Venture heated vest...any experience?

[lexvil]

I’m wearing my Christmas/Birthday gift right now, pre use testing. First question I had was how warm? answer; plenty. Second question, auto shut off at 1 hr, check, 2b can it restart? Yes. Third question total run time? Answer; I’m at 1.5 hours total, first hour mostly on low heat and this half past hour on high and going back to low because I’m to hot.

I have the 2x and added the expansion panel and it fits great, hoping for good conditions on Wednesday so I can try it on a few dives.

 

[KentB]

I find the expansion panel put the one battery in an awkward spot and I had bruising on my ribs. I returned it for a larger version which fit without the expansion and it works great
The remote range is terrible and the button gets hit accidentally. The thermolution remote was much much better

 

[lexvil]

Nearly 4 hours run time mostly on high. Batteries weigh 2.7 lb for the pair so less lead needed and they sit in a good spot.

 

[bobmaggi]

I used a motorcycle heated vest with an external battery for several years of Great Lakes diving. When it got to the point that I wasn’t getting as much heat out of it (I believe due to breaking of the heating wires due to being thrown into my undergarment bag too many times) I got the Light Monkey heated vest (https://www.lightmonkey.us/heater-base) for diving. It uses 2, 20 watt carbon fiber heating elements, front and back. They also have locking power connections which was one thing I didn’t like about the motorcycle heat setup, sometimes getting the dry suit on the friction fit connectors would come apart so no extra heat on that dive.
I always dive with my heated vest and heated glove liners. During the winter months I add in heated sock liners to keep the toes comfortable. That said, I always wear enough undergarments for the planned dive as I always assume the heat will fail during the dive. The heated gloves are the best heated item, I was calling too many dives due to cold hands, the liners don’t really get hot but my hands stay comfortable for the whole dive.
I agree that heater battery packs should be external, then any issues can be taken care of by turning off or disconnecting the battery. Internal batteries mean you are stuck until you can get out of the water.

 

[Richard Dayan]

I used a motorcycle heated vest with an external battery for several years of Great Lakes diving. When it got to the point that I wasn’t getting as much heat out of it (I believe due to breaking of the heating wires due to being thrown into my undergarment bag too many times) I got the Light Monkey heated vest (https://www.lightmonkey.us/heater-base) for diving. It uses 2, 20 watt carbon fiber heating elements, front and back. They also have locking power connections which was one thing I didn’t like about the motorcycle heat setup, sometimes getting the dry suit on the friction fit connectors would come apart so no extra heat on that dive.
I always dive with my heated vest and heated glove liners. During the winter months I add in heated sock liners to keep the toes comfortable. That said, I always wear enough undergarments for the planned dive as I always assume the heat will fail during the dive. The heated gloves are the best heated item, I was calling too many dives due to cold hands, the liners don’t really get hot but my hands stay comfortable for the whole dive.
I agree that heater battery packs should be external, then any issues can be taken care of by turning off or disconnecting the battery. Internal batteries mean you are stuck until you can get out of the water.

 

[Kensei]

Divers Ready just released a review of the Venture Heat on YouTube. Gave it a thumbs up.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I've only worn mine three times so far. The first dive I kept it at the first setting. I didn't notice any warmth, but the water wasn't that cold. Last month I wore it against my skin. I stayed warm throughout the dive. Two days ago I wore it against my skin again and had to turn it off after fifteen minutes. Even at the lowest setting, I was too hot. When I got out of my drysuit Merry said I looked like a hot dog on a grill. I had red lines on my back and chest. I think I'll go with a shirt next time.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Divers Ready just released a review of the Venture Heat on YouTube. Gave it a thumbs up.

Is there a summary of plusses and minuses? I can't watch his videos as he just talks way too much with saying too little.

 

[lexvil]

So far very happy with mine, with trilam I turn it on after 30-40 minutes, with neoprene dry suit didn’t turn it on at all. My only complaint is the remote controller, as pointed out earlier by another user, in the water it has very limited range, I prefer having it on my right wrist above my backup computer, I have to reach across to get the controller to work by holding it close to the receiver, the vibration thing is nice for this.

I wear it over my heavy wool base and the top layer.

 

[beldridg]

I really like mine and I use it on every dive. Most of my dives involve a decent amount of deco and right now the water is 57F at the 20' stop.

I had problems with the controller initially but Venture Heat is located close to me so I just brought it in and they gave me a new one. No problems at all with probably 30+ dives.

I wear mine over a thin workout "compression" type top (so I don't get the roasted hot-dog effect that @MaxBottomtime had) and under my Fourth Element Arctic top.

I usually turn it on to the first level as I'm leaving the bottom and starting deco and then use level 2 or 3 during the deco stops at 30' and 20'.

- brett