Warm & Safe HEAT LAYER MCN Reveiw
Warm and Safe’s new Heat Layer Shirt (HLS) is an innovative concept that brings the warmth closer to the rider’s skin than traditional jacket liners. As its name implies, the HLS can be worn in lieu of a traditional shirt, reducing bulkiness under winter jackets.
The HLS is constructed of a black stretch fabric with both wicking and anti-bacterial properties and has active heating in the chest, arms, neck and upper and lower back.
Thoughtfully, this garment arrives pre-wired for independent control of the main HLS and heated gloves. Standard coaxial cable leads live in zippered pockets near the sleeve cuffs for gloves, while coaxial main power inputs are located in a discrete zippered pocket on the left torso.
We tested the HLS with W&S’s “Dual Remote Heat-troller” (MCN 2/11), which uses a remote controller to communicate wirelessly with a receiver that is stored inside the HLS’s pocket. The receiver makes the hardwire connection between the power source from the motorcycle and the input connections on the gear. It has a dual output, so two separate pieces of gear can be powered independently of each other. Functionality is simple: Turn the marked knobs to adjust the heat output of the gear to your preference, from 3 to 100 percent. A 15 amp fused battery harness is included, and the controller/receiver combo arrives pre-synchronized; simply plug in the power line, turn the unit on, and ride.
An “Artic Bomb Cyclone” which devastated the east coast in January provided optimum environmental conditions for heated gear testing. I rode for hundreds of miles in teen and single-digit temps, where the HLS was preferable in many ways to traditional heated jacket liners.
First, it’s more convenient: It’s a base layer, eliminating the extra bulk of a heated jacket liner, and the annoyance of taking the liner off and storing it if things warm up. Second, it’s more comfortable than a jacket liner, by far. The heat is direct to the skin, so you feel warmer faster, while reducing power consumption, since the heat doesn’t have to travel through base layers to get to the rider as with traditional heated jacket liners. Note that the HLS max draw is 48 watts, or roughly half that of traditional jacket liners. Finally, it’s significantly less expensive than most heated jacket liners, at $179.99.
My only niggle was some rather thick wiring could be seen through the stretch fabric in the lower chest and upper bicep areas. It was never uncomfortable, but detracted from the otherwise sleek appearance of the HLS. Ultimately, the HLS achieved all of the functional benefits of heated jacket liners, and then some, at a lower price point.
—Moshe K. Levy
Warm & Safe, warmnsafe.com
The HLS is constructed of a black stretch fabric with both wicking and anti-bacterial properties and has active heating in the chest, arms, neck and upper and lower back.
Thoughtfully, this garment arrives pre-wired for independent control of the main HLS and heated gloves. Standard coaxial cable leads live in zippered pockets near the sleeve cuffs for gloves, while coaxial main power inputs are located in a discrete zippered pocket on the left torso.
We tested the HLS with W&S’s “Dual Remote Heat-troller” (MCN 2/11), which uses a remote controller to communicate wirelessly with a receiver that is stored inside the HLS’s pocket. The receiver makes the hardwire connection between the power source from the motorcycle and the input connections on the gear. It has a dual output, so two separate pieces of gear can be powered independently of each other. Functionality is simple: Turn the marked knobs to adjust the heat output of the gear to your preference, from 3 to 100 percent. A 15 amp fused battery harness is included, and the controller/receiver combo arrives pre-synchronized; simply plug in the power line, turn the unit on, and ride.
An “Artic Bomb Cyclone” which devastated the east coast in January provided optimum environmental conditions for heated gear testing. I rode for hundreds of miles in teen and single-digit temps, where the HLS was preferable in many ways to traditional heated jacket liners.
First, it’s more convenient: It’s a base layer, eliminating the extra bulk of a heated jacket liner, and the annoyance of taking the liner off and storing it if things warm up. Second, it’s more comfortable than a jacket liner, by far. The heat is direct to the skin, so you feel warmer faster, while reducing power consumption, since the heat doesn’t have to travel through base layers to get to the rider as with traditional heated jacket liners. Note that the HLS max draw is 48 watts, or roughly half that of traditional jacket liners. Finally, it’s significantly less expensive than most heated jacket liners, at $179.99.
My only niggle was some rather thick wiring could be seen through the stretch fabric in the lower chest and upper bicep areas. It was never uncomfortable, but detracted from the otherwise sleek appearance of the HLS. Ultimately, the HLS achieved all of the functional benefits of heated jacket liners, and then some, at a lower price point.
—Moshe K. Levy
Warm & Safe, warmnsafe.com
