Battery Operated Liner?

j schara

Guest
Time for some heated clothing. I would like to find a battery operated liner. I have had a Widder vest in the past but like the idea of a liner with sleeves. My rides aren't as long as they use to be so I would like to use it for days other than on the bike. I have looked at seven of the major brands and no one seems to offer what I'm looking for. (unless I missed something) Has anyone out there wanted the same and found it?

Searching for that warm and fuzzy feeling,
Jim
 
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I found a nicad battery jacket through the Herrington Catalogue. It didn't put out much heat and I'm much, much happier with the Gerbing. The battery jacket cost about as much as the Gerbing jacket. I'd encourage you to spring for the Gerbing.

Terry
 

Warren

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Time for some heated clothing. I would like to find a battery operated liner. I have had a Widder vest in the past but like the idea of a liner with sleeves. My rides aren't as long as they use to be so I would like to use it for days other than on the bike. I have looked at seven of the major brands and no one seems to offer what I'm looking for. (unless I missed something) Has anyone out there wanted the same and found it?

Searching for that warm and fuzzy feeling,
Jim
Since you want to be able to use the heated liner off the bike you might want to look at "Mobile Warming"gear. I have a pair of their gloves that work well. Keep in mind for motorcycle use that rechargeable battery gear does not put out the same level of heat as gear designed to use your motorcycle battery. Also depending on the power setting used you can drain the battery's in as little as a couple of hours. Ok for commuting but not so much for a long ride.

http://www.thewarmingstore.com/mobile-warming-heated-clothing.html?gclid=CIT4y-31m8ECFWqCMgodciUAZw
 

DirtFlier

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Most or all battery powered clothing & gloves are NOT made for motorcycle use. They work fine for fishing, hunting, birdwatching, etc., but moving down the highway at 60 MPH with ambient temp at even a relatively warm 60 F is way beyond their capabilities.
 
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I believe Gerbing at some point made or was designing a Hybrid set of clothing. The Hybrid clothing works either by plugging it into a 12v source OR buy plugging into a battery pac that can be worn. I'm not sure if they have them available or not but it sounded like a great system for those that wanted the power of a plug in system while riding but the portability of having heat while not on the bike.

One other point. Gerbing has changed their warranty. It is now ONLY 1 YEAR. Say good bye to those annual checkups or free wiring repairs. :mad1:

+1 to what Warren wrote. There are a couple things that came to mind for me when I was going down this road.
  1. Will I need two batteries? Chances are, you will.
  2. If so, will I need two chargers? Maybe.
  3. What's the weight like?
  4. How warm will it really get? There's a difference between sitting on the bike, and the warmth you get from just moving around. What will get you warm in one environment, may not be enough on the motorcycle.
  5. What is my backup plan if the jacket liner fails?
  6. Will I want gloves too?
  7. What's the total cost and the expandability?
  8. What's the warranty time period? And what does it cover?

It seems like a no-brainer to get something that's battery operated, but I saw enough drawbacks that I went with the Gerbing gear. I don't know how long your commute is, but if it is anything like mine, it can vary a lot. Mine is a minimum 40 minutes...and that can expand to a couple hours...or more... depending on accidents, etc. Will the battery life last that long? Or will I need to stop and call for someone to bring me some warm layers to put on? Having two batteries has some advantages, and you may want a charger both at home, and at the work location. Then you're always starting with a fresh battery.

Regarding the weight...is this like carrying around a bulky D cell flashlight all the time? Where are the batteries located? Will they get in my way? As far as a backup plan, what you'll find with many of these electric jackets or liners, is the built-in warmth is minimal. If the connection fails...you could be freezing by the time you get to your destination. And if you can plug in heated gloves...how much more will they draw from the battery? Or will they have their own battery?

There are three things I liked when I decided to get the Gerbing gear.

  1. The warranty is terrific. I know of people who just send their gear in each year to be checked. All it costs them is the postage one way.
  2. The gloves have heating elements on the top and bottom of the hand. Many do not.
  3. It is designed to be worn on a motorcycle. You don't give up the skid protection and impact protection by getting just a warm jacket. I know of some riders who throw out all common sense when it comes to winter riding gear. In the summer, they'll go ATGATT. In the winter, warmth is their only consideration. For them, they put away the motorcycle gear, and get a nice down jacket or something...just when they are riding in the most hazardous conditions they'll find. With the Gerbing gear, you don't give up the leather on the gloves, and the liner slips under your existing motorcycle jacket just fine.

Good luck on your choices! Please let us know what you picked, and why. It'll help others going down that same road.

Chris
 
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For another take on this.............

I have Gerbing gloves(the lightweight corded version) and they work great plugged into the bike.

Now, just for grins, I tried using them with a battery. I have a ton of LiPo batteries sitting around because of my RC model airplane hobby. Turns out that a 3cell battery puts out around 11V. So, plugged the battery into the gloves and, voila, good heat. Almost as hot as plugged into the bike. And when you are not moving it is more than enough to keep warm.

So, just get a vest made for a bike then get one of the "12V' battery packs and charger made by one of the mfg's.

But, you might be unpleasantly surprised at the cost of the batteries and charger. Well over $100 to get a couple hours capacity. My gloves draw about 1A each. That means a 1000mAh battery per glove per hour (probably a little more since you don't drain the battery to zero). So, for 2 hours you'd need one 3s5000 or two 3s2500 batteries. A good quality LiIon battery in that size is in the $100 range or more. Then add a good charger and you are into it for another $50.

So, bottom line is, yes, you can use your plug in gear with batteries, but, it will cost.

FWIW, weight is not that big an issue. The lithium batteries these days are not like carrying around a brick of D cells or NiCd's.
 

Warren

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I hardly notice the weight of the batteries in my gloves. They are located in a pocket in the gauntlet so the weight is on you wrist not you hand.
 
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With a long ride planned for this long holiday weekend, even longer for those of us employed by UMaine, I gave in and bought a FirstGear jacket liner that plugs in to the bike.
 

karl

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I Use mine some time just to sooth my aching back. I have a vest with heat in the collar and on my midnight ride home from work rides I rarely go more than a few blocks with the controller set on high. Stock screen up a reasonably windproof coat are some comfort factors. Being comfortable makes it fun for me. Rather than asking myself what the heck am I doing?
 
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j schara

Guest
Thanks to all who responded to my question. Very good insight with useful information to think about. After mauling it over what made the most sense to me was buying gear that was meant for motorcycle use. I had hoped to make it two fold but was leery about buying a product that wouldn't stand up to the demand of being on a bike at speed.

After weighing my options (and budget) I decided on the Tourmaster Synergy 2.0 jacket liner. The reviews I read were favorable and what I liked was that the price included both the control unit and the battery harness. I did look at the Gerbines but everything besides the liner was extra. I did buy a extra battery harness for six bucks for my other bike. I thought that price was more than fair.

I just received it and am excited to use it. I'll let you know if I made the right choice (for me).

Thanks everyone,
Jim
 
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If I were buying a new liner today I would definatly go with Gordon's heated clothing rheostat and jacket liner. www.gordonsheated.com

They are only offering gloves Jacket liners , and heat controller's at this time, but I think that in the future there will be pant liners as well.I think that the quality will be up to the standard of the OLD GERBINGS before the company was bought out and moved to the S.E.
 
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