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It gets cold in Canada. When the snow comes and the winter months hit, it can get down as low as -40 °C (which also happens to be -40 °F). It doesn’t get that low all of the time, but the temperature will sit below zero for months.
The key is to dress for the weather. You need to wear the right clothing and a lot of layers. Sometimes, that can mean 5-6 layers of clothing on your torso. There must be an easier way.
Thanks to the people at Gobi Heat, we are about to find out.
First Impressions
We were shipped the Grit Men’s Heated Workwear Jacket in Onyx and the Dune Women’s Heated Vest in Horizon, and we were both very excited to try these out.
The items of clothing came shipped separately, and the men’s jacket was actually lost in transit initially. I contacted the company, and they were extremely helpful, rectifying the situation immediately and resending the jacket. It arrived quickly.
Both garments, after removing them from the shipping boxes, were contained in zippered canvas soft-shell containers that held the jacket/vest and the battery pack (in its own box). I like the zippered containers, and they are going to make the heated items of clothing easy to store over the summer months when they will be used less or not used at all.
The jacket had a good weight to it and felt extremely durable. I could tell that it was going to be warm even without the heat, and the nylon/duck cotton combo was going to hold up to a lot of wear and tear. I liked the look of the jacket. The onyx (black) is rich and can be paired with any other clothing.
The first thing that I did was try it on, and I was happy to feel that it fit perfectly. It has enough room to put a couple of layers underneath, but not so big that it is overly bulky. The weight was good, and I liked how I looked in it.
Overall, I was impressed with the Gobi heat jacket so far.
The Dune Heated Vest is designed to be worn as a middle layer, and when that was tried on, it fitted well too. Again, it brought the right balance between being big enough to have a layer underneath and small enough to remain sleek under a jacket. It also felt soft and light. The color (horizon/blue) and style are excellent, and the vest can easily be worn as a top layer in cool weather.
Overall, the vest looked and felt great, and we were excited to try both items out properly.
Features & Specifications
Grit Heated Jacket for Men
- Outer Material: Wind & water-resistant 380g duck cotton
- Inner Material: Nylon
- Weight: 3 lbs
- Heat Zones: 4 on the front/1 on the back
- Heat Settings: Low: 113F, Med: 131F, High: 140F
- Battery: 7.4V 6500 Lithium-Ion
- Battery Life: Low: 9h, Med: 6h, High: 4.5h
Dune Heated Vest for Women
- Outer Material: Wind & water-resistant lightweight nylon
- Inner Material: Nylon
- Weight: 1.5 lbs
- Heat Zones: 2 on the chest/1 on the back
- Heat Settings: Low: 113 °F, Med: 131 °F, High: 140 °F
- Battery: 7.4V 6500 Lithium-Ion
- Battery Life: Low: 10 h, Med: 7 h, High: 5 h
Material
I’ve not come across duck cotton before, and when I looked it up, I found that it was a heavy woven cotton that is often referred to as duck canvas and has a look and feel of canvas while still being relatively soft and extremely flexible.
When I felt the material for the first time on opening the package, I thought that it was a super durable canvas material, and I was definitely impressed to find out that it was cotton.
Related:
We’ve already talked a lot about how this jacket is going to last forever. I am going to be outside in it a lot for winter hikes, skating, and other outdoor activities, so I do need something that can fold up to the elements, and this jacket will do that.
I love the feel and durability of this jacket, and I’m excited to wear it for a long time.
The vest’s outer and inner are crafted from nylon, as is the interior of the men’s jacket. The vest does not need to have a more durable outer shell as it will mainly be used as a mid-layer, but the nylon is still strong enough to be durable. The inners on both garments are soft, and that makes them comfortable.
The materials alone are enough to create warmth, and they are both water and wind-resistant. In Canada, that is extremely important. We get a lot of snow, and when the wind picks up in the colder months, it can chill you to the bone. Keep the wind out, and you are halfway to keeping warm.
Other Notable Features
Both items of clothing come with YYK zippers, which are tough and durable, and both have the same method of conveying heat to the front and back (though the jacket has 4 front heat panels and 1 large back panel while the vest has 2 front heat panels and 1 large back panel).
The Dune vest comes with 2 pockets on the exterior and 3 on the inside (2 for personal use and 1 to hold the battery). All five pockets are zippered and have enough room for wallets, phones, etc. There is also an elasticated waist that can be cinched for a better fit or to keep the cold out.
