Heated Vest

I've had my Aerostich Kanetsu heated vest for 12 years or so and it's been bulletproof so far. I wore it for days last year with no problems, the wires seem overbuilt compared to other brands. I have the zip off arms, which will make it smaller to stow if I needed more room.

The trick with any heated clothing is to wear it close to your skin, and then put a windproof layer over it. You also want it to be tighter fitting.
I wear a long sleeve synthetic (running) top, then my Aerostich vest, then a windbreaker from Craft. This prevents me feeling like the Michelin man with 20 bulky layers.

I got a Mobile Warming dual power vest for Christmas. It was super warm on battery power on the few recent cold days we’ve had in Boston recently when I wore it on my walks to the train commute. I plan to change the connector to be compatible with my battery tender for cold riding.


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khfranck said:

I plan to change the connector to be compatible with my battery tender for cold riding.


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Powerlet sells SAE to Coaxial adapter cables.
I would use the heavier battery pigtail that came with your vest.

Lee said:

Powerlet sells SAE to Coaxial adapter cables.
I would use the heavier battery pigtail that came with your vest.

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I wired in both

OM

Omega Man said:

I wired in both

OM

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I did the same. Venture Heat includes a 12V Coax pigtail with each item, so it was cheaper to install the 12V Coax pigtail with my existing SAE pigtail than purchase a SAE to Coax extension.

36654 said:

it was cheaper to install 12V Coax pigtail with my existing SAE pigtail than purchase a SAE to Coax extension.

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Good to hear you're doing your part to keep the cheap BMW owner reputation alive

Heated gear

I have a Widder vest with arm chaps and leg chaps. Seldom used them, so I can get rid of the set cheap. I don't have a controller though.

Rob Lessen
Arma KS

Lee said:

Good to hear you're doing your part to keep the cheap BMW owner reputation alive

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Gotta save some money for that next windshield purchase. Thinking Givi or Puig this time

I'm going to throw in First Gear as an option. I bought my wife their heated jacket a few years ago and has absolutely loved it! It has always worked, and still looks great.

I got one for xmas this year and am looking forward to wearing it. That 23 degree morning heading over Trail Ridge road in Rocky Mountain National Park in late fall made me a believer.

I did look at other options, but what I found was that many of the other options only offered three or four heat settings. The First Gear heated jacket has unlimited settings, just turn the knob for more heat, the other direction for less heat.

https://www.firstgear-usa.com/category/15/heated-gear-clothing

jeffkraft said:

I did look at other options, but what I found was that many of the other options only offered three or four heat settings. The First Gear heated jacket has unlimited settings, just turn the knob for more heat, the other direction for less heat.

https://www.firstgear-usa.com/category/15/heated-gear-clothing

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I wrote this one off in my search because it has that push button control on a tab which is so short it would not reach out below the bottom of my Klim jacket. Where is this knob you're talking about?

pappy35 said:

I wrote this one off in my search because it has that push button control on a tab which is so short it would not reach out below the bottom of my Klim jacket. Where is this knob you're talking about?

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Get the remote wireless controller. It can mount to your handle bars.

The First Gear, Venture heat and Cycle Gear store brand (Hotwired) seem to be similar

36654 said:

Get the remote wireless controller. It can mount to your handle bars.

The First Gear, Venture heat and Cycle Gear store brand (Hotwired) seem to be similar

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They seem to be made by the same company.

Lee said:

They seems to be made by the same company.

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Yes, Mike Coan at WarmnSafe has been making heat-trollers for a number of other heated gear vendors for quite some time. It’s mentioned here in an “about us” piece on the WNS website. There’s also some interesting info on heated gear in general on their website.

There used to also be on the website a commentary on how one of the original WNS HeatTroller designs incorporated a small flaw, which the company quickly rectified. But purportedly, that same flaw continued to appear in Chinese-manufactured knockoff controllers sold by another big-name heated gear company. I don’t see that info on the website currently and assume the situation has been rectified, contractually or otherwise.

Best,
DeVern

jeffkraft said:

I'm going to throw in First Gear as an option. I bought my wife their heated jacket a few years ago and has absolutely loved it! It has always worked, and still looks great.

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Last I heard the First Gear line of heated garment are made for them by Warm and Safe. Excellent product whether from Warm and Safe or from First Gear.

So does that liner default to full on so you can use the wireless (I have the W&S dual controller) or do you have to plug in, turn it full on, then zip up and go? Seems like a PITA to me. What keeps you from accidentally hitting the switch which would then turn it off?

The W&S wireless controllers default to a 33% level when first plugged in. Temp can be turned up/down/off from there via the remote. I believe the intent is to be able to still provide some heating if the controller is lost.

Best,
DeVern

Use HexEZcan for controller

The controller is a more important selection than the vest brand. Minimizing the dangling wires, etc., is a good idea; as is not relying on any "wireless" controller connections that require battery power and battery replacements. I used the HezEZcan for my controller, which enables the already-installed Wunderwheel to be the controller (your bike in the photo appears to be an R12GS of some sort, with a Wunderwheel), rather than buttons, cables, and knobs placed more inconveniently. The Hex device has a couple of 10 amp circuits; it takes about 6 amps to run my jacket and gloves, so the Hex has adequate ampacity. Seems to work fine, thought not the Hex's typical use (normally it is used for auxiliary lighting.) I had to install an incandescent pilot light to judge the controller output quickly ( an LED flickered too much, was distracting.) That is the one disadvantage of the Hex as a controller--no feedback of "up" or "down" when making heat output adjustments like when you have a knob, unless you have a pilot light.

You will need a controller of some sort. Switching between "full on" and "off" would get old quickly.

As was noted by others, best to get a "vest" with arms, e.g. a full "jacket liner," not a mere vest. I paid about $100 for mine at Cycle Gear when they had a sale. Been using it for several years without problems.

GTRider said:

The W&S wireless controllers default to a 33% level when first plugged in. Temp can be turned up/down/off from there via the remote. I believe the intent is to be able to still provide some heating if the controller is lost.

Best,
DeVern

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I was referring to the First Gear jacket which has a button on it for temperature control. Stupidest idea I've ever seen. The button is mounted to a fabric tab that you can't reach once you put on your shell jacket. So how do you control the heating level? Even with a W&S wireless controller wouldn't the switch turn it on/off regardless of what you set on the wireless controller?

pappy35 said:

I was referring to the First Gear jacket which has a button on it for temperature control. Stupidest idea I've ever seen. The button is mounted to a fabric tab that you can't reach once you put on your shell jacket. So how do you control the heating level? Even with a W&S wireless controller wouldn't the switch turn it on/off regardless of what you set on the wireless controller?

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Looking at the First Gear website I see they do not show a variable controller, just a switch to mount on the handle bars, if you have tubular bars.
They do not show the inside of the jacket to see if it has connections for a Powerlet or Warm & Safe controller.
I agree, the on off switch on the First Gear jacket looks like it would be very difficult to reach under your riding jacket while going down the road.

Lee said:

Looking at the First Gear website I see they do not show a variable controller, just a switch to mount on the handle bars, if you have tubular bars.
They do not show the inside of the jacket to see if it has connections for a Powerlet or Warm & Safe controller.
I agree, the on off switch on the First Gear jacket looks like it would be very difficult to reach under your riding jacket while going down the road.

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That is a Venture heat controller. I have had one for several years.