“Wearable heating? What a load of rubbish!” Well, this might have been your reaction a few decades back, but we know now that nothing seems to be impossible. Wearable technology is the trend and you can ride the trend or sit it out. But riding feels more exciting, doesn’t it?
So in the plethora of wearable devices and what nots, a startup has conceived the idea of having wearable heating pads. That’s right. Lithium ion battery operated heating pads in the shape of a belt, which can be worn around your torso and the inner lining of your coat. Sounds nice! But does it work? Let’s hope so.
We have worked closely with RevZilla, Amazon and 2Wheel over the years to provide our testers with products to review. They are all great partners and unique in their own ways, so make sure to check out their prices. Please don’t forget we may get a commission if you buy from them.
What Would You Love
The name itself is going to perk up ears and raise eyebrows, with curiosity of course. Designed specifically for the bitter cold temperatures in Canada and some parts of the U.S., this neat little contraption can keep you warm for about 4 hours while you enjoy your favorite skiing, hiking or snowboarding activity.
The torch coat heater fits snugly and seamlessly on the inner lining of your coat. The unique selling point of this device is that you can fit it anywhere in under the coat. This is accomplished with the help of Velcro installation kits. You just peel these off and stick them where you want. When you are ready for your favorite activity in the cold, just stick the torch system on the Velcro pads and off you go. The standard package comes with three installation kits, which means you can use it in three different coats.
Usually when you are covered from head to foot in warm clothing, the cold affects your entire body equally. But you feel it the most near your torso region. Since this system fits in the torso reason, you won’t be shivering at all. You can then have your pictures taken with your natural smile instead of the induced, pretend, tooth-chattering horror of a grin.
“What if it overheats?” you might ask. Relax. They’ve thought about this. You can choose between 4 different settings to get that temperature just right.
Operation
The Torch Coat Heater works in a very simple, but effective manner. It is made of a long band which wraps around your body when attached to the Velcro. The battery powers the heating elements sealed in the heating pads, three in number. A control unit allows you to adjust the heat level of the elements.
At the right settings and after a proper installation, you can enjoy up to 135 degrees (Fahrenheit!) of heat in the snowy heaven that you happen to find yourself in.
The key is to have it installed in a jacket or a coat with a relatively tighter fit so that the pads hug your torso properly and the heat gets transferred to your body instead of the surrounding air. The only quirk in this matter is that the heating pad heats up on the outside as well. So a lot of heat is lost into the surrounding air which could have been diverted back inside to keep you warmer at lower heating element temperature.
We have worked closely with RevZilla, Amazon and 2Wheel over the years to provide our testers with products to review. They are all great partners and unique in their own ways, so make sure to check out their prices. Please don’t forget we may get a commission if you buy from them.
Special Features
The Torch Coat Heater is surprisingly thin and lightweight. The material used is highly durable as well. And since the profile matches your coat and body, you can be sure that it will stay put and not get destroyed, should you fall and roll over multiple times in an unfortunate event.
The installation is super easy. You just attach the provided Velcro pads to the inner lining of your jacket (where you want the heat to affect the most) and then allow it to glue properly for 24 hours. After that, you can attach the Coat Heater pads to the Velcro for a tight and snug fit and have your coat ready.
The lithium ion battery lasts moderately long. This means that you can have this unit on and roam around, but only for a couple of hours. This is because the battery lasts up to 5 hours per charge on low setting and 3 hours on a high setting. But it should be more than enough for a quick jaunt. Or you can throttle the heater (turn it off when you are warm and turn it on again when you feel that tingle of a shiver).
Customer Reviews
Since the technology is relatively new, there have been some instances of the unit not getting warm enough. There are some complaints about the pads not fitting tight enough, since the band to which the pads are attached is not adjustable.
Others complained that the Velcro system needs one to ‘stick’ the inner pads to the jacket, potentially ruining it. They seemed to suggest a different mode of attachment rather than a sticky tape that takes about 24 hours to ‘set’.
Some have suggested insulating the outer lining of the pads to reflect the heat inwards instead losing it to the outside.
Bottom Line
This is a great attempt at bringing wearable heat that much closer to your heart, quite literally. There are a few design flaws that make this attempt less than perfect. If the inherent design errors are fixed and the whole unit be made more modular than it already is, the widespread support for this product is bound to increase in relation to the resulting usability quotient.