My Editor Made Me Wear a Plastic Tube to Disney World, and I Would Do It Again

Never heard of a cooling tube? I hadn’t either until my editor purchased the Padutson Neck Cooling Tube from Amazon, sent it to me, and told me to wear it on my next park day. I’d already tried a couple of cooling products, so this wasn’t my first rodeo, but this is definitely the most unique of the bunch so far.

The cooling tube comes in a little box, and it kind of resembles the material of a gel ice pack when it’s not chilled. To get the chilling effect, you’ll need to either keep it in the freezer or refrigerator before use, or put it in a cup of ice water.

Now, if you’re using this in Disney World like I was, the chilling can be a bit of a problem. If you take it out of the freezer or fridge of your hotel room or kitchen first thing in the morning, you’ll be wasting valuable cooling time during its transportation to the parks. So for me, submerging it in a cup of ice water was the best solution. (Unless you’re carrying a cooler or insulated bag to the parks.)

Once the tube is chilled, it gets a frosty appearance, and you’ll be able to see which parts are nice and cold. As it warms up, the frostiness disappears until it’s back to its original appearance. On a hot day in the parks (above 90 degrees), the cooling effects lasted about half an hour for me. You could probably stretch it to 45 minutes or an hour if you weren’t standing in as much direct sun as I was.

The great thing about these is that they don’t “sweat” or produce condensation, so the collar of your shirt isn’t getting soaked like with a cooling towel.

Overall, it did its job for a bit of time, and I was surprised by how well it worked. I just wish it kept me cool longer and with less of a hassle to figure out how to get it cool again, so I could use it multiple times in the same day.

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If you’re not interested in the cooling tube as a concept or want to see other options, we’ve also tested the AMKEN Waist Fan. This tiny fan really packs a punch with its wind power, and it’s designed to clip to your waistband to keep you hands-free.

It has a long battery life and essentially feels like carrying a tiny air conditioning unit inside your shirt. It can be a little bulky and cumbersome to wear, though.

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One of our favorite items here at AllEars is the JISULIFE Handheld Fan. This fan has more force than you’d expect from such a compact item. It folds up in a way that’s easy to store and has a built-in flashlight and three fan speeds.

It’s rechargeable and has a seriously long battery life. The main downside here is that it’s not hands-free like some of the other cooling options out there. But this is a staple in several of our reporters’ park bags (including yours truly!).

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For something a little more similar to the cooling tube, you could try these Sukeen Cooling Towels. They come in a 4-pack of different colors, each with its own resealable storage bag and carabiner clip.

When I tried them in the parks and compared them to the cooling tube, they stayed cool longer in the hot sun. However, the downside is that since you’re literally wearing a wet towel, your clothes will be damp all day.

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