Heated Jacket

Heated jacket: warmth with a switch on the chest

A heated jacket adds an active heat source to an ordinary insulated shell. Thin heating panels are stitched between the lining and the outer fabric, a rechargeable battery lives in an inside pocket, and a button on the chest cycles through temperature settings. The range covers puffer styles, hooded versions, ski cuts and hoodies, in men's and women's fits, powered by a standard power bank connected through a USB lead.

How does the heating actually work?

The panels are woven from carbon fibre or fine metal filament and warm up when current passes through them. They sit where the body loses heat fastest: the upper back, the chest and sometimes the collar and pockets. Because the elements are flat and flexible, the jacket still feels like a jacket, the only giveaway being a stiffer panel across the shoulders. Battery life falls as the setting rises, so most wearers run the top setting to warm up quickly and then drop to the lowest one to hold that temperature. The outer is typically a quilted or softshell jacket fabric, which blocks wind and keeps the generated heat from being stripped away.

Which layer does the heating replace?

The panels replace the mid layer rather than the base layer. Worn against a thin long-sleeved top, the panels reach the skin quickly; worn over a thick jumper, the heat is absorbed before it arrives. A fleece jacket still makes more sense for walking, since moving generates plenty of heat and there is no battery to think about. Where the day is spent standing still, watching, fishing or working outdoors in the cold, switchable heat covers the gap that passive insulation such as a down jacket fills only by adding bulk.

Which battery and how many heated zones?

• Battery and lead: whether a power bank is included, and whether the connector is a standard USB type that can be replaced.
• Zones: three, four or five heated areas; more zones spread the warmth but draw more power from the same battery.
• Pocket position: the battery pocket should sit where it does not press into the ribs when seated.
• Controls: a single button cycling colours is easy through gloves, a recessed switch is not.
• Outer fabric: wind resistance matters more than thickness, because heat leaving through the shell is heat the battery has to replace.

Jacket or gilet?

The heating panels sit on the torso in both cases, so a sleeveless version delivers most of the same warmth and leaves the arms free to move. A heated gilet also layers under a waterproof shell without bulking the sleeves, which matters for anyone driving, cycling or working with tools. Full jackets suit conditions where wind hits the arms directly.

Can a heated jacket be washed?

Yes, once the battery is disconnected and removed, which is not optional. Close the zips, fasten the connector cover if there is one, and use a cool gentle cycle with mild detergent. Do not tumble dry, wring or iron the panels: heat and hard folding damage the filaments and the fault shows up as one dead zone. Hang it to dry fully before reconnecting anything, and store it with the battery part charged rather than flat.