Patent ID: 8322156

Claim:
A cooling garment incorporating a supply of cooled drinking liquid, said garment comprising: a garment portion that is adapted to be worn by a user, said garment portion incorporating integrant channels for conveying cooled liquid through at least part of said garment portion for cooling the user, said integrant channels having an inlet port and an outlet port; a reservoir that is adapted to contain a supply of liquid; an evaporative cooling device that is arranged to receive water from said reservoir and from the outlet port of said garment portion and to deliver cooled liquid to the inlet port of said garment portion and to a separate outlet for providing cooled liquid for drinking, the evaporative cooling device having: a vessel adapted to receive the liquid, said vessel comprising a vessel wall, an outer layer of absorbent material that extends at least partially over said vessel wall, and a wick extending through said vessel wall, such that said wick is positioned to contact said liquid within the vessel and is adapted to transport a portion of said liquid through the wall by capillary action to said absorbent material, said wick being substantially impermeable to gas or vapor; the arrangement being such that liquid transported from within the vessel to the outer layer by said wick is absorbed by the absorbent material, from which it evaporates, the heat required for such evaporation being removed from the liquid disposed within the vessel through the vessel wall, thereby cooling such liquid.