You're viewing a single thread.
I'm a Midwest factory worker, so my coping strategies might help.
Those evporatuon towels? A scam. They are no better than a wet bandana or other small thin piece of cloth. Forget about that shit.
What you need is ice. Get a big cooler and a bunch of big water bottles and fill the bottles with ice water. Plan to drink about 32oz an hour, by the time your bottle is empty all the ice will probably have melted so don't worry about that. Then hot swap to a new bottle and keep drinking.
Don't eat less than 2 hours before work, skip lunch, and eat most of your calories after work. At work all you need are electrolytes, digestion generates heat so avoid anything your body has to work on. I have a little bottle of electrolyte tablets on me and have one every 64oz.
Wearable fans kind of help? Not a lot, but every little bit can be a life saver.
And dress as light as you're allowed. If you're allowed to wear leggings, do that. If it has to be jeans, get something well fitted so there is as little air between your legs and the fabric as possible. Sometimes stretchy jeans are allowed even if leggings aren't, so look into that too.
And... I think that's all the wisdom I have to impart from my experiences? In the Midwest it's not humid ALL the time so I carry a spray bottle to spritz myself with, but when it's humid that shit don't work lol
Also Midwest, I didn’t know about the skipping lunch thing, honestly I’m not so sure I could do it, I’m the warehouse porter guy so I’m constantly lifting and moving heavy shit
I would recommend against skipping lunch. Instead, adjust what you bring for your meal based on weather. I just worked all day yesterday in the sun and heat. For lunch, I brought light, easily digested food that would replenish without making me feel sick.
Blueberries and strawberries are great because they have nutrients and moisture. Fruits and veg tend to digest well, even in the heat. Hard-boiled eggs sit well with me and provide some nice protein. I also like the flavored tuna pouches with a few crackers.
I avoid food with a lot of fat/grease or dairy. Neither digests for me well and dairy even makes me feel sick in the heat.
Makes sense, a lot of the food I do eat is admittedly pretty processed
I load 1000 steel parts into and out of a welding press every night, I know all about constantly lifting and moving heavy shit.
Yeah, by the end of the night I'm always hungry af, but as long as I keep my electrolytes up throughout the day there isn't a problem.
I used to work in kitchens that would hit 38c and yeah, all this. I would also just keep my head and torso soaked all time which is easier with a big sink right there, of course.