Heated Gear
Heated Clothing (or Heated Gear) is built for cold-weather outdoor activities such as winter sports, hiking and outdoor work such as construction or ironworking.
Standard insulated garments work by trapping natural body heat. With heated clothes, the garment produces the heat via an internal function and can keep a wearer warm even if they are resting or standing and not producing heat.
Types
Electrical
Heated Gear powered by either a 12 volt electrical current or batteries, most commonly Li-Ion.
Electrical Heated Gear requires internal technologies to be construction between and an outer and inner layer of fabric.
The internal heating technologies for electrically heated gear include the following:
- Copper Wire,
- Nichrome Wire,
- Metal "Mesh" Systems,
- Carbon-Embedded Fabric,
- Carbon Fibers.
Stored Heat
Heated Gear that uses gel packs inserted into cloth pouches or pockets within the garment.
Prior to going outdoors, the gel packs must be heated in the microwave.
FOR PROPPER USE PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS ON GEL PACK
Chemical
Heated Gear that uses chemical reaction-based packs (hand warmers) inserted into cloth pouches or pockets within the garment.
Disposable heat packs typically contain cellulose, iron, water, activated carbon, vermiculite, and salt. When these packs are exposed to air, an exothermic chemical reaction occurs, which provides several hours of heat. Another chemical heating pad uses a gel that can be activated by twisting the package, thus triggering a chemical reaction.
Some chemical reaction-based packs can be put in a pot of boiling water to convert the chemical reaction back and allow it to be reused.
FOR PROPPER USE PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS ON PACK
