Heated Vest suggestions

[2TrakR]

Looking for mens heated vest - what brands/models have you used?

I've had a couple, both have been battery operated. Found they just didn't keep putting out the heat for long days on the sled. Have had Mobile Warming, Exo2 and one from SkiDoo.

I'm struggling to find one that puts out lower back heat, which is where I need it. Most all have upper chest coverage and usually something on the back, but nothing or not much that is lower back. Also looking for one that I can plug into the sled for constant power. Ideally battery and plug-in power as I'm on frequently on the sled for 10-12 hours and batteries just don't keep up with that amount of time.

The ones that I have found that claim to have decent lower back coverage are also the ones that seem to be made for little girls in the sizing department. Looking for at least 3X so I can wear a layer or two under the vest.

Not necessarily looking for something budget friendly, already spent enough on a the previous ones that just didn't work out.

 

[buddah2]

What about one of those lower back support wraps (Copper Fit, etc.) and a regular old TekVest? The neoprene would keep the back warm and if you need more warmth than a TekVest under a quality jacket, .... well, I'm all out of ideas...

 

[whitedust]

Right ...the back thing by RU Outside Sports generates a lot of heat on its own for the lower back. I’ve been wearing a back thing since the 90s and on my second one. I couldn’t ride without it.

 

[ICT Sledder]

Tons of options for plug-in stuff that operates off of a powerlet outlet. Designed for the motorcycling community. You would have to look into the accessory power output available on your sled. Unfortunately, I would bet it’s not much. Probably a better chance on the four stroke stuff than the two strokes.

And you’d have WAY more effectiveness if you wear heated gear just over an under armor shirt, thermal underwear, etc. THEN put your layers over that.

 

[2TrakR]

You would have to look into the accessory power output available on your sled.

Electrical power is not a concern, running a four stroke grand touring which has enough power to easily handle two loads each for two people. Finding a vest with good lower back coverage has been the problem. The bike ones I've tried (and have club members with on bikes) have not met my requirements.

 

[2TrakR]

Follow up

Ended up with Gears Canada heated jacket liner and gloves. Didn't plan on the gloves, but figured if I'm ordering stuff, why not.

Jacket liner is amazing. All day heat. I hate RR grades, long/straight/boring/cold but this jacket liner makes it feel like sitting in the easy chair with the wood stove crackling. Entire jacket is heated, not just a spot here or there like so many of the other brands I've used. Even the collar is heated and wow, did I not expect that to be of interest, but it really cuts that cold bite on those long open sections where the balaclava just moved enough to open up a smidge at the back of your neck.

I do long trail rides, usually 10+ hours with minimum breaks. Getting cold once dark hit was just a fact, especially lower back. This solved the issue entirely.

I only have about 50 hours of use on the gear, but very happy so far.

One day took off on 6" of fresh with snow coming down all day, when I hit the furtherest point, it was 18" of fresh. It just covered me and the sled as we were breaking trail most of the day. Without the heated gear I would have been done, snow had soaked through the upper layer on the bibs, coat was holding it's own. You could see the steam rising off the gloves while all the bars and rest were just a big ball of ice/snow. Had to stop at times to break it up so brakes and throttle would keep working (fun for some, but not fun for big mile days). Jacket definitely kept me going that day. Was so "bad" that I had to plug my heated shield in as the snow dust was blowing up inside my helmet and icing up the inside of the shield (normally never a concern with this BRP mod 3 helmet).

This jacket liner: http://www.gearscanada.com/heated-clothing/gen-x-3-men-s-warm-tek-heated-jacket-liner.html
These gloves: http://www.gearscanada.com/heated-clothing/gen-x-3-warm-tek-heated-gloves.html
Note prices are in CA, so less than what is listed. Still not cheap.

Jacket liner fits as their chart lists. It's stretchy by design to help fit snug and give the best heating effect. I went with the size I expected to need (XXXL); could have probably gone for the next bigger so the back would have been another inch or two longer. Not sure if it would be overall too big on the next size or not.
Happy with the fit, could be even happier if it were just that teeny bit longer to keep my back well heated when hunched over. This liner replaced 1-2 layers I'd normally have on.

Gloves put out great heat. I found the fit to be a bit off and the way they fit made my grip not as comfortable as I'm used to, which made my hands tired once I'd hit the 200 mark. Not sure if they'll break in more or if it's just how these ones are designed. Depending on brand, I usually wear a XXL glove. According to their chart, an XL should have been on the bigger size, but they way these fit, my thumb overfills the thumb spot but my fingers only reach 3/4 of the finger spots, so it was too big and too small at the same time (kind of weird). Fitment isn't an issue with other brands of gloves, so I'm blaming the gloves.

I may end up trying their heated glove liners, they look like they'd work in my regular cold weather gloves and I'm generally happy with my current (non-heated) gloves fit/comfort.

I ran another power tap off the battery with an SAE plug for this gear. It could have plugged into the existing outlets (ie heated shield), but I wanted a separate tap for these in case I also needed to run the shield. The controller box for the gloves and jacket liner is a bit bulky as are the cables it connects with. I attached it to my coat on the side and it worked well, but took some fiddling to get it reasonably secure and still have to deal with passing cables through a couple layers of gear to reach the controller..

Jacket liner does have pass-through cabling for the gloves, which was convenient for connections. Still end up with a wad of cables between the jacket sleeve end and the glove that you have to tuck in somewhere. Kind of a toss up between durable and robust connectors vs something not so bulky. Gloves are not at all dexterous and are very stiff when cold, so tucking cables/etc with these on takes some patience and practice.