. Aerostich is a good source of serious hot weather hydration devices. Aerostich: (800) 222-1994 or
www.aerostich.com. You can also find water bladders at sporting goods stores such as REI in Seattle.
In hot weather, avoid alcoholic drinks. Obviously, alcohol reduces judgment. What’s not so obvious is that alcohol stimulates abnormal heartbeats, depresses the pump function of the heart, and actually dehydrates the body. Alcohol does all the wrong things for a motorcyclist in the desert.
So, when it’s really hot, keep your jacket on, and soak down your T-shirt. Wear a wet neck cooler, and keep dribbling water on it. If you’re getting too hot, or start feeling any hints of muscle cramps or heat exhaustion, don’t just keep riding. Take steps to cool down while you’re still thinking clearly. Take a break in the shade, or stop at a convenience store and buy a bag of crushed ice to stuff inside your jacket. The melting ice water will soak your gear and provide evaporative cooling even after the ice is gone.
Route Planning
In general, higher elevations are cooler. If it’s really hot down on the valley floor, consider an alternate road with a higher (cooler) elevation. Sometimes you don’t have any alternative other than crossing a desert. But you can adjust your schedule. One tactic is to hibernate at a cool motel during the heat of the day, and head out after dark, when the temperature is lower.
Adjust your thinking
If you live in a temperate area where the thermometer seldom rises above 90F, you need to readjust your thinking for those forays into hotter territory. Remember, insulate your skin from the sun and hot air, use evaporative cooling around your neck, and drink lots of water. Oh yeah, learn to ignore the stares of other motorists and dehydrated bikers who think you’re crazy to wear heavy gear on a hot day.
long trip: to be or not to be???
NESBA #264
