Venture heated vest...any experience?

[Hatul]

I have the Yellow Plus Thermalution vest and only used it under wetsuits. The main issue is the heating is only on the back, which may be fine inside a drysuit but under a wetsuit it's pretty anemic and it cost $900 if I recall correctly.

The Venture Heat sounds interesting as it heats front and back and costs less. They're based close to where I live in S Cal so I would like to see if I can pop in there.

 

[Frontpointer1000]

I have the Yellow Plus Thermalution vest and only used it under wetsuits. The main issue is the heating is only on the back, which may be fine inside a drysuit but under a wetsuit it's pretty anemic and it cost $900 if I recall correctly.

The Venture Heat sounds interesting as it heats front and back and costs less. They're based close to where I live in S Cal so I would like to see if I can pop in there.

If you happen to go to the shop, please let us know what you find.

 

[Grey Goose]

Costco sells Fired Up X Heated Apparel (on sale, less than $200 Canadian). I've bought the vest for outside wear. Was wondering if could use in scuba. Curious, I wrote the manufacture to ask about suitability for diving. Here is the company's response:

We have had a few people wear these under a dry suit. The only thing I recommended was put the battery in a waterproof pouch. The technology we use in Infrared (everyone else uses some sort of metal wires), so much safer and you can get it wet no problem. The battery if wet will short circuit and not catch fire. The battery is wrapped in a waterproof blue wrap so what I would suggest is put a rubber washer between the battery and the connector and then put in a waterproof pouch and use some waterproof tape to seal it in there.

From company website (Fired Up X Infrared Heated Apparel):
FIRed Up heated vest liners use F.I.R (Far Infrared) heat to keep you warm in the harshest of conditions. FIR produces a soothing and therapeutic heat that is safe and reliable. There are no metal wires in the vest which means no chance of wires breaking or coiling and creating hot spots that may burn the user.​

 

[tbone1004]

@Grey Goose if you're going to use one of those in a drysuit, I'd recommend not using their batteries and instead using a proper port and canister battery to drive it....

 

[a878bob]

See any technical data on that fired up vest? Amps/ temp, etc?

 

[tbone1004]

See any technical data on that fired up vest? Amps/ temp, etc?

11.1vx3ah=~33wh consumption. Says the battery is good for about 2 hours, so somewhere around 15w.
One of the graphs on their chart shows 46c/115f

They say they're using carbon fiber filaments to generate the IR, so my only real hesitation would be how they are encapsulated as carbon fiber is quite brittle

 

[grantctobin]

11.1vx3ah=~33wh consumption. Says the battery is good for about 2 hours, so somewhere around 15w.
One of the graphs on their chart shows 46c/115f

They say they're using carbon fiber filaments to generate the IR, so my only real hesitation would be how they are encapsulated as carbon fiber is quite brittle

That and the minuscule watts are the big concerns.

 

[tbone1004]

That and the minuscule watts are the big concerns.

The temperature is about right. 115-125 is about as warm as you want it to be if you leave it on continuously. It's not a lot of watts, but if it's a more efficient way to warm the body, then it is likely enough for the majority of diving.

 

[GordonSO]

Fits badly, warms well -

I love the overal concept of this vest. It really keeps me warm, though I feel like the battery that comes with it doesn't hold quite as much of a charge as the ads promises. According to their size chart, I am super short and small, so that's what I ordered. This vest is at least 4 inches too wide for me, and barely reaches the top of my pants. Even with a base, mid layer, and my heaviest cotton sweater, it's still too loose- and I can't feel the heat through all that.

It's a lightweight vest, so having it be as fitted as possible for autumn weather or to layer underneath a jacket is a must. I'm going to rip this thing apart and use my sewing skills to make it smaller. I'm grateful I can do that, but I'm pretty bummed I need to.

I guees worth the money, but you can certainly make a better research and find something more comfortable or available in more sizes...
6 Best Heated Vests for Men and Women [Buyer’s Guide] (Dec. 2020)
I mean pay extra $20-30 to get the Ororo or ProSmart vest provides the same amount of heat but fits better.

 

[Marie13]

I guees worth the money, but you can certainly make a better research and find something more comfortable or available in more sizes...
6 Best Heated Vests for Men and Women [Buyer’s Guide] (Dec. 2020)
I mean pay extra $20-30 to get the Ororo or ProSmart vest provides the same amount of heat but fits better.

This seems to be a questionable review. We’re discussing the underwater vest and the poster above discusses the non-uw version - Venture makes both. Also, the link given is to non-underwater vests.