The Heat waistcoat from Härkila is like carrying your own personal woodburning stove, says Simon Esnouf from Härkila’s UK distributors. “It’s very welcome when you’re out in freezing temperatures hunting, fishing or watching a game of rugby.”
He explains “It’s a nice quilted waistcoat that will keep you warm anyway, but the really clever part is the built-in heat pad that runs from a power pack in your pocket.”
There are two heat pads in the waistcoat, one covering the lower back and the other between the shoulder blades. “The lower back is key. Basically if that part of you is warm, it warms the core of the body, and the rest of you feels warm too,” Simon says.
The waistcoat runs from a rechargeable power pack. That’s not supplied but they are readily available and just about any power bank will work provided it has a capacity of 10,000 mAh or more. That size will typically last around four hours.
A control panel allows you to switch on the heat pad and set the level of heat you want, low, medium or high. The light glows blue, orange or red to indicate the setting. The high setting equates to 52 degrees, which may not sound much but in practice it’s toasty warm, and more than adequate for sitting motionless in a high seat in freezing temperatures.
You can also connect to an app on your smartphone via bluetooth and control the heating element that way.
The pad uses the latest technology rather than a wire heating element, meaning that the entire gilet is washable.
There’s also a jacket version [pictured above] with insulated sleeves, which is warmer still.
“As a stalker myself, I can say from experience that the system works brilliantly,” says Simon. “When you’re sat up a high seat and not moving, not creating any heat yourself, this is all you need. It lets you concentrate on the job rather than sitting there thinking about how cold you are.”
The Härkila Heat waistcoat costs £229.99. There’s also a v-neck waistcoat version at £199.99, and a sleeved jacket at £279.99.
Find out more at the Härkila website.
