Any of you guys ever use the heated sweatshirts by Milwaukee? or do you know of any other products like them. The only thing I can think of with the Milwaukee ones is the on switch is on the front but when your bowhunting you more than likely have multiple layers on so it would be kind of hard to get into the layer to push the button.
I have the Milwaukee sweatshirt. Justin has one and convinced me I needed one too. I wish there was a more convenient place to put the battery, but it's worth it IMHO. Get yourself a spare battery, I only get about 2 hours on the high heat setting. With two batteries you should be good to go for a full sit.
Thanks Rick. The thing is if I got something like this I would make it my second layer. I usually wear Cold Gear base layer as my first layer and then the heated shirt. then I wear other layers like a wool sweater, then finishing with my camo jacket. If I'm bowhunting I would not shed all those layers 14-18ft up in a tree to turn it on or let alone change a battery. I wish they made it with a wireless remote control like the foot insoles you can get.
I used one all season long and won't hunt in cold weather without it! The button isn't difficult to access by just unzipping your outer layer a few inches. Not a huge deal at all. The biggest pain is changing out a battery in the event yours dies. It's a real nightmare to do while you have the sweatshirt on and typically involves fully unzipping both your outer layer and the sweatshirt itself. As for battery life it depends on what setting you put the jacket on (high/med/low) and what the outside temp is. On some of those milder November hunts you can get away with the low/med setting and squeeze 3 hours out of a battery. When temps really fall and you put it on high I think 2 hours is about the max. In order to conserve battery life I don't turn mine on until I really need it. After a walk in and climb up in the morning you're usually expelling heat for a while so I leave it off. Same with afternoon hunts - most of the time I click it on for the last hour or two before dark. Overall I think it's one of the better purchases I've made so far as hunting gear in the last few years.
They aren't slender form fitting. The cut on them isn't really flattering. They fit like you would expect a Carhart or ****ies type item to fit. They don't have cotton in them though and for a layering garment they are fine. They do fit true to size. I wear an XL hoodie and that's what I ordered.....it fits as I expected it to.
They're pretty true to size I would say. My XL fits great. Just enough room for a mid weight Merino wool base layer and still small enough to put my jacket over without any bunching issues.
Why the sweatshirt over the heated jacket? The jacket looks more form fitting. Any of you use the bigger battery? What kind of run time you get?
I have seriously considered getting one. Has anyone heard anything about the Dewalt version? I don't really want to get a Milwaukee, since all we use at work is Dewalt. Would make it awfully convenient to have 20 something 20V batteries to be able to use on the weekends.
Guys with Milwaukee's for longer bat life try the bigger M12 bat, or get the 18volt adapter with one of the slim 18v bats. 18v lasts 10-12 hours.
I have heard the dewalt is real similar. .. if you have access to batteries get one of those. That's the reason I got the Milwaukee, cause I had batteries. Just make sure you use the newest strongest batteries. I noticed a huge difference in battery life depending one the age of the battery.
I'm more of a DeWalt guy! We haven't had any problems at all from our 30+ battery powered tools. 18 or 20 volt
I hear ya. We had allot of problem with DeWalt in the mid / late 90s. We switched and never had a reason to go back. I will say that the Milwaukees look nicer. Specifically their jackets and camo pattern.
I am already at peace with the fact that nothing will make me look good, I'm going all for function lmao
Ha!!! My main concern would be the material and how loud it is. I know RED made an effort with the Gen2 to make the material much quieter. Maybe RED is just better at marketing but they seem to have a bigger commitment to the product line.
I use a heated liner suit for bikers. It's made by Gerbing and I bought it online from the warmerstore.com. I made my own 12v battery pack that'll run it for two or three fairly long hunts but the battery is heavy so I just put it in a backpack and carry it in, set it on the ladder foot platform and plug into the pigtail. The jacket, pants, gloves and socks plug into each other and run off one controller in your pocket. I think I had about $875 in all with the battery and backpack. I use a gel cell battery so no spills and it's safe. I just plug it into a battery charger/maintainer at home. I can also just plug it into any 12v outlet on the ATV's or UTV's. The same store also sells a lithium batter that says it'll run high heat all day long and it has a remote control but I don't know any details on how or how well it works. It's flat and fits in a fanny pack like deal.
Thanks! I will check them out. Edit: website url is The Warming Store: Heated Clothing, Electric Blankets, Ice Cleats & Winter Gear