Mobile Warming Battery Operated Heated Gear

[BlackNinja8]

I just purchased the Mobile Warming vest and jacket shell. Vest was $130 and Jacket was $160 I believe at Revzilla. I was initially looking for heated gear that connects to the bike power source but came across these.

The glory of their gear is that they are powered by a LI battery not much larger than a cell phone battery. The battery sits in your hand pockets and allows you to select from 4 different power settings. So far I've worn the heated vest out in the snow, in the cold while working on the bike and I just got back from a 45 minute ride in 30s. I'll also use it for rounds of golf in the cold and early a.m. spring fishing. You can't beat this kind of versatility.

I just went out with 2 long sleeve layers under the vest and my rev it ignition jacket without the wind/thermal liner. I was mostly testing to see how little I could wear and still be warm. At intestate speeds above 100mph I was cold, but not freezing. I was really surprised by that considering my riding jacket has a mesh front and lets in a lot of air without the liner. The vest at full power felt hot in the heated zones and it warmed my core enough to keep my entire body temp more comfortable. At normal speeds and off interstate, I felt only a minor chill but was pretty comfortable. And since my jacket is fitted in the arms I can stay warmer without feeling like a fat man in a little coat.

If you are looking for cold weather gear give these things a look. They also have heated gloves and other accesories. Can't beat the versatility, at that price point. No wiring your bike, and when you hop of the bike the warmth comes with you.

[Alex]

Nice review! What is the battery life like? Can you plug it into 12v power if available, to run it continuously?

[BlackNinja8]

The battery life is pretty good. At full power it will last 2 1/2hrs. At half power it lasts 5hrs, and I think up to 10hrs at 25% power. I would ride with it at 75% in the 30s, probably no need for than 50% to 75% in Cali. There is a double capacity battery that they sell for around $50 I think on ebay. The regular capacity batteries can be had for $30.

Good thing is that the batteries are fairly cheap so you could carry a fully charged backup for long distance touring. Unfortunately they can't be charged and used simultaneously.

[BlackNinja8]

Here are the specs for the double capacity battery. The one that comes with the gear is exactly have the life with the same temps.

[Jiggles]

How does it charge? USB?

[BlackNinja8]

No it's got one of those old Nokia cell phone single pin type charge ports. There are cigarette lighter adapters available for it.

[BlackNinja8]

Just an update on this review...

I've been wearing this vest everywhere, and I'm even wearing it in my office right now. That really is what makes it such a cool heated gear option. The battery life has not changed. I can run it at 75% for my 45 minute ride into my office then on and off during the day as necessary at 50% and then home again at 75%. I did so yesterday and it was low batt when I got home but not bad for about 6hrs of mixed use.

While the materials and construction are very good overall there is one problem. There is a sewn in pouch in the left hand pocket that holds the small battery. This pouch is held closed by a velcro strip. This velcro strip is way too strong. It often takes 2 hands to open - so that I am holding both sides of the velcro and pulling them apart. It's like separating 2 pitbulls in a fight! Well one of the velcro sides is losing its stiching so that it will eventually pull away from the fabric and the pouch will not close.

This is not much of a concern to me since the pouch opening is relatively small to begin with. The likelyhood of the battery coming out of the pouch even without the velcro is not very high. And lastly if the battery did come out of the pouch it would just simply fall into the pocket where it is still safe. The only danger I could see is if you are using it for some application where your hands are wet and you somehow short our the lead but that seems very unlikely to me. The pouch, while being a nice feature, never seemend all that necessary to me to begin with.

The last thing that I'll mention is that I was apprehensive about this gear because it only has 3 heating elements - right breast, left breast, and mid back. Well let me say that this has proven to be rather sufficient because the gear is very fitted. Especially when worn under my riding jacket which pulls the heating elements tightly to my body. With the vest worn over and undershirt, dress shirt, and sweater, the contact points were too hot on my commute yesterday at 75% power (45 degrees F). Felt comfortable on the highway but I found myself fidgeting at stops to pull the heating elements away from my body. I guess the fact that you have to pull over to adjust the setting is one downside.

[Miles_Prower]

Great review! I have some RS Taichi E-heat gloves with also use Li-ion batteries..so nice! Definitely a fan of battery powered gloves. Even when my bike is stored away, I can use gloves for other purposes to keep my hands warm!

[Bigballsofpaint]

Gerbing makes them as well. They cost a bit more, but have heating in the arms if you get the jacket. SS heating wire instead of copper, made in USA and lifetime warranty, but the price shows it. I think they have jacket, gloves, and even socks for the battery powered stuff.