Back in July / August 08 I picked up a cooling vest from ArcticHeat... It gets pretty damn hot before some races in Hawaii so I figured I'd have a go at starting races with a lower core temperature... I used the vest once (requires soaking in water to activate the crystals - converts them to a gel). After that use, I let it dry out in a well ventilated space per the manufacturer's instructions, then stored it in my closet.

Fast forward a few months... I decided to take it out the other night for possible use, only to be welcomed by this horror:

Nope, I didn't go bog-snorkelling with it... It hasn't been near mud either. That sir, is fungus!

After a couple emails were sent to ArcticHeat in Australia, they're response has basically been "tough excretion... you didn't let it dry out enough / store it correctly". I guess a week of it hanging in my apartment at 75-80F wasn't sufficient to dry it out.

Result = A dead $200 cooling vest. Whatever happened to "The customer is always right".