The idea for our ice bandana came to us the way most of our gear does—out on the trail, sweating through an ultra and wondering: Why does this hurt so much?
Standard ice bandanas just weren’t cutting it. They were bulky, overloaded with ice, painful against the skin, and worse—inefficient at cooling when we needed it most. After one of us ended a 100-mile race with bruised collarbones from hours of bouncing ice, we knew something had to change. So we went to work.
What we set out to solve
We didn’t want to make a flimsy piece of fabric with a pocket. We wanted something you could trust during a hundred-miler or a midsummer slog up a local mountain. That meant solving for three things:
- No bounce
- Lasting cooling
- No more pain from direct ice-to-skin contact
Turns out, all three are connected. Traditional designs concentrate mass too far from the body, causing it to swing and slap. And a single piece of polyester doesn't create enough of a barrier, which reduces cooling efficiency by triggering vasoconstriction (narrowing of your blood vessels) which is your body’s natural response to sudden cold.
1. No bounce
The problem: Most designs on the market allow you to overfill with ice, and the resulting shape pushes that weight too far away from your body. As you move, the mass swings and slaps against your neck and back. Over time—especially in ultras—that can lead to bruising, chafing, not to mention it’s just plain annoying.
The solution: We reshaped the bandana to control the location of the ice. Our design naturally guides the fill higher and tighter around your neck, centering the ice’s weight close to your body where it can move with you, not against you. We shortened the drop length and refined the width to eliminate flapping and dragging. And we adjusted the tie-arm length so you get a snug, bounce-free fit without excess material.
2. Long-lasting cooling
The challenge: Most ice bandanas lose cooling power quickly for two reasons:
- The sun hits the outer layer and speeds up the melt process before your body can benefit.
- The endothermic reaction of ice melting (which pulls heat away from the body) is inefficient because there’s no system to manage temperature or melt flow.
Our solution: We approached the design like a high-performance insulation system. Here’s the full layer breakdown, from outside to skin:
- Neoprene outer layer: Blocks solar heat and reflects radiation, slowing melt caused by the environment.
- Polyester insulation layer (outer): Helps trap cold air and buffer temperature changes from outside.
- Ice chamber: Sized intentionally to avoid overfilling and distribute melt evenly.
- Polyester insulation layer (inner): Maintains a buffer between the ice and your skin, stabilizing the endothermic reaction.
- Laser-perforated cooling fabric: The final layer that makes direct contact with your neck. This technical fabric spreads water as it melts, enhancing evaporative cooling even after the ice is gone.
This setup ensures that the ice melts at a controlled rate, driven by body heat—not sun—and that every ounce of it is used efficiently for cooling. We found that the ice lasts 60% longer than non-insulated competitor products.
3. Cooling without the pain
Many ice bandanas use a thin polyester layer between the ice and your skin. It offers minimal insulation, allowing cold to transfer quickly and often uncomfortably. That kind of direct exposure can create a sharp pain.
Our goal was to preserve the intensity of cooling while eliminating the discomfort.
Here’s how we approached it:
- The ice sits between two internal polyester insulation layers, which moderate the temperature and prevent cold shock against the skin.
- The inner surface features a laser-perforated cooling fabric, designed to evenly distribute meltwater while remaining soft and breathable.
- This layered construction maintains a powerful, sustained cooling effect—without causing pain or numbing contact.
You get effective relief that’s strong enough for long days out, but engineered to stay comfortable the entire way.
Tested. Then tested again.
This wasn’t a one-and-done prototype. We tested it during California heatwaves and on a 300-mile run across the Atacama Desert. We logged hours in saunas, on summit trails, and through aid stations. We tweaked the shape, refined the insulation, and landed on a design that uses half the ice and lasts 60% longer—without bruises or burn.
Why it matters
We believe trail gear should serve you, not punish you. And if you’ve ever run through heat, you know how game-changing proper cooling can be. The Ice Bandana is about running stronger and protecting your body over the long haul.
We built it for ultrarunners. But it works for anyone who wants to stay out longer, sweat smarter, and keep their cool.
