The Best Heated Jackets Are the Most Underrated Winter Weather Hack
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When it comes to staying warm in winter, everyone is familiar with the basics — wear insulating inner layers, warm socks and don’t forget to protect your head with a beanie or winter hat. But when it’s bitingly, hellishly cold, sometimes you need a little extra help. Insulated jackets are great at trapping your body’s natural warmth, but they don’t generate their own warmth. Enter heated jackets.
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Heated jackets are a lot like heated blankets, except you can take them outside of the house. Heated jackets feature a power source, typically a rechargeable battery pack, along with heating elements. These heating coils are typically found on the upper chest to deliver warmth to your core, where it’s needed most, but many heated jackets also include heating elements in the back, arms, pockets and collar. Though some of you might feel apprehensive at the idea, you can trust that heated jackets are totally safe as long as they’re not damaged or misused. Seriously, they’re just like electric blankets and the only risk you run is overheating yourself.
Depending on your needs, heated jackets run the gamut. There are water- and wind-resistant softshell jackets, heated hoodies, heavier work-ready heated coats, hunter-friendly designs and lots of stylish options in between. But because they all are preparing you for colder situations, many heated jackets include standard features like drawstring hoods and zippered pockets. Also important to note, because these jackets have extra stuff in them, they often run small, so be sure to check a jacket’s sizing and measurements before buying.
Whether you’re traveling for the holidays to colder weather, braving the cold urban commute or adventuring into the backcountry, the best heated jackets will provide at least two to three hours of cozy heat. That’s why we’ve rounded up a few of the best heated jackets below to get you started.
If you’re getting ready for winter or any cold situations, you might also consider checking out our favorite hoodies, perfect for layering, the best winter puffer jackets, the best boot socks (warm toes are key!) and the best hand warmers. You have to attack the cold from all over, after all.
BEST OVERALL
1. Venture Heat Softshell Heated Jacket
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For a simple and stylish heated jacket, go for the Venture Heat Softshell Heated Jacket. It features five heating zones, including the right and left chest, the right and left pockets and back, zipper pockets, three heat settings via a physical button, 10 heat settings if you download the accompanying app that controls via bluetooth and eight hours of heat on the lowest setting. Plus it’s wind-resistant, rain-resistant, machine washable and right in the sweet spot price-wise. If you can catch it with a discount, it’s an absolute steal.
RUNNER UP
2. Ororo Men’s Softshell Heated Jacket
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The Ororo Men’s Softshell Heated Jacket is water- and wind-resistant, and the heating element has three levels, so you can be comfortable from the morning to the evening. Three heat zones deliver warmth to the front and back of the jacket, but the detail that sets this jacket apart is the detachable hood, making it a great option for rainy weather or dry but cold weather. It’s also one of the most popular on Amazon, with thousands of five-star and mostly positive reviews.
WINTER WORK SITE READY
3. Dewalt Heavy Duty Tobacco Heated Jacket
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If you’re looking for a long-term solution for extended cold periods working outside, the Dewalt Heavy Duty Tobacco Heated Jacket is the best heated jacket for you. Dewalt makes construction gear, so it knows what workers need, and this jacket simply checks all of those “oh this is going to be warm as hell” boxes, including a warm fleece lining, flannel-lined hood and heated left and right chest, upper back and, most awesomely, upper arms too.
But this heated jacket is meant to work too, so it features seven pockets (plus the battery pocket), a water- and wind-resistant duck fabric outer shell, a stretch-ribbed collar, stretch articulated shoulders and gusseted underarms for a comfortable full range of motion. The heated jacket also comes with a Dewalt 20-Volt battery, fast charger and DCB092 adapter to charge other accessories.
ALSO GREAT WORKWEAR
4. ActionHeat Heavy-Duty Heated Work Jacket
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The ActionHeat Heavy-Duty Heated Work Jacket delivers everything its name promises. This water-resistant canvas jacket is nicely insulated, comfortable with a hood, a ribbed waist and cuffs and features three heating panels on the chest and back to deliver up to 4.5 hours of heat on the lowest setting. The battery is nice and slim too, so all you’ll feel is the sweet warmth of electric heat.
