Heated Vest - Very Low Cost

[dpep]

Here is an option for staying warm for anyone who:

* doesn't want to spend the money on an electric vest
or
* doesn't want to chance an electric vest on their charging system
or
* wants less bulk than an electric vest to carry around

Take the ugliest old t-shirt you have. Tear off the sleeves; then sew them or have them sewn onto the front of the shirt as pockets. Put one over the chest and one over the gut.

Go to an outdoor store or department and get the little heat packs sold to hunters and campers. When you open the package and expose them to air they generate heat for a period of several hours depending upon their size.

When I am taking a trip that could encounter some cold I slip this on over my regular tshirt. Then if the temprature drops as in after sundown I open a couple of the packs and slip them into the pockets.

It works well because it puts heat directly on the core of the body. When you are in the cold the body pulls blood from the extremeties to cover the vital organs in the core. You must keep the core warm to keep the fingers and toes warm.

The whole setup is small enough to fit in a large jacket pocket.

 

[Billyboy]

COOL. I think I'l just use a flannel pocketed shirt and drop in the heat packs.

 

[jpaul]

The heat packs that work when exposed to air can be put in a ziploc bag after the ride and reused, up to a point. If you have an hour ride and use the packs with a 4 hour life, you can get three trips out of them, and part of a fourth, that way.

I keep a pack of the toe warmers in my tank bag when the weather gets colder. If my hands start getting cold and stiff I put them on the inside of my wrist. That way the blood flowing to my hands get a heat boost on the way to my fingers. An easy fix for late fall/early spring rides that are a little colder than you anticipated.

 

[Tom MLC]

Very ingenious, Don. Timely tip with winter approaching. Thanks!

 

[txironhead]

You're right, that IS an ugly shirt! J/K\\/

Good tip!

Another interesting thing I found: If you can find some silk "glove liners", they work great if you first put on the liners, then some latex gloves, then your normal winter gloves. The latex gloves create a "heat pocket" that works much better than the liners alone.

Also, if you wear tube socks with your boots, your feet will stay warmer if you put on a pair of thin socks before the tube socks.

Got these tips from a Winter Texan that HATED to put his Goldwing up for the winter!

 

[Mobetter]

Nice tip Don, thanks.
God knows I have plenty of old t-shirts.

I wonder if I could talk my wife into sewing.
I screwed up her machine the last time I used it :-(

Peace
Mo

 

[Billyboy]

That's what you get for trying to sew seat vinyl on a regular machine! :-D

 

[8trackmind]

Thanks, Don. Good tip! :-D

 

[mark]

Great idea. Might try it Turkey hunting.

 

[antiwinter]

Nice Idea. I will for sure let my wife do the sewing. I cant even thread a needle. :-D

 

[tconroy]

Here is an option for staying warm for anyone who:

* doesn't want to spend the money on an electric vest
or
* doesn't want to chance an electric vest on their charging system
or
* wants less bulk than an electric vest to carry around

Take the ugliest old t-shirt you have. Tear off the sleeves; then sew them or have them sewn onto the front of the shirt as pockets. Put one over the chest and one over the gut.

Go to an outdoor store or department and get the little heat packs sold to hunters and campers. When you open the package and expose them to air they generate heat for a period of several hours depending upon their size.

When I am taking a trip that could encounter some cold I slip this on over my regular tshirt. Then if the temprature drops as in after sundown I open a couple of the packs and slip them into the pockets.

It works well because it puts heat directly on the core of the body. When you are in the cold the body pulls blood from the extremeties to cover the vital organs in the core. You must keep the core warm to keep the fingers and toes warm.

The whole setup is small enough to fit in a large jacket pocket.

I also have gloves with a zippered pocket on the back of the hand to put warmers in.

 

[Cruzr]

Another interesting thing I found: If you can find some silk "glove liners", they work great if you first put on the liners, then some latex gloves, then your normal winter gloves. The latex gloves create a "heat pocket" that works much better than the liners alone.

I tried the latex glove thing and it just didn't work for me. I cannot keep my fingers warm - from the tips down to the second knuckle joint just FREEZE. My hands get cold anyway, so maybe it's a circulation issue. Irritates the cr@p outta me! I'm thinking only electric gloves will make any difference.

But the "hot hands" in the t-shirt as you described sounds great! I'm sure that would feel good on a cold day! Thanks for the tip!

 

[silverhorse47]

Also it's important to keep your wrists warm because the blood to your hands is going through the arteries very close to the skin at this point. It's very difficult to keep the hands warm if the wrists are exposed to cold air.
S.

 

[Pillage]

Nice tip Don. My daughter gpt a sewing machine for Christmas, this will be a good project for her this weekend.
If you get stuck riding in the cold without this gadget... I've found that buying a newspaper and zipping it into your jacket so it covers your torso helps a great deal.