I’m looking to buy a heated vest for riding in this winter. Any recommendations? Any brands to avoid? I’m considering the World Famous vest that is sold at my local Dunhams.
I like Ororo. I just bought the soft shell with 3 zones. I need to get another battery since I am outside all day and it does stay warm a full 8 hours. Four or five of us at the barn have that brand
I have the firedup heated vest and glove liners. I like them fine. I live in the Canadian prairies where this morning it’s -25c and -36c with the windchill. That’s -13f and -33f … so it gets pretty cold here. I have spare batteries for both and use them intermittently throughout the winter. I suspect I might like the Ororo better, but I am satisfied with what I have.
I have an Akaso and have no complaints. The vest is very warm on its own, and I use the heat only when it’s really cold. I prefer it to the Ororo because the Akaso’s collar is shorter. I was uncomfortable in the Ororo, and I don’t have a short neck.
If you want a lot of feedback, I suggest posting this in “Off Course.” Dressage riders aren’t the only ones who buy these.
I gave away my heated vest and ride in my safety vest instead. It’s warmer.
I have both an Ororo vest and a jacket. Love them both. The vest is on the 3rd season…jacket on the 2nd season. They are great quality and have held up well. The battery has been holding up too…in winter I’ve been using the jacket to ride every day…I like that I am warmer without the extra bulk. If I have it on the highest setting, it will run out before I am done with 2 horses…but usually I don’t need it on that high when I am actually riding (I drop it down to the low or medium setting).
I also ride in a safety vest now all the time, but I still use my heated vest for catching the horse, tacking up, grooming, etc. Even before the safety vest was an all-the-time thing for me, I found I would be plenty warm while actually riding, it was everything else I was cold doing.
I have both an akaso vest and ororo. The akaso is much warmer… I love it. I use the ororo for non barn activities. It’s not warm enough for me in the barn
I bought a Ororo last year, but it did not seem cold enough to use it in the barn. I mainly got it for when I go to watch a clinic and I get cold just standing there. I am in central Alabama and I rarely get that cold when I am outside working. So I have not use it yet.
I’ve got a milwaukee heated jacket. They do make vest versions. Put a thin shirt on your body, heated jacket/vest on that, and then a warmer layer over the top. Really locks in the HEAT!
I have an Akaso, it keeps me warm for about 6 hours before it seems to fade. My friend has a Voltex. It is really nice!
I like my heated vest from HKM. Great price, three heat settings, and the battery isn’t noticeable in an inside pocket. I purchased it through Bridle Path Tack. You can find her and place an order through Facebook.
I just bought a heated vest and am loving it. We suddenly went from a lovely fall to bitter cold this last week. Anyway—my recommendation is more around the design than just the brand. I bought an Ororo. I noticed that only one of their vests had a two-way zipper that allows you to zip open the bottom a bit. For me—that’s an important feature for a vest I am going to ride in. I am short—so maybe this isn’t an issue for normal height people—but I would make sure you can sit in the saddle without the bottom of the vest bunching up. Especially since most heated vests tend to put the battery in an inner pocket that sits right over your hip. Placement is less than ideal—but I don’t really notice it when riding.
I don’t have any other brands to compare this too—but it works really well and has made a big difference in keeping me warm while in a cold barn for hours. I also like that I don’t have to ride in bulky layers!
Yes! The two-way zipper is so important to me. I have a very short torso, so that could be why!
I haven’t decided on a heated vest yet, and that’s part of the reason. Ororo appears to have a few vests with two-way zippers. Of course not the one that I want, but I can compromise. Also, how are these holding up to washing?
I only wash mine once a year. Its fairly gross at the end of the season but I worry about killing it.
Same, but I do treat mine with Scotchguard so I can wipe it down if it gets too nasty.
oh - that’s a great idea! thanks