Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Do battery heated jackets & clothing really work?

Always wondered ... Is any of it worth a darn?

Long as you don’t fall in a lake. 😬

While hunting in the cold I wouldn’t want that to happen regardless of what I’m wearing 😆

As with anything, some works very well and some doesn't. Ask a question about a particular product and a better answer could be available.

As a general rule, those products using batteries from cordless power tools tend to work well. Heating life is dependent on battery size, temperature level, outside temp, wind exposure, how long/often the heating element is turned on, and a few other minor details. Typically, they can last as little as an hour to all day depending on the above factors. The major downsids are the bulk and weight of the batteries, either as one large one or multiple smaller ones and the cost of both the garment(s) and batteries.

The products utilizing either standard batteries or rechargeables can run the gamut from good to bad. Like most things, you get what you pay for but it is not an ironclad rule. My use of these has been limited to footwear and I have had better successful itch insole inserts than socks. I think this is due to less flexing in the insoles but in either case I don't care for them as they are too warm. Expired or low quality chemical heat pads work better for me as they are not as warm and I can put them at the top of the boot where I can remove them easier if necessary.

They work but pita ime

I’d much rather use the lil chem pax

Somewhere around here I have a pair of battery socks. They use 1 D cell each and put out as much heat as a dead insect. With only 1 battery each, you can't expect much.

I got my wife Lenz heated socks for skiing, and she loves them, but they aren't cheap. She also has OR heated mitts, but again, they aren't cheap.

Last December I was trapping beaver out of a boat and was out all day long in some pretty cold. 3 days of 17 degrees, 20 mph wind and sleet with a 10 mile long line.
My wife was meeting me at the end of the day and one day, I about couldn't get out of the boat. A friend of mine, we do a lot for each other when we see a need, and he bought me { and him} heated vests. It has rechargeable batteries and a battery lasts about 6 hours on medium and does a pretty good job. The vest cost about $150 and the extra battery is about $30. Good vest.....GOOD FRIEND !

I have one of the vests sold by Cabelas but it's just rebranded from someone else. It works ok, but could be better and frankly for the price, I wouldn't buy it again. The problem is for it to really work it needs to be close to the base layer in your clothing, but the battery is in the pocket and the on/off/level switch is at the bottom near the zipper which means you almost have to undress to swap batteries or change the comfort level switch. If they would put the battery in a breast pocket and the switch up by the collar it would be much more user friendly.

My wife has a heated hunting vest. Seems to work well. But, she is only out for three or four hours at a time. I've got a heated motorcycle vest that runs off the bike. It works like a champ.

The heated jacket that is sold my Milwaukee tools is pretty darned good, my SIL has one. They ain't cheap though.

That’s the one I’ve been considering. I am a plumber and use a lot of Milwaukee tools ... have good relations with Milwaukee rep. Hoping I can snag one sometime during a good promotion from him. I just didn’t want to if folks said they aren’t worth wasting your time on. Lol

I have a Volt 7v "tactical" shirt and its great. I have a couple of batteries and just bought one with wireless control. I don't try to use it as the primary method of keeping warm but to take off the chill after the cold starts to creep in on a long sit. I wear it over a thin shirt and under my heavier insulation. I think its great because I can use it under a light jacket for bow hunting and under heavier stuff for late season, skiing or Icefishing.

https://voltheat.com/collections/all-products/products/tactical-7v-heated-base-layer

Over the years I have tried a couple of electric socks with very poor results, but last year purchased a set of Lenz socks and they work great. Pricey but great. I did several all day sits in the 20's this year using some 800g boots ( my midseason boots) and when I felt a foot chill I turned on the socks until the chill went away. I used setting 1 or 2, and it was enough. the socks are controlled by your iphone, so I can keep my phone in the front jacket pocket and can do it with next to no movement. The standard batteries were good for the whole day at that low level. The settings go all the way to 9, but I haven't used that yet. I assume that setting 9 would chew through battery.

https://www.thewarmingstore.com/lenz.html

they work …….bob

I've thought about getting the Dewalt version but haven't pulled the trigger. Reviews are pretty good.

I have these base layer pants and the base layer shirt they sell. I also bought extra batteries for longer days out. Pricey but if you watch you can find deals on them.... they work pretty well.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074CNR9B...aWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

Im in a milwaukee jacket now

Im freezing my ass off. Light wind, 35 degrees

But I good anemia so thats probably just me. I take 3 batteries. Mine are new and yhey only last sbout 45 minutes on HIGH.

With an actual garment to suggest, the Milwaukee and DeWalt jackets and hoodies are very popular. Milwaukee is a bigger seller but here that is due partly to their drills and hammer drills being a better fit with K-Drills for ice fishing.

The Lenz products are also pretty good from what customers have told me but their cost has kept me from purchasing my own. There is another brand that I can't think of off hand (I think it might be Peet or an affiliated company) that is a little cheaper and has a remote control and rechargeable battery which is also hard to keep in stock.

As already mentioned a few times, the good devices aren't cheap so expect to put out a few dollars. The heating units are not at their best as a sole means of warmth but coupled with good outer clothing they can work well. Versatility and price are probably why the hoodies are better sellers than the jackets.

My aversion to electric clothes is simple: they work until they stop working, and then you're screwed.

I had a couple pair of electric socks back in the early 80's. These were the ones that ran off a D-cell. They worked fine for a couple-three hunting trips, and then one sock stopped. I figured that was a fluke and kept going. Pretty soon, I was down to one sock-- 3 failures over the space of 3 weekends. That was okay, no harm done. However, the last time that a sock failed, I was getting into colder weather. I had not put on extra layers of socks, because I'd gone electric. I had a very cold foot before I got in.

My feelings are somewhat supported by an unlikely source, a book on the history of the Eighth Airforce in WWII. They gave the crews electric suits so they could operate at altitude. The air up there was -40, and the suits worked fine until they stopped working. Then you froze. The suits were warm enough that you'd end up sweating in them at lower altitudes, and then you needed the heaters once you got up to cruising altitude. If you suit got a discontinuity in it, if the plug failed, or the power source went out, that was it.

For a few years I had to occasionally work at -2F in a freezer warehouse. Nobody out there worked with heated suits. It was all done with passive insulation. I had my freezer suit-- bibs and a coat, and it worked well enough that I could drive to work with the windows down in sub-zero temps and still be warm.

My admonition is that electric is a possibly a good idea from a comfort angle. However, don't rely on a an electrically heated garment to ensure survival. It'll work until it doesn't and then there's no fixing it. Even a lifetime warranty won't do you any good at -20F.