Rechargeable heated gloves?

[TomP]

I looked, but didn’t find a thread. Has anyone used these and have an opinion? Thanks!

[tab123]

Originally Posted by TomP

I looked, but didn’t find a thread. Has anyone used these and have an opinion? Thanks!

I used a pair of rechargeable heated gloves when I commuted to work in Chicago on my Vespa (150cc so it was pretty peppy). The heated gloves kept my hands warm even when riding when the temperatures were in the 20s. The gloves I used were intended for snowmobiling. I tried walking with them once when the temperature was near zero at the lakefront, and my hands got too warm.

[kohagen]

My wife uses Zanier heated gloves to ski. She calls them a game changer.

This is her second set of Zaniers. The first set was replaced under warranty when one of the gloves stopped heating. She’s used the second set for a few years. No major problems with that pair.

When we were in Basin Sports at Killington, we talked with the owner about heated gloves. He’s rotated through five different manufacturers, since all of them have had some durability issues with either the batteries or the heating units. Flexing the wires in the gloves, either when skiing or some other outdoor activity, is apparently not good for their lifespan.

When they work, heated gloves are great. However, durability seems to be an issue. At $300-400 a pair, they’re not cheap.

[buddybikes]

40 pairs hand warmers are 25.00...

[rwsaunders]

I looked into electric gloves a few years ago and as I don’t ski or commute, I couldn’t rationalize the investment. My warmest gloves for cycling are snowboarding gloves. Very warm, gauntlet like construction and somewhat open at the cuffs, which allows them to breathe I guess. When I couple them with a liner, I can ride down to my limit of cold for the other parts of my body...low 20’s.

[happycampyer]

There was a thread about this a while back:

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=214928

This was my comment in that thread, which is pretty much what I would say today:

Originally Posted by happycampyer

I have two pairs of heated gloves, one by Outdoor Research, and the other by Zanier. The Zanier gloves are basically ski gloves, and are bulkier than the OR gloves. They are both toasty warm, and they warm the fingers (heat packs generally only warm the main part of the hand).

The last parenthetical is à propos the comment about hand warmers—they don't do a very good job of warming your fingers.

[Mikej]

Originally Posted by steveandbarb1

40 pairs hand warmers are 25.00...

AND if you put them in a ziplock bag when you’re done they can be re used

[yarg]

Outdoor research gloves are $149 at backcountry right now, tempted.

[Ti Designs]

I do a lot of photography off the bike, which means there's times of intense activity (riding my cross bike with 20 pounds of camera equipment up some mountain) and times of inactivity with my gloves off. That combination is as hard as it gets, so I've worked out a number of heat sources. I've not found an all-in-one solution for electric gloves, but I have found some electric glove liners that use external 12v power. I've also bought a number of motorcycle hand grip warmer kits which are just small flexible sheets of heating wire which you wrap around handlebars. I wrap them around one of the legs of my tripod and use something like a bar-mitt to hold the heat. I've even gone so far as to make a center column for my tripod which is also the battery. On the bike I use heat in two places. My glove liners plug into cords I've run in my winter jacket from the back pocket which holds the battery. I also have the heating pads from the hand grip warmers sewn into the jacket to warm my lumbar, because that always tightens up when I stop.

As with just about everything else, I can't just walk into a store and find exactly what I want. That said, the people who have seen my set-up want one just like it...

[sitzmark]

Originally Posted by kohagen

My wife uses Zanier heated gloves to ski. She calls them a game changer.

This is her second set of Zaniers. The first set was replaced under warranty when one of the gloves stopped heating. She’s used the second set for a few years. No major problems with that pair.

When we were in Basin Sports at Killington, we talked with the owner about heated gloves. He’s rotated through five different manufacturers, since all of them have had some durability issues with either the batteries or the heating units. Flexing the wires in the gloves, either when skiing or some other outdoor activity, is apparently not good for their lifespan.

When they work, heated gloves are great. However, durability seems to be an issue. At $300-400 a pair, they’re not cheap.

t

Exact same experience for my wife. Think we're 4-5 years into her Zaniers. The switch contacts in her first pair malfunctioned, which were replaced under warranty. No issues with the replacement pair. I think they would be bulky for cycling, but workable.

She tried a couple different brands of heated glove liners a few years before the Zaniers and they were total junk - not inexpensive ($100+) and very cheaply made. Wires in the liners broke within a few uses. No manufacturer/dealer support for those so $ wasted.

There weren't good options for battery heated gloves 5+ years ago but many of the women my wife skis with have recently started using heated gloves ($300-$500 range) and reliability is much better. Warranty support seems to be good for the various brands at higher price points so not a throw away item if problems develop.

[mdeth1313]

I've been using Venture Heat glove liners for the past 2 years. First I tried their heated gloves - they worked but were clumsy and had limitations (as far as heating).

For whatever reason my hands/fingers are the only part of my body that can't take the cold. Maybe it's because they're out in front of your body in the wind and don't do much as far as movement, I'm sure it's mostly genetics, but I've ridden comfortably with the heated liners down to 1 degree (F not C). Only reason I didn't try lower was it never got any colder here.

The liners work perfectly. I put those on and then choose the glove I want over them. For the coldest days I have a pair of seirus mtn challenger gloves - they're soft shell gloves and have a lot of insulation but are quite flexible. There are 3 heat settings and my batteries are still going strong after 2 winters of use (about 3-4 days a week of riding). I've used them on rides in the 20's for over 4 hours on the medium setting.

I ended up picking up another pair and now have 2 sets of batteries. They're not that heavy (especially if it's cold and you're already loaded down with winter gear).

Whoever mentioned hand warmers - hand warmers suck inside gloves. Once there's no air circulation they hardly work at all. If anything use the toe warmers (this is from experience). BUT - they don't circulate the heat around your fingers and if it's that cold, eventually your fingers will start to freeze, especially if you have bloodflow/circulation issues.

These things work and I've had zero issues with 2 pairs.

[jamesdak]

Well, unfortunately the cold effects us all differently. For winter bike riding I've found midweight gloves with a removable mitten cover and pouch for a chemical heater are good for me down to at least -7 F. In fact for me if I keep my wrist and ankles well protected that takes care of my hands and feet. Theory by many is that those are the areas where the blood is flowing so close to the surface. I do have a lightweight set of merino wool liners I can use also if really cold yet sticking to the lighter gloves.