Venustas Heated Vest Review

A few weeks ago Venustas sent Elizabeth a new heated women’s vest.  She was skeptical at first; especially since she already has a lot of jackets and is partial to a few other brands.  After taking the vest on a 4-day orchestra tour down the Kenai Peninsula she realized that she’ll have to add another brand to her list of cold weather retailers.   

Scroll down to read the rest of this Venustas Heated Vest review.

This post was sponsored by Venustas.  The opinions in it are my own.  The gear to be reviewed was provided for free and links on this page are affiliate links meaning any purchase you make through them helps support LiveTravelTeach at no cost to you.

The classic Venustas women’s heated vest is water and wind-resistant with 6 heating zones: left & right shoulders, mid-back, left & right pockets, and collar.  The chest logo is actually a button that you hold down to turn the heating on, off or change between three heat settings and the battery lasts long enough to not need a new charge with moderate use on a 4-day trip in Alaska.

The vest itself is nice and warm with a 100% nylon outer vest to keep wind and light rain out and your heat in.   The lit up logo made all of our friends jealous once they realized the blue, white or red glow meant Elizabeth was toasty warm! We used Venustas heated gear for the first performance in Cooper Landing, Alaska, and throughout the rest of the tour to Homer, Anchor Point and Soldotna. 

Check out Venustas wide range of heated gear and use code LIVETRAVELTEACH for 15% off!

Elizabeth and the Anchorage Bowl Chamber Orchestra performing at Gwin’s Lodge in Cooper Landing, Alaska.  It was cold enough that the orchestra asked for the propane patio heating to be turned on but Elizabeth stayed nice and warm in her Venustas heated vest!

Venustas Heated Vest Instructions

• Fully charge the battery pack before use.
• Plug the battery pack into the interior back pocket and zip the pocket closed.
• Click and hold the V logo on the chest.
  The logo slowly glow and dim red for a few moments until it is warmed up.
• Once it goes solid, click the button to cycle through heating settings.
• To turn the heat off, click and hold the button for a few seconds.  

Venustas Heated Vest Settings 

Low – Blue – 9 – 9.5 hours of heating time
Medium – White – 5 to 6 hours of heating time
High = Red – 2.5 to 3 hours of heating time

A heated vest makes the perfect mid-layer for a cold day or evening.  Whether you’re planning on hanging around a campfire or going for a light walk then this vest is great for you.  You can easily use it on it’s own or with an outer shell.  The heating levels make it warmer than anything else of it’s size or weight.

Venustas sent Elizabeth a heated vest so this post will focus on the heated women’s vest.  If you’re interested in the heated Unisex jacket I received read that review here or go straight to their store at the link below.

Browse their wide selection of heated outdoor gear with a 15% discount using code LIVETRAVELTEACH  

Venustas Vest Sizing

Each item with Venustas has a size guide on their webpage that is specific to that type of clothing but generally if you wear a large you’ll be happy with a large.  If you wear a medium you’ll be happy with a medium.  Elizabeth typically wears a medium and that fit great for the heated women’s vest.

Venustas Heated Vest Review

Late spring and early summer still bring an occasional freeze overnight in Alaska, especially if you’re at any altitude.  This trip took us to Cooper Landing, Homer and Soldotna with late evenings and early morning temperatures in 30 degrees Fahrenheit.  Elizabeth wore the vest both while playing cello on outdoor stages and while hanging around the campsite.  

Elizabeth first pointed out the heated pockets, which I then in turn realized were part of my jacket too.  The heating elements turn pockets into cozy containers and it’s like a hand-warmer is in your pocket!

We had lovely views of Kachemak Bay and classic Alaskan scenery with mountains and more.  Glaciers in the distance add a chill to the air around Homer but heated vests and jackets kept us toasty warm.  We can’t wait to use this gear next winter to fight the bitter cold.  

The battery pack on the heated vest boasts 4800mAh and is the same as a USB battery pack making it TSA friendly!   You can use any USB-A plug to charge another device from the battery pack and it fully charges in roughly 4-hours.  This battery pack is different from the larger one that came with my jacket.  I actually prefer the lighted dots to show how much battery is left since I don’t need a specific readout and the digital numbers on my battery pack can be more ambiguous when upside down. 

The women’s heated vest can be machine washed or hand washed but should be hung dry.  If you’re using it solely as an outer layer I wouldn’t worry too much about washing it unless you spill on it or if it has campfire smoke residue.  If you use it for a mid layer you’ll just have to see how sweaty you get to decide on washing it.  I don’t typically wash my vests or jackets anyways and I imagine I would just hand wash and spot clean if needed.
This model comes in a white or black but Elizabeth would have preferred some other color options.  Her main critique was that she wanted a vest with the hood.  Venustas still has a few left but they are discontinuing the hooded model.  Get them while they last!

Looking for a heated jacket instead of a vest?  Read my review of the Venustas unisex dual channel heated jacket or browse the rest of the Venustas sales!