Kendall Raine
Contributor
Wow. That sucks.
Heated vests
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livewire
Contributor
Update on my experience with the Venture Heat Pro V3, this time diving it in a dry suit as opposed to the wetsuit last time. My dry suit is a Whites Fusion, which I dove with Mk2 undergarments and an Under Armor Cold Gear wicking layer, with 5mm wet gloves and a 7mm hood.
Conditions were Southern California beach diving in December, water temp at 55-57 degrees F, depth to about 50 foot max in both cases. Both cases were at the same site, with roughly the same dive profile. Dive time was about 85 minutes, with swimming out to the drop point taking about 10-15, for a total time in the water of about 100 minutes.
1. As you might guess, the heated vest is WAY more effective in the dry suit. Without cold water dissipating that heat, you heat you feel is SO much greater. When I wore it under the wetsuit in 55 degree water, I wore it at level 3 the whole dive, and it kept the chill off and I was definitely more comfortable. Under the dry suit, at level 3 it felt straight up hot, so I started it off at level 1 for about 20 minutes which was nice, then moved it up to level 2 for another 20-30 minutes, and after that I was flirting with level 3 but even then it was hot, so I'd turn it up, heat up, and then back it down to level 2. In this case the vest is right on my wicking layer closer to my skin, compared to being over a 2mm top in the wetsuit.
2. Sometimes in a dry suit when you sweat, your wicking layer can feel a bit cool, for me often in the middle of my back. That sensation completely goes away with the vest, since the heat is constant and right on your torso.
3. Even under a dry suit, there's still this weird effect you have to get used to where your chest and back are warm where the heating elements are, but your extremities are colder. Not as extreme as with the wetsuit, where I felt like I was swimming around with a jacket and no pants on, but the contrast in sensation is still notable. That contrast is less notable in the dry suit at the start because of the fact that you're dry and the vest is on low (level 1) at the start of the dive, but was definitely present by the end of the dive when my arms and legs were colder but chest and back were toasty warm.
4. My dry suit and undies are fairly fitted so the batteries in the vest added extra to my waistline. Wasn't too big a deal, but zipping up the undies was a little tight. Zipping up the dry suit over it all was fine.
5. Wearing the vest in the dry suit meant it stayed dry, which also meant I didn't have to wash it after! So I liked that.
If I have a complaint, it's that wearing this vest is one more piece of gear to have to charge, wear, manage, and possibly clean after you're done. It's a trade off for maintaining comfort, but it is also more stuff to deal with and remember. On the first dive, I forgot to turn it on after I zipped up, which wasn't that big a deal because I hadn't put my BC on yet, but still meant partially undressing so I could reach it and turn it on. Had I been in more of a rush, that would have been a major bummer.
While we have at least one example in this thread of a failed unit that caused an injury, I've talked to a few people now who have used these vests for years now without an issue. In general, if you're a tech diver doing long run times, and lengthy deco, it's a game changer. This thing will 100% keep you toasty in your dry suit while you're sitting idle on your deco stop in cold water. Multi-dive boat trips in cold water, again, a game changer. For one dive and out beach dives like I'm doing, where my run times are 80-100 minutes, it's definitely taking that cold edge off in the wet, keeping me toasty in the dry. I probably won't need it when temps are in the 60's and up, but winter time where temps are in the mid 50's, it's definitely useful.
Conditions were Southern California beach diving in December, water temp at 55-57 degrees F, depth to about 50 foot max in both cases. Both cases were at the same site, with roughly the same dive profile. Dive time was about 85 minutes, with swimming out to the drop point taking about 10-15, for a total time in the water of about 100 minutes.
1. As you might guess, the heated vest is WAY more effective in the dry suit. Without cold water dissipating that heat, you heat you feel is SO much greater. When I wore it under the wetsuit in 55 degree water, I wore it at level 3 the whole dive, and it kept the chill off and I was definitely more comfortable. Under the dry suit, at level 3 it felt straight up hot, so I started it off at level 1 for about 20 minutes which was nice, then moved it up to level 2 for another 20-30 minutes, and after that I was flirting with level 3 but even then it was hot, so I'd turn it up, heat up, and then back it down to level 2. In this case the vest is right on my wicking layer closer to my skin, compared to being over a 2mm top in the wetsuit.
2. Sometimes in a dry suit when you sweat, your wicking layer can feel a bit cool, for me often in the middle of my back. That sensation completely goes away with the vest, since the heat is constant and right on your torso.
3. Even under a dry suit, there's still this weird effect you have to get used to where your chest and back are warm where the heating elements are, but your extremities are colder. Not as extreme as with the wetsuit, where I felt like I was swimming around with a jacket and no pants on, but the contrast in sensation is still notable. That contrast is less notable in the dry suit at the start because of the fact that you're dry and the vest is on low (level 1) at the start of the dive, but was definitely present by the end of the dive when my arms and legs were colder but chest and back were toasty warm.
4. My dry suit and undies are fairly fitted so the batteries in the vest added extra to my waistline. Wasn't too big a deal, but zipping up the undies was a little tight. Zipping up the dry suit over it all was fine.
5. Wearing the vest in the dry suit meant it stayed dry, which also meant I didn't have to wash it after! So I liked that.
If I have a complaint, it's that wearing this vest is one more piece of gear to have to charge, wear, manage, and possibly clean after you're done. It's a trade off for maintaining comfort, but it is also more stuff to deal with and remember. On the first dive, I forgot to turn it on after I zipped up, which wasn't that big a deal because I hadn't put my BC on yet, but still meant partially undressing so I could reach it and turn it on. Had I been in more of a rush, that would have been a major bummer.