HIGHLY RATED ON AMAZON
5. Milwaukee Men's Heated Jacket
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Milwaukee is one of the most reliable makers of power tools, and they’ve taken the cordless power tool tech found in their drills and applied it to this simple yet surprisingly stylish jacket. It has a water-resistant exterior and a funnel collar that keeps your neck warm. This jacket has three heating zones in the chest, back and pockets to deliver warmth to your entire torso. The back of the jacket has a slot for the battery pack, which delivers up to eight hours of warmth.
MOST COLORS
6. DEWBU Heated Softshell Jacket
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Not only does the DEWBU Heated Softshell Jacket come in mulitple different colorways, it’s a great deal for its benefits. It features five heating zones for the chest, back and arms, a slim battery that lasts up to 10 hours on the low setting and it’s water-resistant, wind-resistant and machine washable, not to mention pretty well-reviewed on Amazon. If you just want an all-around solid, affordable heated jacket in a non-black color, this will be the best heated jacket for you.
FOR A CHILLY HIKE
7. Fieldsheer Backcountry Heated Jacket
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Fieldsheer Backcountry Heated Jacket is a well-made and versatile heated jacket. With Primaloft down and water- and wind-resistant nylon outer shell, it’ll keep you plenty warm even without the four heat settings across three heat zones, which you can control through a built-in button or compatible app with Bluetooth. You can expect two hours of heat on the high setting and up to 10 hours on the low setting. But this heated jacket is also lightweight and compressible, so it’s as good as a comfortable sublayer underneath a heavier jacket as it is a standalone jacket.
BEST HOODIE
8. Bosch Max Heated Hoodie Kit
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Like Dewalt, Bosch knows what goes into tough gear. If you’re looking for a work-friendly, lightweight heated hoodie jacket that’s washing machine-friendly, the Bosch Max Heated Hoodie Kit will give you that extra heat edge on colder days. A fitted waist and sleeves help keep the heat from the chest and back panels inside where it belongs, and the high-collar drawstring hood will ensure no heat escapes out of the top either. Plus lined-pockets give your fingers the warm respite they need and another zipper pocket keeps small items like phones secure and nearby. The heated jacket ships with a Bosch 12V 2.0Ah battery, charger and portable power adapter, which can be used to power other devices.
PERFECT FOR HUNTING
9. Gobi Heat Sahara Heated Hunting Jacket
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The Gobi Heat Sahara Heated Hunting Jacket is exactly what you need for a long day hunting in the woods. The Mossy Oak Camo design is a given, of course, but the jacket is lightweight, flexible and resistant to wind, water and abrasions, perfect for the wear and tear of cold nature.
The battery also promises six hours of heat on the high setting, ideal for sitting still for hours, an extremely common occurrence in hunting.
URBAN READY PUFFER
10. ActionHeat Insulated Heated Puffer Jacket
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Cities get cold as hell too, especially when wind tunnels are at full blast. The ActionHeat Insulated Heated Puffer Jacket delivers the same technical benefits as the ActionHeat Heavy-Duty Heated Work Jacket, including 4.5 hours of heat on the low setting and machine washability, only in a much more lightweight and stylish puffer package.
FOR A TOASTY COLLAR
11. Venustas Heated Jacket
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Most heated jackets don’t go for the heated collar, which is precisely what makes the Venustas Heated Jacket stand out. In addition to a warm neck, you can also count on warm hands, chest and back too. This jacket also promises up to nine hours of heat on low and 3.5 hours on high, more than enough for most non-work situations. Just be aware the battery pack is located in the back, which is definitely noticeable when sitting down. This jacket is also unisex, so dudes, be sure to size up.
FOR THE OPEN ROAD
12. Volt Moto Heated Jacket Liner
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I don’t know if you’ve ever ridden a motorcycle at high speeds, but unsurprisingly, it can get pretty chilly! The Volt Moto Heated Jacket Liner works great as a layer for colder rides or as a standalone jacket when the weather’s more temperate, providing heat to your chest, back and arms. Be aware this heated jacket literally plugs into the bike to generate heat, so it will only be the best heated jacket for you if you drive a motorcycle.
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