Keis or Gerbing heated jackets, or...?

[B19GRR]

Hi,

I've been trawling websites looking at heated clothing longingly after a few morning rides leaving me with adamantium nipples on arrival

I've been thinking about going for the fully sleeved under jacket to replace the normal thermal liner, I was wondering if I'd still need heated gloves if my arms are heated?

I have thought about just the vest style plus gloves but I'm assuming that with a full jacket I wouldn't need to wear a thick jumper too whereas with a vest my arms would still get cold unless I also kept the thermal liner in my jacket which would just add to the bulkiness

Any thoughts? Is there much difference really between the brands? Any other suggestions? BTW at 40 I'm happy to say I can't be arsed to MTFU

Cheers,
Rob

[pozi]

I can vouch for the Gerbing gloves, they got me through the 40 mile freezing commute with just my normal winter jacket on over a shirt.

With nice toasty hands the rest of my body did not suffer from the cold so I never felt the need to invest in a heated jacket.

[Lavs]

I wouldn't recommend a heated jacket. I have used both jacket and vest and found that the full jacket doesn't keep me any warmer than just a heated vest. I don't feel the heat in the arms and don't feel any warmer than just the vest, if anything I feel colder in the jacket as its not as close to the body as the vest. I have not noticed any heat from the heated collar and it's all very bulky under my normal textile jacket. Re the hands I find they still get cold with the jacket and so run heated grips, tho one advantage of the jacket is reduced wire lengths if you want to run with heated gloves. My kit is Keis and I do a 200 mile trip in it FWIW.

[smack]

I got a headed vest to go under my jacket which I used into November last year. It was recommended by G Man, who uses his over winter doing a long commute. I used mine down to 3 degrees, 1 hour motorway each way, removing the liner from my jacket and just having the vest.

It did a good job keeping my blood warm, so the rest of my limbs ok, when racing along at motorway speeds, that usually just drains the head out of you over time.

[toxgobbler]

Invest in some decent under layers and you won't need heated kit (although I have heated grips). I recommend the Helly Hanson base layers (designed for skiing but just as good under leathers or textiles as they're quite thin, yet remarkably good), or another AWB I know uses an over jacket (hi-viz) in the colder weather.

[Harry H]

toxgobbler said:

Invest in some decent under layers and you won't need heated kit (although I have heated grips). I recommend the Helly Hanson base layers (designed for skiing but just as good under leathers or textiles as they're quite thin, yet remarkably good), or another AWB I know uses an over jacket (hi-viz) in the colder weather.

No much good when you get to the office and have to do a full strip to get rid of the undies though.

Been using heated gear for a while now. Commuted in -5c with no problems with just an office shirt underneath. Personally I have a heated jacket instead of the liner in my main textile jacket and it works fine. Just remember to unplug before you get off the bike and walk away. A heated vest would be fine but if you use it instead of the inner jacket your arms would get cold.

The gloves are excellent, much better than heated grips if theres a lot of clutch work in traffic. Make sure you get gloves with the mesh type of heating element. The wire ones, whilst fine for a jacket don't last long in gloves as they're put under far too much stress.

It may not be macho but it's bloody good to be sat there in the middle of winter all snug whilst the bloke next to you at the lights is obviously freezing.

[fergus]

heatged waistcoat from Exo (stormrider): http://www.exo2.co.uk/motorcyclists-motorcyclists-...


Rather than the stuff with elements in it (gerbing, etc), which is easily knackered if an element gets broken, and also draws around 3-4A of current, which can put a fair load on the alternator, this stuff only draws 0.5A and can be put in the washing machine, folded however you like, and can also be powered from asmall battery once you're off the bike...

[Mr Scruff]

Harry H said:

Make sure you get gloves with the mesh type of heating element. The wire ones, whilst fine for a jacket don't last long in gloves as they're put under far too much stress.

Sorry for the O/T but any idea how you can tell which is which when it comes to gloves?

[smack]

fergus said:

heatged waistcoat from Exo (stormrider): http://www.exo2.co.uk/motorcyclists-motorcyclists-...


Rather than the stuff with elements in it (gerbing, etc), which is easily knackered if an element gets broken, and also draws around 3-4A of current, which can put a fair load on the alternator, this stuff only draws 0.5A and can be put in the washing machine, folded however you like, and can also be powered from asmall battery once you're off the bike...

