Don't know the exact spec, but it's some sort of chome alloy with a plastic coating. The cable is very flexible compared to the bare element wire I used in my visor.

Andy

I got a Chilli heated waistcoat (made by Calamander UK) as a prezzie. I think the brand name must be ironic, but the product is god. Keeps me warm even when not switched on.

Otherwise plugs in with a variety of lead lengths that you can order. I got the curly one: long enough to reach any of the power points dotted about the Ural without being a deathtrap once off the bike.

It comes with a variable heat dial, so you can reheat last nights dinner all the way to nuke them potatoes. Max draw about 38W. Waistcoat seems well made with nice tough connectors on the waistcoat where it will get the most abuse. Only slightly more expensive than Klan heated clothing that lacks the thermostat, although this has served my Dad very well too.

Either way, definitely a recommended item of clothing: makes some journeys perfectly comfotable when they would have been hellish without...

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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

The only consistent problems with the Gerbing that I've heard about was the failed Chinese Heat Trollers copies they used for a while. Gerbing stole the Warm & Safe guy's Heat Troller design, copied his design but didn't get it right ... so lots of failures as a consequence ... I had one go bad!

I had not heard of many problems with the Electric jackets themselves. Lots of friends have them. Gerbing now use another design heat controller .... seems to be OK.

As you say, the Aerostich vest is far too bulky .... and apparently not that warm compared to a Gerbing or Warm & Safe. A vest will NEVER match
a full jacket in warmth.


Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Hmmm ... separate power packs? I'd much rather use something being powered off the bike that does not run on batteries ..... that need charging,
need replacing and go dead at the worst time. IMO, 0.6 amps ain't gonna cut it. The Gerbing pulls about 6 amps. Over 15 times more heat.

I've not used this product but trust me ... you need heat in more places than just your lower back. The Gerbing when worn with thin, close fitting jersey over it, keeps the Gerbing close fitting to your body, so you get maximum heat transfer. And not just for your back but your Chest and Arms as well. You just can't imagine how much difference having warm arms make. Keeps your hands working in the cold ... really makes a difference. The Gerbing and Warm & Safe have heat wires on your Chest, Arms, and all of your back and shoulders.

One of the greatest benefits of Electric jackets is the idea that you no longer have to dress up like the Michelin Man .... Mr. Bib! On a long trip this means less crap you have to pack, fewer bulky things to constantly peel on and off. The Gerbing is worth at least two fleece sweaters and you can ride freer with less bulk restricting movement. Nice.

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

I've had a Gerbing jacket for about 20 yrs and it really is a godsend on long winter rides. It heats just about everywhere - front, back, neck and arms, pulling around 7 amps / 85W.
Being a jacket though it goes over jumpers / sweaters so the heat has to get through them before it gets to me and I've often thought that something worn closer to the skin would need to put out less heat for the same effect. Also, as it's a couple of layers out it suffers from "rucking up" - moving away from your skin as you settle into the bike and you find yourself squirming around trying to get the hot bit back into contact.

Leaving sweaters and stuff off so the jacket is the first layer out leads to severe local overheating in some bits and draughts in others at the same time. I've not actually burnt myself but it has been very uncomfortable verging on painful once or twice. Being a primeval, early 80's model it has a binary heat controler - it's either on or off when you plug it in / unplug it.
If I ever get round to buying another one something that can be worn closer in with an easily adjustable controller would be what I'd want but not having looked at the market in years I've no idea what's available.

I can't pitch into this thread without asking how many of you recognise the name Maurice Seddon. If you don't and can't be bothered to google him I'd just say that if you're into electrically heated clothing this is a guy who really walks the walk.
He's been making / selling bespoke electric clothing since the 50's, running an old BSA with an auxillary car alternator strapped on not only to power the usual jackets, gloves, trousers, boots, extra lights etc but also a 12v oven on the rear of the bike which would cook his dinner as he rode along.

He even went as far as wiring his house with a second 12v ring main (powered by a windmill on the roof and in place of cental heating) so he could plug in his wired everyday clothing as he went from room to room. That really is belief in your product. In the 70's he was just about the only game in town if you were looking for electric bike clothing. I met him a few times at rallies and once at his home but could never afford any of his (very high quality) stuff as it was 3 -4 times the price of Gerbing. British craftsmanship versus American mass production I suppose.