The Grit jacket comes with 2 open pockets near the waist and 2 zippered exterior pockets (one on the chest and one on the arm). There is one zippered pocket on the inside for the battery pack. The waist can be cinched for a better fit, and there is also a hood (removable) that can be cinched too.
Charging The Battery
Charging is easy.
Both heated garments came with the same battery pack and charger. The charger plugs into the wall, and an LED light on the charger will show whether or not the battery is charging (red) or fully charged (green).
There are four notable points of interest on the battery.
You have the charger port. Plug the charging cable into the battery and the charger into an outlet, and the battery will charge.
There is a USB port. Yes, you can charge your phone straight from your Gobi Heat battery. That’s a great feature, and your jacket acts as a battery backup for your phone, something that can be essential in cold weather.
The power button is only used for charging your phone. When you plug the battery into your jacket, it will power it automatically. If you want to use the USB port, you will have to press the power button. You also use the power button to check the charge.
There are 4 small LED lights on the side of the battery. Press the power button once and it will display a rough estimation of the battery charge, so you know when you need to recharge.
Using Our Gobi Heated Jackets
It all starts with installing the battery in the clothing. On the interior, there is a zipper pocket for your battery, and you’ll know which one it is because there will be a cable to attach to the battery. The cable will plug into the same port that the charger does.
Remember, you don’t need to press the power button on the battery pack to activate the heated panels.
To activate the heated panels, locate the power button on the front of the garment (it was located above the Gobi Heat logo on the chest of the jacket and vest). Hold the button down for 5 seconds to turn the heat on.
Once on, you can cycle through the heat settings by pressing the power button. The stripes will light up to indicate the setting (low: 1, med: 2, high; 3).
When you want to switch off the heat, hold down the power button for 5 more seconds.
We started with the low heat, and it is subtle and comfortable. We then cycled up to medium and high, and the heat was great without being overbearing. I thought at first that there was not much heat coming from the product, but this is not a blast of heat, it is a constant flow of warmth to keep you going for hours.
After a few minutes of high heat, I found that I had to cycle down because I was too warm. This was out in -2 °C (28,4 °F), so I know that the high heat setting is going to be perfect when it gets down to the -20s.
Overall, the heat is easy and intuitive to use. One button is all that you need to switch the heat on and off and cycle through the settings. The variety of heat seems just right, and this is going to be perfect for the fluctuating temperatures of a Canadian winter.
Care Instructions & Warranty
Both the jacket and vest can be machine washed, even with the heated panels. You need to use a gentle cycle for both washing and tumble drying, and air-drying by laying the garment flat is recommended.
Be sure to remove the battery before washing or drying. You should also place the protective cap on the cable attached to the jacket and ensure that it is firmly secured and the pocket zipped closed.
Related: How to Wash a Heated Vest or Jacket
The battery should be fully charged and discharged every 3—6 months, and you should not use any other battery with this product.
These are durable products, and they also come with a 1-year warranty for defects in material and workmanship and 90-days for the battery.
Who Is This For?
These items of clothing (and the others on the Gobi Heat website) are for everyone. Even without the heated panels, the items of clothing are well made, durable, and warm. Of course, where the garments come into their own is with the heated panels.
I’ll wear my jacket all through the winter, and I would recommend both items of clothing for anyone who lives in colder climates or for those who feel they are constantly cold.
You can wear a Gobi jacket or vest if you are venturing out into the cold, especially if you are going to be out there for a long time. This includes hikers (for both long and short hikes), those who work outside, watching hockey games, winter campers, commutes to work, and any other situation where you are likely to be cold.
Conclusion
I hope that it has come through in the review, but I love these Gobi garments. I know that both the vest and jacket are going to be used a lot through the winter for sure, and a lot of the time in the fall and spring too.
I’m impressed with the heated panels in these garments, and I am definitely going to be kept warm when the temperatures drop. But, more than that, I’m very impressed with how well-made the items are. I love to find BIFL (buy it for life) products, and the jacket and vest from Gobi heat are definitely that. They look and feel great, and they are needed for our colder climate.
The temperature here has only just dropped below zero, but I am excited to go out again in my jacket when the temperatures plummet. I know that I’m going to be warm, stylish, and comfortable.
