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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 332
Campfire Member
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OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 332 |
After reading the thread about the heater body suit I got to wondering about the electric vests. I bow hunt from a summit viper in PA in November. It seems to me that you might get too much of the blob effect with the body suit. So with that in mind have any of you used them and how did they work? Also what brands do you have?
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 550
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 550 |
I was given a Milwaukie rechargeable hooded sweatshirt and I highly recomend it, just buy a second battery.
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 24,644
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 24,644 |
GobiHeat vest here - great product. This one: Gobi vestI’d recommend a second battery - batts take a loooooong time to charge.
WWP53D
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Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 1,761
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 1,761 |
After reading the thread about the heater body suit I got to wondering about the electric vests. I bow hunt from a summit viper in PA in November. It seems to me that you might get too much of the blob effect with the body suit. So with that in mind have any of you used them and how did they work? Also what brands do you have? I know different people that started using them in the last couple yrs. Got me thinking hard about it myself. Last yr late flintlock season a gang of us went out the last day. Snow on the ground and plenty cold. Guy that was on watch all day had one and he was dressed lighter than I was, and I was on drive. They work, or at least his obviously did. My one brother's been using one for about 2 yrs now in the winter. He does some dock work outside quite a bit in the wintertime. He loves it.
One is alone in a land so vast, there is only the mountains, the wind, and the eyes of God.
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,201
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,201 |
I have both a 7.4v Gerbings vest and belt-level Velcro wrap and love both. The wrap is used the most and warms the kidney area. I carry an extra battery and use a middle heat setting most of the time. Adds almost no weight and it’s great to get a shot of heat during a long sit. I can actually eliminate a layer of regular clothes by wearing either. Be sure to wear it over your first base layer and tight to your body or you won’t feel the heat. The wrap helps with back support too.
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Joined: Jul 2007
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 24,644 |
Be sure to wear it over your first base layer and tight to your body or you won’t feel the heat. This advice is spot-on. I’d not want one of the heated products as an outer layer.
WWP53D
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Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 176
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 176 |
I’ve never used a battery powered vest but a tip I’ve found recently that works for me….. when I’m hunting I always take my Jetboil and a Peak or Mountain House meal for a hot lunch. I carry a little extra water that I can heat up and put in my half liter Nalgene bottle and then stick that inside my insulation layer. When it cools down, I simply reheat it. It works great for cold days on the stand.
Mackey.
Mackey
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 24,644
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 24,644 |
Mackey, that's a nice trick - but likely not easily accomplished whilst suspended from the perch of a climbing treestand.
WWP53D
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 332
Campfire Member
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OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 332 |
Thanks for the info guys,I am going to get one just have to decide which one.
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,327
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,327 |
I was still getting over the Chemo last year. I'd dropped over 50 lbs. #2 son, Moose bought me a Venustas heated vest for hunting.
It lasts me on low for better than 4 hours in the stand. I'd come in at lunch, and it would be fully recharged for the afternoon hunt. I used it again last spring for turkey season.
My only admonition with these vests is don't depend on them. I don't know how many cycles this one's been through-- several dozen at least. However, I'm a half-mile from the cabin at most. I wouldn't walk into the wilderness with one of these, expecting it to keep me from freezing.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=electric+vest+vestuvus&rh=n%3A7141123011%2Cp_89%3AVenustas&dc&ds=v1%3A9mmXPoRMW%2B%2Fyf0GW3QQa5PXqNRiWNeRSom1b0Hoihy0&crid=LWMJQSU3W3AE&qid=1695649188&rnid=2528832011&sprefix=electric+vest+vestuvus%2Caps%2C91&ref=sr_nr_p_89_2
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,383 Likes: 3
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,383 Likes: 3 |
I have a DOACE vest from Amazon. I just picked one at random since I had no info to go on. It works very well when used as others have suggested. This one used a phone battery pack. For some reason, it won't work with every pack. I have a 25 AH pack that will run the vest for nearly 8 hours on high. I tried my wife's 10 AH and the vest won't even turn on.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,225 Likes: 24
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,225 Likes: 24 |
Got this one got my wife. 3 levels of heat and lasts all day.
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time. --Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice. --ironbender
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 230
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 230 |
My wife loves them and has gone through a few now, and learned that each brand has the heating elements in different locations and the puffy fabric ones work a lot better than the fleece ones, and they had different run times based on the battery size and capacity there’s no standard. I would recommend not shopping for one by price alone look at the locations of the heating elements and then buy a few batteries when you buy the vest because they might not be available later if that model gets discontinued.
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 208
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 208 |
I got one off of Amazon last year, and now don't know how I ever sat in a treestand for hours in cold weather without one.
Presidents come and go, but entitlements are forever - Michael Medved
Our forefathers would be shooting by now
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,383 Likes: 3
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,383 Likes: 3 |
Now that we have rechargeable batteries and power packs, they're great. Before that, the cost of batteries got steep.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 20,896 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 20,896 Likes: 1 |
So far, I have used a very oversized insulated coverall I bought for $30 here. I slip it on in the blind and I stay VERY toasty for the whole 5 hour sit.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day that a U.S. president would raise an army to invade his own country." Robert E. Lee
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,863
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,863 |
I've been impressed with the 7.4v Gerbing vest I bought 4+ years ago. I have two batteries for it and they charge fairly quickly.
4 settings, 100*, 110*, 120*, 130*. The higher the temp, the faster the battery runs down. It has to be about single digit temps for me to up it to level 3. I can dress with at least 1-2 less layers, and am much more comfortable while on stand.
You have to get the heated gear close to the skin, immediately after your base layer.
A buddy has the Ororo, and that battery is much more versatile, and can be used as a supplemental charger for other devices.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,383 Likes: 3
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,383 Likes: 3 |
I don't stand hunt. I have a tag for a late cow elk hunt. It's very open country and the only practical way to hunt is to drive an OHV from hill to hill and stop and glass. In late Nov, it can get cold during the driving part. Last year after I got my cow, it was a 5 mph, 10 mile drive in the dark through the rocks back to camp. That vest felt really good.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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Joined: Dec 2023
Posts: 58
Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Dec 2023
Posts: 58 |
I bought a middle of the road heated vest from Amazon. Have used during the commercial fishing season for 2 years now...have used other brands..all about the same to me. Best advice I can give is to fit snug...loose vest won't feel warm. I've worn mine as a second layer never as an outside layer.
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,462
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,462 |
I use a Milwaukee vest right over my base layer, then go from there depending on how chilly it is. Works great for me in Virginia, all the way up to the UP of Michigan.
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