When I first saw the Venustas Heated Jacket, I wasn’t sure what to expect. In concept it makes perfect sense, bring extra warmth out to the crag on a cold winter day, but it sounded too good to be true. I thought this might just be a gimmick, plagued with technical issues and poor quality components. Well, I was very, very wrong!
I received the jacket in early Fall and attempted to test it out on a 70 degree (F) afternoon. I only make it about 2 minutes in the Venustas heated jacket before breaking out into a full-on sweat. This jacket is an absolute inferno! The heating elements start working almost immediately. The way it works is fairly simple, it comes with a Lithium battery pack (about the size of a large smartphone) that powers internal graphene heating coils. It feels very similar to an electric blanket that plugs into the wall at home.
By itself, the jacket is very high quality and will keep you very warm, even below freezing. The material is very durable, yet soft to the touch. It also has multiple pockets for storage and a detachable hood. Similar in quality to some of the more mainstream brand jackets I’ve used in the past.
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The Specs
The battery pack is a whopping 7.4V 5000 mAh beast capable of keeping you extra toasty for up to 9 hours. It also has high and medium heat settings that last for 2-3, and 4-5 hours, respectively.
The jacket has multiple graphene heating elements located around the chest, back, and abdomen. This will ensure you don’t get a chill on those super cold winter days. The jacket also has some pretty good wind resistance. I should note that when the jacket is on, the button on the chest glows red/white. You will definitely get a few questions about it which may be a good or bad thing depending on what you’re doing.
The battery can double as a phone charger so you’ll never have to worry about the dead battery again (just bring the right charging cable)! You can recharge the battery pack overnight with the included USB-c cable. I should note that you can purchase extra battery packs from the Venustas website to make sure you can stay heated for your entire adventure.
Venustas also includes a waterproof storage bag with the jacket I have. It’s very handy for storing it away and keeping it safe. It looks like it comes with most of their models, but make sure to double-check the website.
My only gripe with the Venustas heated jacket so far is that it is quite heavy (about 4 pounds). This isn’t an issue for most situations, but I still prefer my lightweight down jacket for long approaches. That being said, I definitely miss the Venustas 🔥 when I get there.
“You can’t get too much winter in the winter.“
Robert Frost
So Should You Get a Venustas Heated Jacket???
If you’ve ever gotten so cold out climbing that you had to bail early or were never able to warm up enough to try your project, then you absolutely need to get a Venustas Heated Jacket. It is absolutely worth every penny. I personally can tolerate very cold conditions, but I’ve been lending the jacket to friends so they can be comfortable belaying/spotting me on colder days.
Venustas has many different options, sizes, and models to pick from. It would be a great gift for the fair-weather climbing partner that hates the cold.
Owner and Operator of Every Last Rock. He is dedicated to spreading the Stoke about all things climbing. Often found Bouldering around the US and obsessively training.