heated clothing, is it any good?

Such negativity! I got a Regatta heated coat for Christmas last year and it's awesome. Almost instant heat that you can regulate as you get warmer. It's really well insulated so you don't need the heat on for long, sometimes you can get a bit too warm. An added benefit is if you get the right battery pack you can charge your phone at the same time.

My top tip - don't put a packet of chocolate raisins in your coat pocket for that long walk....
 
IceBear said:
Ready Brek.
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You're showing your age there! Those ads must have been 40 years ago now.

As an added bonus, the orange glow would be a useful safety feature when dog walking in low light. Better than a high-vis jacket! :)

More seriously, insulation is better than heating since humans create a lot of heat. Reducing heat loss is more efficient than adding more heat to be lost, since the amount of heat that can be added has to be low enough to be safe. If you're in a "this will kill you quickly" temperature then maybe insulation plus heating would be worthwhile, but that's more extreme than you're likely to get in the UK.

The coldest temperature I've been in for an extended period of time was -18C. Not including wind chill. -18C was the direct air temperature. The biggest issue was breathing. You damn well know when the air you're breathing is that cold. I didn't need any extra heating, though. I was suitably clothed. Hands and feet were the main things, but I had suitable gloves (inner and outer) and suitable socks (inner and outer) and footwear. Layers matter. Maybe you could be OK with a single layer of some very specialised material, but layers make a lot of difference even when the clothing is fairly ordinary. Today, for example, I was too hot and had to open a couple of layers. It was 0C and the wind was up enough to make it necessary to lean disconcertingly forward in order to stay upright, but I was overheating in my 3 layers. I walked a couple of hundred metres with both outer layers open and the wind howling at a thin polo shirt. That cooled me down pronto. My legs were freezing anyway because I only had 1 layer on them and it was thin cheap trousers. Layers are the key.
 
I've used heated gloves on my motorbike and they were great but I do suffer from poor circulation in my fingers if I'm not moving around.
For my top and bottom I used under armour thermals and combined with the gloves I was warm enough to forget it was snowing.
 
Heated gloves and socks are great, people saying they are rubbish, use thermals etc. don't know what they're talking about, even when doing intense exercise where you have a high core body temperature your extremities can remain cold.
 
Our youngest one wears heated gloves when we go ski-ing and while they are completely a gimmick they're also really quite good. For general body wear though I'd suggest layers are your friend rather than heated gizmos.
 
Energize said:
Heated gloves and socks are great, people saying they are rubbish, use thermals etc. don't know what they're talking about, even when doing intense exercise where you have a high core body temperature your extremities can remain cold.
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Decent gloves, socks and layers work fine. I've spent long periods outside in various places, below -25C, with strong winds on top...and never once thought that heated clothing would be useful. I climb in below zero weather, with no gloves, on cold rock....and even then, you just stuff your hands into your down jacket, and they warm up fine.

You don't need heated clothing to walk a dog in the UK.

I'm sure they are useful on a motorbike where you can't wear bulky layer and aren't moving. But if you are walking around, the best way to maintain a comfortable temperature is to wear appropriate layers.
 
My cousin, crane technician, loves his but it is a specific make designed to be worked in.

Id advise a proper good down jacket. Down jackets are awesome, I've had my very thin one in - 8 overnight. The decathlon ones get great praise for the price as do the uniqlo ones which are probably a bit better fitted/aesthetically pleasing.
 
Thermal base layers are great, but no one is going to put them on just to walk the dog. Nothing wrong with a heated jacket if she feels the cold. I certainly wish I'd had one when I was riding bikes in all weathers across the country rather than freezing my **** off.
 
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