Event Safety: Tips Beating The Heat

K

Kip Conner

Junior
Mar 13, 2011
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Athens, GA
We spend a lot of time discussing all things audio and financial, but we rarely talk about show and shop safety.

With most of CONUSA going through some wired off tilted heat wave I think that it would be a good time to open the floor for those who are out in the thicket. What I would like to see is sharing of tips and tricks to survive a long day out in the sun. The long days where you have to load in and soundcheck during the heat, prepare for the summer shower and then last through the evening to get it back on the truck.

For instance, I have one show that occurs in the summer and it's brutal. We begin loading in the PA around noon for a 4pm load-in. In the southland, 3pm is the hottest part of the day. You sweat enough to go through 3-4 shirts and then your eyes begin to sting from the excrement salt. Wearing a bandana or sweat band on your head really helps with the constant dripping.

I also keep plenty of room temperature bottled water on hand to stay hydrated.

What about you guys?
 
Re: Event Safety: Tips Beating The Heat

If you are not peeing then you are not drinking enough.

Sometimes here in Texas even constant drinking from a bottle isn't enough. Camelbaks are good if you don't mind wearing them.

I try to do 3-4 liters of water to every bottle of gatorade. That crap will rot your teeth, but it is effective at battling electrolyte loss. If you have a cooler handy, Bananas, carrots, and applesauce will do the same thing as gatorade and be better for you.

Hats and sunscreen are helpful, but those long-sleeved "fishing" shirts are even better. They are so lightweight that it's as cool as a cotton t-shirt, but they keep the sun off of your skin better than having bare arms.

If you do happen to get a sunburn, then that night, no matter how tired you are, take a shower and put on aloe before bed.

This has nothing to do with beating the heat, but Gig Butt is a serious problem. Use generous amounts of Gold Bond powder in your drawers to prevent it!


The last thing I can say is; acclimate your self to the heat before the big show. Spend more and more time outdoors in the middle of the day doing simple chores to get used to the heat. Before you know it you can be out there in the 110 degree oven and not mind it too much.
 
Re: Event Safety: Tips Beating The Heat

Tim Weaver said:
If you are not peeing then you are not drinking enough.

Sometimes here in Texas even constant drinking from a bottle isn't enough. Camelbaks are good if you don't mind wearing them.

I try to do 3-4 liters of water to every bottle of gatorade. That crap will rot your teeth, but it is effective at battling electrolyte loss. If you have a cooler handy, Bananas, carrots, and applesauce will do the same thing as gatorade and be better for you.

Hats and sunscreen are helpful, but those long-sleeved "fishing" shirts are even better. They are so lightweight that it's as cool as a cotton t-shirt, but they keep the sun off of your skin better than having bare arms.

If you do happen to get a sunburn, then that night, no matter how tired you are, take a shower and put on aloe before bed.

This has nothing to do with beating the heat, but Gig Butt is a serious problem. Use generous amounts of Gold Bond powder in your drawers to prevent it!


The last thing I can say is; acclimate your self to the heat before the big show. Spend more and more time outdoors in the middle of the day doing simple chores to get used to the heat. Before you know it you can be out there in the 110 degree oven and not mind it too much.
Click to expand...

+1 and if you mean those fishing shirts they wear in Greece, Southern Italy and Sicily.... I've had those fishing shirts in the past and they're really comfortable in the hot sun.

Cheers,
Hammer

ps. don't eat heavy meals when you'll be in the hot sun all day.
 
Re: Event Safety: Tips Beating The Heat

White T-shirts if you're allowed to wear it, and like Bennett said, sunscreen. I know this sounds odd, but during load in/out, one way to also stay cool is get a T-shirt and wet it from a sink or a water bottle. Wring most of the water out, and then just wear it. It'll take the heat away from your skin rather quickly, however a synthetic shirt (like one of those golfing-polo shirts) would look better, and not look like it's wet as much.
 
Re: Event Safety: Tips Beating The Heat

[video]http://www.spaceweather.com/swpod2011/07jun11/bestcrop.mov?PHPSESSID=3ue7nnn5427d9kdfi20sb4daj1[/video]

First we broke the planet by burning too much carbon, now we broke the sun...

Good thing that wasn't pointed at us when it went off...

The solar wind will be above average.

JR
 
Re: Event Safety: Tips Beating The Heat

I used to prefer boonie hats because they also protect the ears and a bit of the neck. I havea couple, really faded green and khaki. But most often I use one of a bunch of wrap around cloth visors, like a sweat band with a sun shield.
FORCE fluids, keep drinking non-aclcoholic drinks as much as you can.
EZ-up or equivalent shade. And put a fan under it. Have plenty of towels handy, especially for your face/eyes. Placing a wet towel on your neck can really cool you down (on the major neck arteries).
If you are stuck out in the open a lot, place a bandana/handkerchief under the back of your hat that covers your neck and ear tops. Yeah, looks silly but it works. It's worked for me roofing and the French Foreign Legion ;>)
There are fishing outdoor shirts made with a ventilated cape back, those work great.

Boomerweps
 
Re: Event Safety: Tips Beating The Heat

uh... if it's too hot where you're at, you could consider moving here (where I'm at). It was 34deg. F. here this morning when I got up. The spuds in my garden got a bit frost nipped last night... and I had wiper removable frost on the van windows this morning. We put the down comforter back on the bed last night cause we were freezing our tootsies. I suspose we could have cranked up the house heating device... but for some reason that just sounds wrong for well into June.
 
Re: Event Safety: Tips Beating The Heat

As I got older I started to become very suseptable to rashes in the crotch area. VERY painful and make you walk weird. Some get so bad as to start bleeding.

Now-everytime I think i will sweating and doing a lot of walking-(gigs etc) I head it off by wiping vasoline all over "the area".

Not so much fun righ afgterwards-but that feeling goes away real quick and it provides a nice "protective layer". MUCH nicer than a rash.

The best thing I have found to help cure/fix the rash is diaper rash ointment.

Not much fun to talk about-but is a real pain when you have it.

Like everything else-the better prepared you are-the better it goes.
 
Re: Event Safety: Tips Beating The Heat

when I was In the army which was before all the technical clothes, many of us would buy and wear pantyhose as the base layer. But try not to get the lace frilled ones.
 
Re: Event Safety: Tips Beating The Heat

Ivan Beaver said:
As I got older I started to become very suseptable to rashes in the crotch area. VERY painful and make you walk weird. Some get so bad as to start bleeding.

Now-everytime I think i will sweating and doing a lot of walking-(gigs etc) I head it off by wiping vasoline all over "the area".

Not so much fun righ afgterwards-but that feeling goes away real quick and it provides a nice "protective layer". MUCH nicer than a rash.

The best thing I have found to help cure/fix the rash is diaper rash ointment.

Not much fun to talk about-but is a real pain when you have it.

Like everything else-the better prepared you are-the better it goes.
Click to expand...

Ivan... I had that too...but, the Doctor said it wasn't from the strippers....

Seriously.... Looser fitting clothes, all- cotton drawers, and Gold Bond* medicated powder. Sprinkle some in your shoes too.

Hammer
 
Re: Event Safety: Tips Beating The Heat

Jay Barracato said:
when I was In the army which was before all the technical clothes, many of us would buy and wear pantyhose as the base layer. But try not to get the lace frilled ones.
Click to expand...

Yeah...panty hose...good for helping squeeze into a tight wetsuit. They add a layer of warmth under your thermals when Mountain climbing or other extreme cold weather activities. But, don't wear them to summer time gigs....they'll look #*% while wearing shorts.

Hammer
 
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