Jett Vest review: Myself: 51 years, 6’2”, 204lbs, Weather conditions: Virginia climate with temperatures in mid thirties to low forties, mid to high humidity, pre dawn and post sunset riding. Limited wet weather. Roads: Highway with speeds of 70 to 80mph and twisting secondary roads with speeds of 45 to 65 mph. Clothing: Tourmaster Intake Series 2 with winter and rain lining installed in vest and winter lining only in pants, gaiters, Asolo Gortex hiking boots and wool socks. Gloves: Roadgear Euro gauntlet gloves, LLBean outdoor sport gloves with inner gloves and Gerbing Core battery powered gloves. All gloves are gauntlet style. Note: the Gerbings have only been used once with the vest for a 30 minute 40° F ride. Motorcycle: 2007 Interceptor with Hotgrips aftermarket heated grips. Battery test on Low setting with following duty cycles: 2 hours on 1 hour off 2 hours on 1 hour off 1 hour on 1hour off 30minutes on Results: The battery lasted approximately 5.25 hours. Claimed is 6 hours. I tested the battery as it would likely be used under average conditions. My rides to work take about an hour and the rides I read about from most riders are day rides with rest stops along the way. This is a replacement battery from Jett. The original battery lasted less than 3 hours on Low. Customer service is excellent. Once Jett understood the problem the new battery was express shipped to me at no cost, The vest performs very well. Comfort is excellent. Although the heat is radiated from only two squares located in the upper and lower back it is effectively transmitted to the body and I felt warm under all conditions. In the colder temperatures I would start out at higher settings and then adjust as required. Even though the controller is accessible by hanging below the vest you must be stopped to safely make changes. Although a bit challenging I found operation of the controller with heavier gloves possible. The battery is positioned such that it was never uncomfortable. Speaking of gloves I found I could wear the Roadgear Euro gloves on some of the “warmer” days by adjusting up the grip setting. The vest kept the cold at bay. Make sure you follow the sizing chart. I wear large in all of my shirts, T shirts and jackets however the Jett chart directed that I order Medium. I did order the medium which was a good thing. For the heat to efficiently transmit the elements must be in contact with the body. The medium with its snug tailored fit did allow the pads to make contact. I also found that for an extra boost of heat without having to (stop and) change the setting simply arch the back. This will press the elements more firmly against the back enhancing heat transfer. After all of these years I have finally accepted the concept that heating the core will allow the body to release heat to the extremities. My hands are very sensitive to the point of significant pain and immobility when subjected to sustained cold. We as motorcyclist can quickly fall prey to the cold weather effects of vasoconstriction as the body will sacrifice the hands and feet to save the vital organs. The body doesn’t care “why” only that it cannot maintain core temperature. As for the “Therapeutic Far Infrared Technology (FIR)” phenomena advertised by Jett I am not a scientist nor have any training in this area so I can not testify as to whether it works as advertised. Further, without controlled laboratory conditions a comparison with another vest would be purely subjective. Unless the vests are designed the same with the exception of the heating system then the comparison would be something of an apple/orange thing. I have not attempted to wash the vest. Pro’s: (1)Portability, (2)comfort, (3)fit, (4)battery performance (after replacement), (5)customer service, (6)product performance, (7)safety: you are not tethered to the bike AND the heat goes where you go, see item (1). Con’s: (1)Expensive, (2)warmth will only last as long at the battery so get a spare or match the battery life to the ride – it got cold when my first battery died and I still had 30 miles to go, (4)shipping expense, (5)heat only applied to two patches on back but larger or more heating elements will mean decreased battery life. Lastly bundling is a must and only common sense. Although wind chill ceases to exist beyond 45 mpg thirty degree, forty or even warmer air when driven by the hurricane forces winds we create will find skin if allowed. I wear an insulating hood beneath the helmet that also shields the life sustaining and heat radiating arteries and veins of my neck. Gauntlet style gloves deflect wind from travelling underneath jacket sleeves. Gaiters seal boot tops preventing heat from being siphoned from my feet. Gore tex lining prevents dampness from penetrating and degrading the boot's interior insulation while allowing the feet to breathe and thereby not trap moisture and cause that same degradation. I hope some of our riders find this review helpful. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me an email. I took a half hour ride today, Feb 14th in forty degree weather. Between the Jett vest on LOW and Gerbing gloves at 50% power I didn’t notice the cold and was able to focus fully on the road. The heated grips were OFF. I am pleased with the vest, would purchase another and have already recommended it to a family member. Reg Robinson
