Heated Vest

[slamminsam]

Anyone wear these, electric ones?  Thinking of trying one during set ups instead of coat...your thoughts. Do they work, which ones would you recommend, thoughts and ideas please. Thanks

[hardwater diehard]

A vest in general will defiantly keep you warmer...warm core warm extremities... I wear my fleece vest atop a hoodie..one day I forgot it ..was not a happy camper . Not certain a heated one would do much more then my fleece..I am not certain that the technology is 100% ..battery placement is questionable too ..a lil slip and fall ..most are in the kidney area.  Doing a little research most units come with a small battery 2ah 12v ..getting a bigger battery was recommend . But I could be wrong interested in other IS members experiences with heated gear.

[DoctorPerch]

While I do not own a heated vest, I do own a heated jacket.  I can certainly feel heat being generated by the jacket, and thus I am warmer.  I would suggest thinking about it from a simple perspective:  the closer the Heat source is to the skin, the more it will warm your body.  The more layers you wear UNDER the heated apparel, the heat has more layers of insulation it needs to get to your body; this diminishes the effectiveness. The result is needing to turn the power up to high levels to actually feel the warmth, thus cutting down on the battery run time.  I would suggest looking into a heated base layer which directly contacts the skin versus the vest/jacket for maximum performance.  Also there are key areas on the body where heat transfer is more effective in warming the body;  the kidney area is a key location.  The upper back and neck is also important, so be sure to look for the specific heated areas on the clothing item, as well as the number of heated areas.  Some cheaper heated clothes may only have one area that is heated, while more expensive brands have multiple.  Gerbing is a high quality brand that is widely used, and has multiple different clothing pieces.  I have had one of their jackets for many years and it does make a difference, but if I were to buy something today, I would choose the heated base layer.  Good luck on finding what works for you!

[Skadi]

Wife has one loves it.

[slamminsam]

Two good points:
Having the heat have to go through base layers and losing some heat to the body and;
Using heated base layers...which I’ve never heard of.  I may like that idea if I could control them like the best or jacket (on/ off option).

I think I’m still leaning towards vest. I’m wanting for days when I just want to take coat off and have little additional heat.

[badger132]

I have a heated vest, that I used when riding my motorcycle in the winter. It was a dual sport without much wind protection, so even with a 1 piece insulated suit, you got cold. I had heated grips, so hands were warm.
A vest is the best garment. You need a little something between your skin and the elements, but put the vest on the inside of your layers, but outside your base layer. I am not sure what you are planning for a battery, but that is the biggest issue. I put a high output stator on my bike to have enough power to heat the grips and the vest, so any battery you can carry will not last long if you are planning on a significant amount of heat. A human generates about 100 watts sitting around, so if you want to get another 45 watts from your vest, it will take 2.5 amps at 18V, so a 5AH tool battery will last about 2 hours.
I bought a 105 AH 12V LiFePO4 battery for my boat, and I was thinking of trying it with my vest this winter. It weighs 24lb, so it is not fitting in my pocket, but it would run my vest all day at 8 amps. I have good clothing, so if I need a heated vest, I probably won't be staying out all day.

[Fishrmn]

I have the Milwaukee tools Axis 12 heated vest.  My sons and my wife also have them.  They are great.  I've got the 3AH batteries.  The 1.5 AH battery that came with mine is used with a Milwaukee flashlight.  Sitting in a tree stand without shivering in a snowstorm or sitting in the snow while calling coyotes at 13° F. proved to me how effective they can be. 





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[SKIFFLAKEJIMMY]

My ice fishing buddy has one from Cabelas. He likes it. I don't have one but I do have heated socks, which I like.

[JonPerry]

I wear Gerbing heated vest liner, the thinnest one they make. over a tee shirt keeps me warm ice fishing/deer hunting for 8+ hours on low/medium. when you buy one, get a spare set of batteries just in case.

[DLB]

I wear Gerbing heated vest liner, the thinnest one they make. over a tee shirt keeps me warm ice fishing/deer hunting for 8+ hours on low/medium. when you buy one, get a spare set of batteries just in case.

I use the same vest and their heated gloves not only for ice fishing but when riding the side by side in the winter.  Been out riding in well below freezing, very windy and the side by side is not enclosed nor does it have a heater.  The vest and gloves paired with a heated helmet keeps me comfortable.

[Ches.]

I have both a Milwaukee heated vest for ice fishing and a Milwaukee Hoodie that my wife cut the sleeves off for me that I use for bow hunting. Both work great. I use aftermarket batteries (2.5/3.5/5.0).  Most likely not the quality of the Milwaukee ones but at a fraction of the cost.  The 5.0 runs all day from 6am - 5pm on low.

[52isntbigenough]

I have the Milwaukee heated vest (and hoodie and jacket),  it's great for short trips, small errands or a garage cleaning, but the battery doesn't last long enough for a day of ice fishing imho.

[Junkie4Ice]

I have a $50 chinese knock-off that I bought a few weeks back and tried for the first time this week. It seems to serve its purpose, kept me warm enough to sit in a 33 degree rain storm without any rain gear. My goal for ice fishing is to be able to wear a base layer, heated vest and a hooded sweatshirt regardless of temperature. I'm sure you get better longevity out of a name brand vest but for now the knock-off seems to hold its own.

[Fishrmn]

I have the Milwaukee heated vest (and hoodie and jacket),  it's great for short trips, small errands or a garage cleaning, but the battery doesn't last long enough for a day of ice fishing imho.

If you buy the vest in a kit it comes with a 1.5 AH battery.  You can buy Milwaukee batteries that are 3 AH that are still the same dimensions.  They make M12 batteries that are 6 AH, but they're an awkward shape.  Knock off batteries are available in 3.5 AH.



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[Jkoht]

I have one for my masterforce tools. Masterforce is the menards house brand of tools. The vest comes with adapters to use either their 12v batteries for the smaller tools, and the 20v adapter to use the batteries from the standard tools. I own both sets of tools. The 12v batteries are smaller and easier to carry, the 20v batteries are obviously bigger but you can clip them on your belt. I love the vest, I use it for fishing, hunting, and working in the warehouse at work.

[Jimbow11]

 Got my wife one of these for her MKE heated jacket, its much more comfortable for her than the M12 or M18 batteries.

[https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00R23Z4O0?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title]