While we have at least one example in this thread of a failed unit that caused an injury, I've talked to a few people now who have used these vests for years now without an issue. In general, if you're a tech diver doing long run times, and lengthy deco, it's a game changer. This thing will 100% keep you toasty in your dry suit while you're sitting idle on your deco stop in cold water. Multi-dive boat trips in cold water, again, a game changer. For one dive and out beach dives like I'm doing, where my run times are 80-100 minutes, it's definitely taking that cold edge off in the wet, keeping me toasty in the dry. I probably won't need it when temps are in the 60's and up, but winter time where temps are in the mid 50's, it's definitely useful.
Still Kicking
Contributor
My strategy with heated vests (Thermalution and Venture Heat) was to start the dive with the vest off and wait until I got cold before turning it on. My profiles were similiar so I would generally turn it on about the 45 minute mark. I never found that I needed more than level 1.
I read somewhere that our bodies are very sensitive to temperature differential so if you're cold, any heat feels much warmer even if it's only a couple of degrees.
My strategy seemed to work well and kept me comfortable for the remainder of the dive. I never felt cold in my extremities - I wear thin work gloves and and basic 5mm boots and my hands and feet rarely get cold with a good 7mm wetsuit and hooded vest.
It's too bad that heated vests are not more reliable (electricity and saltwater!) -- they have the potential to really change the game for coldwater divers.
livewire
Contributor
I've now been diving with this vest every weekend since I got it in November, squeezing in a few mid-week dives here and there, so call it like 12 or 13 dives, 2 of them wet, the rest dry. Across these dives, pretty reliable! Happy with it so far. I've been looking for ways it can possibly fail, and I'm seeing two possibilities:
1. O-ring failure on the battery when diving wet. There's only one O-ring that holds out the water from reaching the battery terminals. If one of these leaks on either battery, you'd have a short on the battery terminals, and no more heat. Unknown if the batteries have fault protection, and unclear what would happen in the event of a fault. Explosion? Simple shutdown? Inspect your o-rings just like you would on other gear (camera, flashlight, etc.) and no worries. If you dive it dry, it's obviously much less of a concern.
2. Damage to the heating element. The heating elements inside the vest are a little like the ones you might find in a heating pad or heated blanket, snaking back and forth in the back and chest. While they're not super fragile, I could see the possibility of getting too rough with the vest when cleaning, wringing it out to dry (don't do that!), dropping weights or a tank on it or something like that, and breaking or shorting out one of these heating elements. Hang dry and treat it like it's fragile and I think you avoid those issues.
I like the strategy of waiting till you're cold to turn it on--that definitely works--but I have to say, on these cold winter mornings where I'm getting dressed at the car while it's in the 40's, I've just been turning it on before even getting in the water to warm up a little, and then turning it on again right when I get in. It's such a posh little luxury.
And when I'm only doing one long dive and out for the day, no need to save battery... it's plenty of juice for one 90 minute dive.
Snusmumrik
Contributor
Man. It's your choice, but i never put LiIon battery into the drysuit. It's a delayed fuze bomb
waiting to spread fire over you. My opinion is to keep heater battery in separate canister
in drysuit pocket and use water-proof connectors and inflation valve spacer
to allow cable to enter suit. Looks much safer after i see how small 18650 batteries can burn.
man your hotI've now been diving with this vest every weekend since I got it in November, squeezing in a few mid-week dives here and there, so call it like 12 or 13 dives, 2 of them wet, the rest dry. Across these dives, pretty reliable! Happy with it so far. I've been looking for ways it can possibly fail, and I'm seeing two possibilities:
1. O-ring failure on the battery when diving wet. There's only one O-ring that holds out the water from reaching the battery terminals. If one of these leaks on either battery, you'd have a short on the battery terminals, and no more heat. Unknown if the batteries have fault protection, and unclear what would happen in the event of a fault. Explosion? Simple shutdown? Inspect your o-rings just like you would on other gear (camera, flashlight, etc.) and no worries. If you dive it dry, it's obviously much less of a concern.
2. Damage to the heating element. The heating elements inside the vest are a little like the ones you might find in a heating pad or heated blanket, snaking back and forth in the back and chest. While they're not super fragile, I could see the possibility of getting too rough with the vest when cleaning, wringing it out to dry (don't do that!), dropping weights or a tank on it or something like that, and breaking or shorting out one of these heating elements. Hang dry and treat it like it's fragile and I think you avoid those issues.
I like the strategy of waiting till you're cold to turn it on--that definitely works--but I have to say, on these cold winter mornings where I'm getting dressed at the car while it's in the 40's, I've just been turning it on before even getting in the water to warm up a little, and then turning it on again right when I get in. It's such a posh little luxury.
$ wise better off putting the $ toward a drysuit and insulation.
livewire
Contributor
A heated vest or heated undergarment is 100% a luxury item and certainly not for everyone, but I have to say it's REALLY nice. Yes, thicker undergarments are cheaper, but that would also mean extra led, which I would be hauling up and down steps, sometimes through a park or across a street, across a sandy beach, entering and exiting surf, and swimming it out to the dive site. Those extra pounds make a massive difference at the end of a long dive when I'm exiting through surf and hiking up stairs or a ramp. This is a thinner option.
For me, a heated vest isn't meant to replace a drysuit or insulation, but to add comfort and extend bottom time, without adding a lot of led. In the winter, I'm mostly diving 55-57 degree water with a drysuit. Without the heated vest this would be fine if my dives were only 50-70 minutes. I could even dive wet for 60 minutes and be fine. However, my bottom times are typically 80-100 minutes, not counting the 10+ minute swim out to the site, at which point I get cold. Heated vest solves this issue for me, and as mentioned, it's kind of luxurious to solve this withOUT adding a lot of bulk and led. I'm not doing multiple dives a day like I used to, but if I were, I could see it being massively helpful to maintaining core warmth in that situation as well.
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