That is what I have - good kit.

[s2kjock]

I've just broken out my Gerbing sleeved jacket liner for its first trip of the year and was very glad to be wearing it for 400 mile round trip to the Highlands.

I just had a sleeved thermal top under it, and a textile jacket (no liner) outside of it.

Performed fine in temps ranging from 10 to 3 degrees. With heated grips my hands were fine (heated seat helps too of course ......)

I have used it with an extra layer at temps down to -7 at "usual" motorway speeds, but that was pushing it comfort wise I have to say.

Also kept me toasty a couple of years back while sitting for 20 minutes in a 2 mile tailback in a Highland blizzard at night - at 1400 feet .......

[Rubin215]

Buy a car...

[B19GRR]

Why am I not surprised to get conflicting views

Also found Biketek stuff last night which appears to use carbon (or kevlar, their website is a bit confused) heating elements in jacket and gloves. Controllers look a bit Duplo though and power to gloves isn't as nicely integrated in to the sleeves as it is in the Gerbing.

Cheers,
Rob

[jp-speed-triple]

I had a KLAN jacket which while warm was an awful fit. I now have a Keis vest which has had minus 15 in Spain last December and was toasty with minimal base layers on. As for heated gloves.....go heated grips IMO. Along with bar muffs in deepest winter and you can still wear summer gloves, which is a better route again IMO.

[RizzoTheRat]

I made my own, total cost £35 but with enough heating wire left over to make another if I wanted to so under £30 in all. It's a vest type and if I was making another I'd be tempted to use a sleved jacket and run heat just down the bicep, certainly no need for it beyond the elbow.

If anyone else is feeling like a cheapskate...
http://www.carpe-tdm.net/ipb/index.php?showtopic=2...

I've since invensted in a Pulse Width Modulator to use as a controller, but not got round to fitting it yet.

That reminds me, I need to extend the cable for this winter, it's a fraction short for use with my current textiles.

Edited by RizzoTheRat on Tuesday 16th October 12:41

[B19GRR]

RizzoTheRat said:

I made my own, total cost £35 but with enough heating wire left over to make another if I wanted to so under £30 in all. It's a vest type and if I was making another I'd be tempted to use a sleved jacket and run heat just down the bicep, certainly no need for it beyond the elbow.

If anyone else is feeling like a cheapskate...
http://www.carpe-tdm.net/ipb/index.php?showtopic=2...

I've since invensted in a Pulse Width Modulator to use as a controller, but not got round to fitting it yet.

That reminds me, I need to extend the cable for this winter, it's a fraction short for use with my current textiles.

That's pretty cool, pardon the pun. I wonder how interchangeable liners are as I've got one in good nick from a jacket that got torn.

Where do you get the DC connector jack things from, RS, Ebay? Not done any soldering for a long time, could be fun

[RizzoTheRat]

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinest... are good, but then again so are e-bay and my local Maplins. Very little soldering involved on that job other than connecting up the DC connectors, the main DIN plug has screw terminals, and the socket on the bike is spate terminals.

Liners tend to be manufacturer specific, my IXS one doesn't fit my HG jacket. I did wonder about using a jacket liner but liked the idea of something seperate so I wasn't wearing it all the time like my jacket liner.

Edited by RizzoTheRat on Tuesday 16th October 15:40

[Bikesalot]

Heading up north later this week, London to Inverness and then the NC500.

As always, when I choose to do a trip the weather doesn’t look ideal.

I’m about to buy a Keis heated jacket as opposed to the vest. Still the thing to buy?

I commute all year round so kind of feel this will be an investment and save faffing around with layers come winter.

[neutral 3]

I put a thread up on here about two months odd ago, re heated gear, some excellent replies, see if you can find it !

[Birky_41]

I took advise from this site a few months back and tried both at the bike show, equally as good and the heating element on the fingers goes right round

I went with Gerbing and my only regret is not doing it when I first got back into road bikes. I have mine set at 75% and on a recent French trip it was 3-5 degrees in the morning, I honestly at 70-90mph had toasty hands

I've been caught in the rain and they are perfect

[Triaguar]

I have keis vest with regulator. Also have attached gloves. Not too bulky and keeps me pleasantly warm. In line with original question I would recommend