The best heated clothing for cold weather, tested and reviewed

If the temperatures are dropping and layers aren’t cutting it, consider upping your cozy game with heated clothing. Heated clothing provides covert, fireside-esque warmth while remaining sleek and lightweight. Clothing that uses thermal lining relies on your own body heat to create warmth. Heated clothing uses a network of small, heat-conducting flexible wires powered by a detachable, rechargeable battery. Both the wires and the rechargeable batteries are slim and hardly noticeable. Wearing a piece of heated clothing should feel just like wearing a regular jacket, vest, or pair of gloves. A button—usually on the glove’s cuff or front of the jacket—lets you control the temperature. The best heated clothing keeps you warm and comfy even when outside feels like the Arctic Circle.

• Best jacket: Gobi Grit Men’s Heated Work Jacket
• Best vest: ORORO Men’s Lightweight Heated Vest
• Best gloves: Gordini Forge Heated Gloves
• Best socks: Gobi Tread Heated Socks
• Best slippers: Volt Resistance Rechargeable Heated Slippers
• Best blanket: Beautyrest Reversible Sherpa to Fleece Electric Wrap
• Best hand warmers: HotHands Hand Warmer

How we chose the best heated clothing

It’s highly unlikely you can go the entire winter without going outside. Eventually, you’ll have to walk away from one of the best space heaters. However, just because you must stand out in the cold doesn’t mean you should freeze. We looked at our past heated gear coverage, rounded up our favorites, and tested new options. We also looked at critical reviews and user recommendations and conducted heavy research to separate the tepid from the hot.

The best heated clothing: Reviews & Recommendations

If you’ve considered wearing something, it most likely comes in heated form. One of our choices will channel your inner Heat Miser when you’re about to turn into Mr. Snow.

Best jacket: Gobi Grit Men’s Heated Work Jacket

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Specs

• Material: Cotton with nylon lining
• Max temp: 140 degrees
• Heat settings: 3
• Battery life: Up to 9 hours

Pros

• 5 heating zones provide full coverage
• Big, durable jacket with inner lining
• Decent battery life

Cons

• Fewer heat settings than other options

If you’re working outside in cold weather—not simply enduring it—you need something heavier than a shell, a fleece, or a hoodie. The Gobi Grit heated workwear jacket offers a heavier layer of electric warmth, ensuring you are ready to spend a full day in the cold. When things get rough, you can turn on the heat, which should last between 4.5 and 9 hours, depending on the setting. The company also makes heated hoodies for when you are enduring the cold. And, if you’re looking for something in a specific style, check out our other favorite heated jackets.

Best vest: ORORO Men’s Lightweight Heated Vest

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Specs

• Material: Nylon
• Temperature settings: Low (100°F), Medium (120°F), High (130°F)
• Battery life: 10 hours

Pros

• Quick heating
• Machine washable
• Zippered pockets

Cons

• Might be too tight to fit under bulkier jackets
• Only a 10-degree difference between medium and high settings

This heated vest for men is tailored neatly to the body and is machine washable. In seconds, the heating elements warm up the vest, which can be adjusted according to your comfort. It even includes a USB charging port within the vest battery that you can use for your cell phone. If you’re looking for a heated vest for a specific activity, like riding your motorcycle, check out our complete list of heated vests.

Best gloves: Gordini Forge Heated Gloves

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Specs

• Material: Polyester
• Temperature range: 113°F (low)-150°F (high)
• Battery life: 2200 mAh
• Sizes: Medium/Large; Large/XL
• Special features: Touchscreen-sensitive index finger and thumb, anti-slip material on palms

Pros

• Soft and flexible
• Anti-slip
• Versatile
• Warm even without heating element turned on

Cons

• Expensive

Gorgini’s rechargeable heated gloves provide the best, most versatile protection from the cold that we’ve felt in a pair of gloves. They are well suited for a variety of outdoor adventures, from shoveling to skiing.

In a field full of very similar products from companies with little reputation, they serve as a good example of what to look for in a pair of heated gloves. First and foremost, they’re quite warm with or without the heat turned on. They have three temperature settings, water-resistance and windproofing, heating elements that cover the back of your hand and fingertips, and touchscreen-sensitive material. Meanwhile, a leather palm ensures you won’t lose your grip when you need it the most. You can also connect it to the clim8 app (for iOS and Android) to track battery life and customize your gloves’ temperature.

They’re a bit thick but still flexible enough to shift gears on a bicycle or hold ski poles. All in all, it’s exactly what you’re looking for. Gordini also sells the Forge in women’s so everyone can have warm hands while traversing the snow. They’re expensive, but we think the smart capabilities and craftsmanship is worth the cost.

Best socks: Gobi Tread Heated Socks

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Specs

• Material: Cotton
• Power level settings: Low, medium, high (113°F-140°F)
• Approximate heat time: 12 hours
• Machine washable: Yes

Pros

• Separate keychain remote
• Slim battery pack
• Long-lasting

Cons

• Expensive

With a range of heat settings from a balmy 113 degrees to a toasty 140, these machine-washable heated socks from Gobi can last up to 12 hours on the lowest charge. The toes are designed with their own individual heat zone to keep your pinky from feeling frozen, plus the slim battery is hardly noticeable in its calf pocket or while wearing tight pants. Our favorite feature is the remote, which lets you change the heat settings without bending over. Consider our other favorite heated socks if you want to stock up on multiple pairs.

