Heated Vest: Cigarette-Lighter Adapter vs. Re-chargeable

[Deleted member 8387]

Hello,

I've seen several posts on heated vests, but none on this subject. I live in Texas and can pretty much ride year-round, with my heated grips and rarely sub-32 weather. What I lack, however, is a heated vest. My original idea was to buy one that has a connection to a cigarette-lighter, but on Amazon and such I see many that have a battery pack built in that you re-charge at home (or wherever), before riding.

Does anyone have a preference of one over the other? I think you can "daisy-chain" a vest to heated pants, etc..., but any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob / hansonb4

 

[Doc True]

Having never used a rechargeable vest, they seem better suited for commuting or day trips. For long extended rides, I'd go with one connected to the bike.

It's super easy to connect to the battery and run the wire up under the front of the seat

 

[tngw1500se]

I have Gerbing brand stuff. Jacket liner, gloves and socks. It's all 12 volt. I'd never use battery stuff. Why would you when you have a power supply on the bike that doesn't go dead?

 

[Doc True]

I have Gerbing brand stuff. Jacket liner, gloves and socks. It's all 12 volt. I'd never use battery stuff. Why would you when you have a power supply on the bike that doesn't go dead?

Having battery clothing would give you the flexibility of wearing it off the bike. It would be nice at those December football games

 

[melensdad]

Battery clothing appears to run on lower wattage, consequently lower levels of heat produced by the garment. Perhaps not an issue for moderate climates? From what I can see most of the clothing with self contained batteries don't run for hours. That might be fine for a commute or short run into town?

I wired my heated jacket to the battery, requires a Philips head screwdriver and 10 minutes of time. Simple task. Higher heat levels. Heat provided as long as your ride, so no issue of getting cold on the way back home.

 

[Deleted member 8387]

Thanks everyone.

 

[Fuzzy]

First DONT PLUG INTO CIGARETTE ADAPTER. Standard NC700 adapter has 1 amp files which can’t even run some phone chargers. Heated gear probably needs a 1O or 15 amp fuse.

Battery life limited so ok for half day rides then plug in to charge.

I love my Gerbing jacket and gloves wired direct to 15 amp fused switched circuit.

 

[Deleted member 8387]

First DONT PLUG INTO CIGARETTE ADAPTER. Standard NC700 adapter has 1 amp files which can’t even run some phone chargers. Heated gear probably needs a 1O or 15 amp fuse.

Battery life limited so ok for half day rides then plug in to charge.

I love my Gerbing jacket and gloves wired direct to 15 amp fused switched circuit.

interesting. BTW I have a Rowe PDM so I don't connect directly to the battery.

 

[fleetingyouth]

I have a cheap battery-powered vest someone got me off amazon. It is a cheap Chinese made product that I wouldn't recommend however it does run off any USB battery bank and can run all day long. It is also very warm and works well here in New England.
I've been putting off buying heated gear because I need the mobility and like the idea of battery gear.
After using this cheap jacket and being able to get on and off the bike without disconnecting or having cables run throughout my suit has pretty much sold me on battery powered.

All that being said I ride all winter long in the city and mostly commute(don't own a car) and don't really need heating in the fall or spring for long trips just the coldest days in the winter.

 

[HarveyM]

Buy the wired to the bike style. If you want to use it off the bike pick up an external battery. From Warm and Safe:

"All heated gear designed for use on a motorcycle can be run off a battery. What do they think a motorcycle uses? Ours can be run off our 7.4 volt battery but we are not going to lie and tell you that it will make 30 deg C heat for 12 hours like someone else in this business will."

Gerbing also sells external batteries.

 

[TonyKZ1]

Yes, What Harvey said. Get a heated jacket liner w/gloves that plugs into your bike, either from Warm & Safe (they also make Firstgear's heated gear) or Gerbing (either the Gerbing.com or Gordons). There are other manufactors/vendors but those are the most well known. A jacket running off your motorcycle will work much better at keeping you warm while on your bike, they do also make battery powered gear too, but it's not as warm.

 

[Rich Reed]

Like any aspect of motorcycling, once you get used to having a wired connection between you and your bike, getting on and off is a natural thing. So, to me, having a wire with a quick disconnect is no problem, and, it gives me access to gear designed for riders (Aerostich, Gebing, etc.). That said, if you also ride horses (you said you're from Texas) the self-contained battery pack would fill both needs. Last time I checked horses didn't have a 12 volt system.

Since I always connect a fused "pigtail" with SAE connector to my bikes' batteries for the Battery Tender during long stretches of bad weather, I use that as my source of 12 volts. I have it poking out form under the seat between the gas tank and the front of the seat, right in my crotch. This allows the vest/jacket to have the shortest wire harness possible. I know some come with a ridiculously long coiled wire. It's a pain. Keep it short. With judicious use of wire cutters, electrical tape and shrink tubing (and a soldering iron if you have to splice) you can make a very functional wire harness.

For my setup I actually connect my tank bag to the 12 volt battery pigtail. Inside the tank bag are a USB converter to charge cell phone plus a junction with the jacket heat controller wiring harness. Twelve inches of the jacket harness sticks out of the tank bag. The controller is in a pocket of the tank bag with its control knob sticking out, giving me on-road access to adjustability. I can turn the heat up or down by feel and not take my eyes off the road ahead.

One last recommendation: avoid vests or jackets with added insulation. I prefer the Gerbing jacket liner. It is very thin, with the only warmth coming form the electric wires. It is much more versatile than the insulated ones, giving me a wider temp range before having to stop to take it off. Using a jacket instead of a vest also means my arms get the added heat, which to me is VERY important. I know many riders who say they don't need the sleeves, but I do.

 

[Deleted member 8387]

Like any aspect of motorcycling, once you get used to having a wired connection between you and your bike, getting on and off is a natural thing. So, to me, having a wire with a quick disconnect is no problem, and, it gives me access to gear designed for riders (Aerostich, Gebing, etc.). That said, if you also ride horses (you said you're from Texas) the self-contained battery pack would fill both needs. Last time I checked horses didn't have a 12 volt system.

Since I always connect a fused "pigtail" with SAE connector to my bikes' batteries for the Battery Tender during long stretches of bad weather, I use that as my source of 12 volts. I have it poking out form under the seat between the gas tank and the front of the seat, right in my crotch. This allows the vest/jacket to have the shortest wire harness possible. I know some come with a ridiculously long coiled wire. It's a pain. Keep it short. With judicious use of wire cutters, electrical tape and shrink tubing (and a soldering iron if you have to splice) you can make a very functional wire harness.

For my setup I actually connect my tank bag to the 12 volt battery pigtail. Inside the tank bag are a USB converter to charge cell phone plus a junction with the jacket heat controller wiring harness. Twelve inches of the jacket harness sticks out of the tank bag. The controller is in a pocket of the tank bag with its control knob sticking out, giving me on-road access to adjustability. I can turn the heat up or down by feel and not take my eyes off the road ahead.

One last recommendation: avoid vests or jackets with added insulation. I prefer the Gerbing jacket liner. It is very thin, with the only warmth coming form the electric wires. It is much more versatile than the insulated ones, giving me a wider temp range before having to stop to take it off. Using a jacket instead of a vest also means my arms get the added heat, which to me is VERY important. I know many riders who say they don't need the sleeves, but I do.

Thank you!