Heated Clothing
 

Now Now, guys calm down.

Well I recently got my wife into skiing and she enjoyed it but so far she is a fair weather skiier (this is also due to a medical issue she could be cold in 70 degrees), as in as long as it is over 30 no wind and sunny. We were in a Columbia store and saw a $850 rechargable jacket that heats up. She said that is awesome and I said not for the price

SO can people point me into the right directions of good products and companies for these type of products. Thinking pants and a jacket or a vest for under the jacket and the like

I know there is more out there but had a difficult time searching this morning, especially with snowmobiling, and winter activities

Gerbings makes great heated gear for motorcycling (I have a 12 Volt jacket liner that I am thrilled with) and other cold weather sports. They have a battery powered, non-motorcycle jacket that sells for 199.95. I'd wear it under a ski parka. See: http://coreheat.net/Products/Heated%20S2%20Jacket.html

THanks DaveR
Definatley need to go with rechargeable battery pack

I take a lot of crap from my non-heated clothing motorcyclist friends because I wear the jacket under my riding suit whenever temps drop below 60F. I don't necessarily turn it on, but it's nice to have the option. After 400 miles of riding in sub 50F temps, it's incredibly nice to have heat. I don't know any motorcyclists that regret buying heated gear...

Being a guy that oveheats easy, my torso is not the problem. My feet however are. I use Hotronic rechargable boot heaters in my ski boots.

heated
 

You know all you need is two pictures in a shirt pocket and you could go water sking in the broads in January and be wonderfully (???) warm. What pictures are these Nancy Pelosi in a bikini and Sarah Palin in a bear suit!:laugh:

Anybody have any first hand (no pun intended) knowledge of mittens to keep your hands warm? Hand Warmers- chemical pacs that last for 6 or 8 hours are okay, but I'd really like to find mittens for skiing and gloves for working that will keep my hands warm.

I have tried many different types of gloves and mittens but nothing has worked. The rest of my body is fine but after a half hour or so of even relatively balmy 40 degrees F my hands get like frozen blocks.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Peter

Bounce the problem off of your PCP.

Gerbing, firstgear, venture
 

Gerbing, FirstGear and Venture all make products in this area. From head-to-toe. If your looking for a jacket, not sure about that. Most of the jackets I know of are actually liners; you need to wear a jacket over them. Lot less expensive than $850. Try googling "heated clothing" or "heated jackets" and go to Google "Shopping". You'll find a bunch of stuff there.

Good for your wife.
 

Most would sit back and whine about how they hate the cold and hate winter. You should be very thankful that you have a wife that is willing to find a way to go out and enjoy life in NE with you.
My wife and I have endured down to -30 (without wind chill) temps to go out and enjoy snowmobiling. We have found ways to get over the cold without the help of heated gear but there is a point that it just finds its way in and you go get chilled to the bone. On those days we make more stops along the trails to warm up. But as I’ve gotten older I’ve found that anything less than -20 is just to cold to ride in. On those days snowshoeing is a good alternative. Good luck and my hat goes off to your wife for trying instead of sitting home complaining.

I have found: Acti-heat or active heat and i think we are leaning to a vest so it can go under all types and then possible the glove liners that plug into it

but still searching for things

I have a pair of 100% leather Mittens with gauntlets that were made by Olympia Sports Co. They're sheepskin lined..no heat. I've had them for as long as I can remember (40+ years..?) and they worked well for iceboating down to -15 F @ 60+ MPH under sail. I also used them motorcycle riding in the winter down to about 15-20 F for hours on end. :) NB

http://www.olympiagloves.com/

My wife has the same problem with cold but loves skiing!
She uses electric boot heaters and heated gloves. Look at Hestra Heater gloves, pricey but makes skiing enjoyable. Look into layering with down a sweater or vest.

she has tried the whole layer thing
put it this way:
in thehouse with it being very close to 70 with the heat on, she is in flanel pants, long sleeve shirt with a sweatshirt over it and a blanket and still cold.

She does not generate enough of her own heat due to medications and a medical condition.

It stinks, but since I got her out there, I do not want it to stop

base layer
 

A good quality base layer is your best defense in the cold. When it is really cold we use tight fitting poly base layer followed by a moisture absorbing layer then fleece. That first layer is really important. Stay away from cotton materials against your skin in cold weather. Worst thing you can do. It will absorb moisture but keep it against your skin making you cold.

That's me and I don't even have any medications to blame!!!!!!

+1 for Gerbing
 

As noted above, Gerbing is an excellent choice for heated outdoor clothing. Many of my motorcycle friends have it and recommend it.

Dan

In general,cold extremities are due reduction in blood circulation.This happened with my feet.I never had cold feet skiing but has really changed in the last 5 years forcing me to use boot heaters.Have her try this trick and see if it helps.I've seen where some people sprinkle cayenne pepper on her hands.It really does seem to put out some heat.Not sure if this is only your body thinking the pepper is hot or if there is an actual heat value.WARNING: Its very easy to forget about the pepper on your hands and then go to wipe your eyes.Use with caution!

My problem is my feet sweat and then tunr to cold, most of the year, worse obviously in the winter cause of the cold. I have tried even medication to stop the sweating.

My wife found this green tea tree extract, I forget the company name, it is only $8 at khols and for now the only place we can find it. It works excellent, everymorning, like deordorant, I spray it on my feet, smells good as well, and it protects me from sweating like crazy from the feet

same problem
 

Wick away socks help. Fortunately it isn't bad enough to cause problems for me.
I guess that is the price you pay with good boots. I ride with $180 Sorrels and even when they sweat I've NEVER been cold.

Tried it all, even wear wicking dress socks and sport socks depending on occaision. depending on the type they either do not work, or the shoes/boots end up getting saturated over time, and you know what comes next

Did not want to be so authoritive on it, just that have been trying and experimenting on things for well over 12 years to see what works and what does not work for me, not to say things do not work for other people

Don't be afraid to use anti perspirant.I've seen more than a few skiers use it before putting on their ski boots.