Heated vest experience?

[LostArra]

Does the use of a heated vest eliminate a layer in cold weather?
Just in case it ever gets cold (it's till pushing 90 here) I would like to maintain the range of motion for drawing my bow.
Even if it doesn't eliminate a layer does it actually make a long sit more comfortable?
Any suggestions on brands? Pnuma and Arris seem to be popular.

 

[Tod osier]

Does the use of a heated vest eliminate a layer in cold weather?
Just in case it ever gets cold (it's till pushing 90 here) I would like to maintain the range of motion for drawing my bow.
Even if it doesn't eliminate a layer does it actually make a long sit more comfortable?
Any suggestions on brands? Pnuma and Arris seem to be popular.

I use the Milwaukee vest as a layer. It does work, no question.

The heat is not in an ideal place, but it is what I have. I'd look for one that put heat on the lower back (mine doesn't). I use the vest over the base layers walking in for the pockets it has and I like it for that. I'd seriously consider one of the heated baselayers if I was starting over.

 

[Ditt44]

A friend has one he got off Amazon, seems to like it and no problems with it but I don't know the brand. I had looked into this last year and while I apparently didn't save any links, I had found that a series made for motorcycle riders was actually more practical and interesting than anything I found marketed toward hunters. So, ski gear or motorcycle gear are two areas I would research.

 

[Dexter Grayson]

I have the same question. So I ordered the pnuma gear heated shirt and pants. Haven’t had a chance to try them since it’s still 90 degrees here.

 

[Tater86]

I agree with the poster above, they are nice, but I have yet to find one that actually warms your lower back/kidney area. This is the main area of heat loss and yet no one makes a vest to heat this area.

 

[Poser]

I bought a Heated Hunter last year on a post season deal -I think it was $60 on that deal. It nothing more than a rebranded existing design that several brands sell. The zipper is grossly undersized and on the left side (euro style) vs the right. The zipper snagged and broke when I tried it on the first time. I then spent $40 at my local repair shop to have a entire new and upsized zipper installed. I complained to the brand and they refunded me $40. I did use it on some of the coldest days skiing last year and it warmed me fine, but the zipper needs to be replaced immediately.

 

[Brewski]

I use a generic $50 heated vest bought from amazon three years ago. It has front, lower back, and neck heaters with three heat settings. The best and critical feature is the USB input so I can power it from USB portable batteries, super useful for all day whitetail winter sits I just bring multiple USB batteries. Proprietary batteries suck.

I layer it on top of my wool base layer and under any other warm or rain jackets. My body runs very cold and the vest is an absolute game changer. I don't bring it backpack hunting due to weight and battery charging. I use it for all other stationary hunting (and alot of non hunting activities) below 50 degrees. After walking in and getting setup I let my body cool for about 20 minutes and then use the adjustable vest temps throughout the day as needed.

If u don't want to go vest, the USB hand heaters are also helpful when sandwiched between layers.

 

[Davyalabama]

I bought a tidewe cheap, it actually helps a lot. I wasn’t going to spend a lot of money on one, it does help really cool days. It is cotton, so having a merino base layer another light merino layer for wicking then this was beneficial for me. They make more expensive one, but hey I wanted to see if it was worth it, on my day hunts, it sure is.