Best slippers: Volt Resistance Rechargeable Heated Slipper

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Specs

• Levels of heat: High, medium, and low
• Power: Two included USB 5V VB550 batteries
• Sizes: Small-3XL

Pros

• Lasts for up to 12 hours on a single charge
• Provides three levels of heat
• Comes in multiple sizes for men and women
• Can wear indoors and outside

Cons

• Only come in one color
• Heating pad may not provide a lot of warmth

Volt is one of the first brands to design heated slippers, and the company has continued to innovate since coming out with its first pair 10 years ago. These comfy slippers are heated with included rechargeable batteries. They provide three heat levels (high, medium, and low) and can last up to 12 hours on a single full charge. Best of all, you can wear them indoors or outside. The previous iteration had a faux fur lining—although we loved the extra snuggliness, the new version ditches the bulky, a-little-too-hot fur for soft fleece that doesn’t make your feet feel like a sauna. You can also get insole warmers (even battery-powered ones) to turn any house shoe into a heated slipper.

Best wearable electric blanket: Beautyrest Reversible Sherpa to Fleece Electric Wrap

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Specs

• Fabric type: Plush Fabric
• Heat Settings: 3
• Machine washable: Yes

Pros 

• Affordable  
• Hands-free design 
• Heats up quickly

Cons 

• Control panel is bulky and can be uncomfortable
• Variations in heat

As a wearable heated blanket, the Beautyrest Reversible Sherpa to Fleece Electric Wrap lets you stay warm while your hands can type, scroll on your phone, or flip between TV channels. It sits on your shoulders just like a shawl with the added luxury of heat, which you can control through three different settings. And it’s available in 10 different designs to suit your unique style and fashion sense. It’s also fully reversible with an ultra-soft beige plush fabric on the reverse side. 

The 2-hour auto shut-off prevents overheating. Fully machine washable, this wearable heated blanket provides warmth and comfort to relax anywhere in your home. This blanket would suit teens in particular because of the range of colors and styles. Like our top budget pick, also made by Beautyrest, the controller can become quite hot if covered. Simply unplug to machine wash and keep your new favorite blanket clean. Need something a bit less wearable and a bit more shareable? Check out our other heated blanket picks.

Best hand warmers: HotHands Hand Warmer

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Specs

• Reusable: No
• Temperature range: 140-160°F
• Duration: Up to 10 hours

Pros

• Easy to use
• Long-lasting
• Provides consistent heat

Cons

• Not reusable
• Takes 15-30 minutes to heat up

Want to save money on a handy choice from above? Any gloves are heated gloves with these disposable hand warmers from HotHands—a budget-friendly staple for keeping warm. All you need to do is shake the pack vigorously for a couple of seconds, triggering a safe chemical reaction that will lead to up to 10 hours of consistent heat in 15 to 30 minutes. Keep them in your glovebox or purse so you’ll never be caught with cold hands. If you’re looking for something reusable, we have an entire list for you.

Things to consider when buying the best heated clothing

With an entire closet’s-worth of options to choose from, what should you know when clicking “add to cart”? Here’s the short of it so you can spend more time exploring in your new hot digs:

Charging times

Heated clothing requires the use of a lithium-ion battery to power the heating elements. And, like other portable batteries and power banks, they take a bit of time to reach 100 percent. Prepare accordingly if you’re going to spend all day hitting the slopes or all night cheering in the stands. Most batteries in heated clothing also double as a portable charger in a pinch. We love killing two birds with one stone.

Machine washability

“Heated elements” plus “water” must equal “disaster” when it comes to heated clothing, right? Wrong! Most heated clothing can be washed—emphasis on the “most.” Read the care label before throwing the item in the wash, and make sure to remove the rechargeable batteries. You most definitely don’t want to run those through the washer.

Temperature

A piece of heated clothing that’s too hot leads to a sweaty person, which is not good when exposed to cold temperatures. You want to limit sweating since rapidly evaporating perspiration chills you … not exactly what you want when you’re wearing heated clothing to stay warm.

FAQs

Final thoughts on the best heated clothing

• Best jacket: Gobi Grit Men’s Heated Work Jacket
• Best vest: ORORO Men’s Lightweight Heated Vest
• Best gloves: Gordini Forge Heated Gloves
• Best socks: Gobi Tread Heated Socks
• Best slippers: Volt Resistance Rechargeable Heated Slippers
• Best blanket: Beautyrest Reversible Sherpa to Fleece Electric Wrap
• Best hand warmers: HotHands Hand Warmer

If you’d rather not look like Randy in that one scene from A Christmas Story, consider some heated clothing for more warmth with fewer layers. The heated elements and batteries in heated clothing are thin and discreet—no one would know you’re wearing a heated jacket or vest unless you told them. And, with incredible choices like these, you’ll want to tell the entire world how cozy you are.

Why trust us

Popular Science started writing about technology more than 150 years ago. There was no such thing as “gadget writing” when we published our first issue in 1872, but if there was, our mission to demystify the world of innovation for everyday readers means we would have been all over it. Here in the present, PopSci is fully committed to helping readers navigate the increasingly intimidating array of devices on the market right now.

Our writers and editors have combined decades of experience covering and reviewing consumer electronics. We each have our own obsessive specialties—from high-end audio to video games to cameras and beyond—but when we’re reviewing devices outside of our immediate wheelhouses, we do our best to seek out trustworthy voices and opinions to help guide people to the very best recommendations. We know we don’t know everything, but we’re excited to live through the analysis paralysis that internet shopping can spur so readers don’t have to.