Great comments!
The way to solve your problem is to get the jacket closer to you .... this will about double it's effectiveness. To do this:
First layer:
Thin, stretchy, high quality synthetic (or silk) like a Motocross jersey. Turtle neck is good, not required.
2nd Layer:
Gerbing jacket
3rd Layer:
This is optional but I like a thin Wind Stop liner. Should be thin but effective.
This will serve to hold the Gerbing close to your skin but with the 1st base layer jersey on, it won't burn you but will let Max heat through.
4th Layer:
Riding jacket.

Four layers seems like a lot but if the right fabrics are used, this is not a bulky set up at all and is good down to below freezing ... and then some.

Unfortunately this system really needs the heat controller to work effectively. I constantly adjust mine for conditions. In town, I turn it way down to "simmer". On slow roads it's set at 30%. Motor way in cold it goes about 50% to 75%. Mountains, early morning, late night, Full Up 100%.

My current bike (Suzuki DR650) only puts out a total of about 200 watts, so very little in reserve. In daylight I run with headlight off to give max power to Gerbing and heated grips and still maintain battery. All good in 20,000 miles. In the dark I've got about 5 hours of use if both Gerbing and grips are full up. About 10 hours if set lower. Battery recovers overnight sitting or in twenty minutes riding with accessories off.

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Yes, I really should make rational, performance determined decisions about which riding gear to buy after spending time thinking about how it's all going to integrate together. Sadly most of the pile of stuff I have to choose from comes from decisions made in haste and repented about at leisure.

Occasionally though two negatives do make a positive and with the Gerbing jacket the nuclear option is to do as you suggest and wear a thin base layer (I've used mountaineering stuff), then the heated jacket. Layer three is a down filled mountaineering jacket and then my winter bike jacket (one size larger than my summer one). The down jacket expands to fill every nook and cranny so all of the heat stays in.

With that amount of insulation however it's too hot and really only of use when you're doing 500 miles in -10C (ie the Elephant Rally or similar). A heat controller would be the way to go but until recently I didn't know they existed. It's a dry / cold combination only though as the down jacket doesn't take kindly to extended wet weather riding (neither do I actually but that's another story).

Trying to struggle into it all, where you're trying to jam three jackets on top of each other, is the biggest problem and gets me back to where I started - with a pile of stuff acquired on an ad hoc basis over decades. Each jacket is designed to do its job in isolation and putting them together like this is never going to be the best solution. It does have the (unintended) side effect of giving you more "road presence" as you end up looking like bibendum's bigger bulkier brother.

My CCM also puts out about 200W and has been running jacket, lights, sat nav and a few other low wattage bits without the voltmeter showing any distress. For many years though I ran a US spec XR600 with direct lighting and I could either run the jacket or the lights but not both. During the day I wouldn't need the jacket and as soon as the temperature dropped at night I couldn't use it.

We spent a year touring round South America. I had the WarmNSafe jacket while my husband had the Gerbin. We used them a lot down south.

WarmnSafe wins hands up because of the fitted cut. There is no lower elastic that shaft the jacket up like for Gerbin. So it covers the kidneys and as it is very fitted it is close to the skin everywhere. So WnS has a better cut.

My husband is now thinking to sell the Gerbin and buy Warmnsafe.

Heat troller did last only a year. I just bought Gerbin dual one and it looks must more tough....
cheers,

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

My home made jacket is only 60W, but as a second layer I've burnt myself (red horizontal wire burn marks on lower back/sides are hard to explain to my wife after a trip that passed Amsterdam and Hamburg BTW ).

I'm on the verge of dumping the electric kit for long prepared rides after playing with layers long enough to get it right. I'm using wool and silk as well as pile type synthetics and it really does such a good job the electrics become unecessary, but you've got to layer it up and seal the gaps. A low power controlable heated jacket under layers of thin wool would IMHO work down to minus 30 or less and certainly gives a nice boost to less than perfect bike clothing.

That battery pack type reminded me of another solution, there are jackets out there that have pockets for chemical heat packs. Easier to store when not used and can be recharged in a pan of hot water.

Andy

For long distance riders, the thing to remember is any thing you take needs to be versatile and work in a variety of conditions .... from freezing to massive heat and humidity. Do you just throw away all your cold weather gear once in the Tropics? Might be a bad idea. Mountain ranges happen!

The electric jacket won't be of much use in the tropics but you will be eliminating a couple of bulky layers with it, so two less items to pack, wash and carry.

Many times I can ride in just a T shirt under my riding jacket with the Gerbing (or Warm & Safe) on. This works for early morning chill or crossing a high pass in Spring or Summer, where its not freezing but does get cold enough to need a bit more heat. Or just that ride home from the City at night, where temps have cooled off a lot.

