As Seen on TV Tuesday: Mission Enduracool Towel

Water, sunscreen, an umbrella for shade: There are only so many tools to combat Houston's heat if you have to be outside. Now Mission, the makers of the Enduracool Towel say you should have one in your arsenal. Consumer expert Amy Davis is testing the product for As Seen on TV Tuesday.

Mission claims the small towel is made with a special technology that is activated when you wet it, wring it and snap it. Davis asked KPRC Channel 2 meteorologist Justin Stapleton to snap to it and try the towel out.

Running in the heat of the day is not advised in Houston; but Stapleton was just as curious as we were to find out if the Mission Enduracool cooling towel could help.

"We're reading at 97 degrees right now," Stapleton said of the outside temperature.

The commercial lays out the simple instructions.

"Just soak, wring and snap to activate. Mission's new hydroactive max cooling technology cools as low as 60 degrees," says the announcer in the spot posted on You Tube.

After the "snap" part, Stapleton pulled out a thermometer to measure the temperature of the towel.

"Looks like we bottomed out at about 82, which certainly is cooler than the air temperature, but uh.. not quite 60 yet," said Stapleton.

Thankful for any relief, Stapleton slapped the towel around his neck and trotted off.

We got his take a few laps later.

"It's a little difficult to run in cause it's so short, so you almost have to tuck it in just to keep it up here," he explained, trying to tuck the ends of the towel into the neck of his t-shirt.

The Enduracool towel costs $14.99. It is endorsed by athletes like Drew Breese and Serena Williams.

"There is no other cooling towel like Mission," Williams claims in the commercial.

We wondered about that; and if we'd get the same relief from a regular golf towel.

Water alone dropped the temperature of a regular towel down to 85 degrees... just three degrees warmer than the fancy Enduracool towel. Justin says the regular towel felt different around his neck.

"It's a lot more damp and wet whereas the cool towel didn't feel like you had sort of a clammy cloth all over your neck," said Stapleton.

For such a minor difference in temperature though, Stapleton said he couldn't justify the price tag.

"Fifteen bucks may be a bit much," he said.


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