Is a heated gilet or a heated jacket warmer?

Our gilet and our jacket both have nine heated areas and three heat settings, so the heat they make is similar. The jacket covers your arms and has a hood, so it keeps more of you warm on its own. A gilet under a coat can be just as warm for your body, with the coat keeping the wind off.

Can I wear a heated gilet under a coat?

Yes, and it is one of the best ways to wear one. Choose a coat with a little room so it does not press the gilet flat, and keep the power bank in the gilet's inside pocket. With a coat on top you can often use a lower setting, which makes the battery last longer.

Do heated gilets and jackets need a different power bank?

No. Both run from any 5V USB power bank with a USB-A socket, and neither comes with one. A 10,000 mAh bank fits in the inside pocket of either.

What is the difference between a heated gilet and a heated body warmer?

None. Gilet and body warmer are two British names for the same sleeveless padded top. Americans call it a vest.

Heated gilet vs heated jacket: which one should you buy?

A heated gilet and a heated jacket work in the same way: thin heating elements in the lining, a USB lead in a pocket, and a button on the front to switch the heat on. The difference is what you wear them for. This guide compares our 9-zone heated gilet and our 9-zone heated puffer jacket so you can pick the one that fits the way you spend time outside.

At a glance

	Heated gilet	Heated jacket
Sleeves	None	Long sleeves
Hood	No, stand-up collar	Yes, the supplier describes it as detachable
Heated areas	9: collar, upper back, back, abdomen, waist	9: across the front, the back and the collar
Heat settings	3	3
Power	Any 5V USB power bank, not included	Any 5V USB power bank, not included
Supplier's shipping weight (sizes we sell)	about 390 to 440 g	about 770 to 820 g
Best worn	Under a coat, over a jumper, or alone on dry days	On its own as your outer layer
Supplier's washing advice	Hand wash, do not wring, hang to dry	Machine or hand wash

The weights are the supplier's shipping weights for each size, packaging included, so the garments themselves are a little lighter.

Where the heat goes

Both garments put the heat on your body rather than your arms. On the gilet, the supplier's heat map shows one pad at the back of the collar, two across the upper back, two on the back, two on the abdomen and two at the waist. The jacket also has nine heated areas, spread over the front, the back and the collar. Neither has heating in the sleeves.

So on heat alone there is little between them. What changes is how much of that heat stays with you. The jacket's sleeves, hood and elastic cuffs and hem hold warm air in. A gilet leaves your arms and shoulders open, so on its own in a cold wind it loses more heat than a jacket. Put a coat over it and that difference mostly disappears.

Layering

A heated gilet is a mid layer. Its job is to sit between a base layer or jumper and a coat. That makes it flexible: wear it under a waterproof when it rains, under a smart coat for the commute, over a fleece on a dry, still day. The heat stays close to your body, and the outer layer stops the wind carrying it away.

A heated jacket is an outer layer. It is a full padded jacket with a hood, so it works on its own over a jumper or a fleece. Neither our jacket nor our gilet is sold as waterproof, so on wet days the jacket needs a waterproof over the top, or you can choose the gilet and wear your usual waterproof over it.

If you already own a coat you like, the gilet is often the better buy: it turns your current coat into a heated one. If you want one warm thing to grab on the way out of the door, the jacket is simpler.

Arms and movement

A gilet leaves your arms completely free. That matters if you work with your hands: throwing a ball for the dog, coaching from the touchline, gardening, loading a van or working on a market stall. There is nothing to bunch up at the elbows and nothing to catch.

A jacket gives you warm arms, which matters when you are standing still in the cold for a long time. Padded sleeves feel bulkier when you reach or lift, but they keep your forearms and wrists out of the wind.

Bulk and packing

Going by the supplier's shipping weights, the gilet is roughly half the weight of the jacket in the same size. It packs smaller into a rucksack, and it is easier to keep in the car for days when the weather turns. The jacket is the warmer single garment, but it takes up more space when you are not wearing it.

Battery time

Both run from the same kind of power bank, and neither comes with one. The supplier of the gilet quotes 4 to 6 hours on warm, 6 to 8 hours on comfort and 8 to 10 hours on energy saving from a 10,000 mAh bank. The supplier of the jacket quotes up to 8 to 12 hours from a 10,000 mAh bank, without saying which setting.

In practice, what you wear over the top makes the biggest difference. A gilet under a windproof coat often feels warm enough on the comfort or energy saving setting, which stretches the battery. A jacket worn alone in a wind may need the warm setting for longer. Our guide how long does a heated jacket last? shows how to work out the hours for any power bank, and our 10,000 mAh power bank fits the inside pocket of both.

Which one for what

What you are doing	Our pick	Why
Early or late dog walks	Either	Gilet under your usual coat, or the jacket on its own
Standing on the touchline	Jacket, or gilet under a big coat	Long periods standing still, arms in the cold
Working outside	Gilet	Free arms, fits under work jackets and hi-vis
Commuting by train or bus	Gilet	Thin enough under a smart coat, easy to switch off indoors
Cycling to work	Gilet under a windproof	Free shoulders, the shell stops the wind
Walking on dry, cold days	Jacket	One layer that covers everything
Wet days	Gilet under a waterproof	Neither is sold as waterproof

Whatever you choose, your hands and feet decide how long you can stay out. Our heated gloves and heated socks have their own batteries, and our guide how to stay warm outdoors in a UK winter covers the rest of the kit.

Sizing

Both garments are cut to Asian sizes and come up small. The maker says 1 to 2 sizes smaller than UK sizes, and buyer reviews of this style of heated clothing report 2 to 3 sizes. If you plan to wear the gilet under a coat, check that the coat still fits over it; if you plan to wear a thick jumper under the jacket, leave room for that. The heated clothing size guide has both size charts in centimetres and shows how to compare them with clothes you already own.

Washing

Before washing either garment, unplug the power bank, take it out and tuck the USB lead into its pocket. The gilet's supplier recommends washing by hand, not wringing it hard and hanging it to dry. The jacket's supplier says it can go in the machine or be washed by hand; a gentle hand wash is the kinder choice for the heating wires in both. Our guide how to wash heated clothing goes through it step by step.

The short version

Choose the gilet if you already have a coat you like, want free arms, or need something light to layer under a waterproof or work jacket. Choose the jacket if you want one warm outer layer with sleeves and a hood that you can put on and go. Browse all heated gilets and heated jackets.