With the Electric jacket, no need to stop and add a layer, just turn up the heat! Headed back down into the valley? Heating up? Turn it off and open a vent or two. Mostly done without pulling off.

I've used this method on local rides for years. In California we get a wide range of temps and climates all within a few hundred miles ... within a day's ride. Here the Electric jacket really shows it's worth.

On one trip to Copper Canyon, Mex in 1998 we left Batopilas (at about 750 meters) where temps were in the low 80's (F) (26c). We proceeded to climb back up to Creel, which is at 8,000 ft. (2450 meters).

As we climbed it began to rain. "OK", I figured, "no problem, probably just a squall, will stop soon." We did not stop to put on rain gear.(first mistake) Rain got heavier as we climbed. And it got much colder. We finally stopped to put on rain gear ... but too late. My boots were soaked and so were my gloves. The rain gear helped but later, when the snow began I knew we were in trouble.

I stopped and dug out my Gerbing, which had been packed away deep for a couple weeks. The Gerbing saved me. After two more hours of riding in snow we came to the paved junction just outside Creel in a White Out, with temps at about 10F. The wood stove inside the small Tienda was a welcome sight.

So from 80f to 10f all in about 4 hours of riding! This is why you need an electric jacket!!

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

And I wish I'd packed mine when I took my wife on her first long bike trip. To start things off gently we went by motorail to Narbonne in southern France. Got off the train in 80F June warmth, had breakfast at an outdoor cafe in the sunshine and set off for the Pyrenees.

Within 2 hrs it was below freezing and snowing hard. We spent the night in a ski hotel in Pas de la Casa with no heating and next morning had to dig the bike out from a snowdrift. Just over an hour later, after crossing into Spain, the snow had gone and we were back to sunshine and 80F.

I would NEVER go anywhere without my heated gear these days.

Last July, back from the HU meet, (4 hours ride) the weather turned for the worse, extremely heavy rain, it got colder and colder. I had layers (merino IceBreaker / Berghaus extra warm Infinity jacket/gore tex liner...) , but not my trusted electric jacket.
It was a freezing miserable ride, my hands paralysed, my teeth shaking.... I've never been that cold! Never again!

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

Did you get wet inside? Goretex has serious serious issues and all that wool pile is designed for people dragging themselves up mountains not sitting still in a hurricane. The electric vest is fast becoming the universal sticking plaster for badly designed bike clothing, and yes it works so long as you have power and a working, connected element.

First alternative thought there would be to clean the nylon (useless as a cold-wet weather material anyway) layers so the barrier layer can breath like it's supposed to and add an external barrier (cheap unlined plastic rain suit) for when the soaked outer stops the Goretex breathing and you start to wet-freeze from condensation and the wicking action of the pile.

The alternative for altitude changes is a simple loose knitted wool jumper/tank top. It's air insulation both ways and works when wet, so cools when hot and retains heat when cold. It's a sort of storage unit for a happy temperature and over a cotton T-shirt can make use of the usually undesirable qualities of cotton when most of the ride is on the desert floor. Not as fashionable as all that branded gear mind, I wouldn't wear it to dinner in any place that would let me in wearing it .

Worst trip I had was the 2007 elefant. My rain suit fell off the rack and I trod on the connector of my heated jacket. Hein Gericke would have got a serious letter about their shoddy designs if the ink in the pen hadn't been frozen .

Andy

Andy, no I was not wet, I had decent gear. I was just frozen to the bones! But then, as my parents were from south Spain, I am just not designed for cold! Give me hot dry weather anytime!

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

Maurice Seddon! There's a name from the past. We worked at Security Despatch in the late 1970s with several other 'characters'. Like you say, he wired up his house for 12v and rode an old BSA designed by Terry Gilliam.

Just getting clued up with electric clothing for the next trip. I guess I like the idea of a warm fleece/underjacket for normal conditions that can then become hot when it gets cold. One less item to carry.

Tell me, besides control boxes (easily bodged I presume) is there ever an issue with shorting out or breaking wires. I imagine when you are really relying on the thing and it packs up in a Central Asian winter it could get grim.
A good thread here (tho they go on and on a bit)
Cold weather riding - Sport-Touring.Net

Also, can someone explain the watts and amps and alternator business. Is it the total W we have to watch when running at night with lights and heated. Could one fry an alternator using it at near-max for weeks? Or do they just burn out whenever? Just tracked down that mine puts out 225W. Don't know if that's a lot, I doubt it.

All this cold weather talk and now the fire's gone out!

Ch

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Morocco Overland 4 pre-order for Xmas • Trans Morocco Trail