ricky racer
Well-Known Member
I've used my new Milwaukee heated hoodie long enough now to publish an honest review. I originally purchased this hoodie to supplement my hunting clothing. I was looking at buying a heavier warmer jacket but really don't like the bulk of heavy jackets. Also the cost of a quality hunting jacket is quite high. The hoodie I purchased on line for $99 with free shipping. Milwaukee offers a heated hoodie and a heated jacket both as a stand alone garment and as a kit with their M12, 2.0 Amp hour Lithium-Ion battery and charger. I purchased mine as a stand alone jacket. Milwaukee was offering a promotional deal with its purchase giving me a chance to choose either a free Milwaukee hat or a free M12 battery. Naturally I chose the battery. I ordered a new charger off of Ebay as well as an additional M12.
After looking at the jacket in my local Rural King store I concluded that a hoodie was probably a better choice due to the much quieter fabric. I wasn't concerned with getting it in any camo pattern because my intent was to use it as a layer so it would be covered anyway and also I would be using it for casual and work as well.
The first couple of times I used it while hunting, either I didn't need to turn it on because I didn't get cold or I turned it on just to try it out. However, Thanksgiving morning I got dressed and headed out to the woods but misjudged the weather by quite a bit. The day previous the temps were in the low to mid 30's with winds around 20 mph. That day I wore my base layer (long undies), the Milwaukee hoodie and a wool sweater with wind block from Cabela's. I stayed comfy only turning the hoodie on to the middle setting (it has a high, medium and low setting) later in the morning when the wind started to erode the warmth and the cold started to creep in. The heated hoodie warmed right up and kept me comfortable. Thanksgiving morning the temps dropped to the low to mid 20's with winds in the 20-25 mph range. Somehow I missed that and dressed exactly the same as I had the day before. Surely another layer was needed as I was to find out while hanging from a tree with my bow.
Once I climbed into the tree I noticed that I seemed to be chillier that I thought I should be. I assumed that I had worked up a sweat getting to my stand. Usually the sweat doesn't take that long to dry due to the synthetic under garments wicking action and quick drying properties. I assumed I in a few minutes I'd be dry and warm right up. But that didn't happen. I was a little chilly and it only got worse. I didn't plan on turning on the hoodie for a couple hours but I needed to turn it on right away. Milwaukee claims the hoodie will heat for up to 6 hours which I'm sure is on the lowest setting. I turned the hoodie on to the medium setting while it was still dark out. Right away I could feel the warmth across my back and chest. My arms were still chilly but with my core area warm it made the sit bearable. I was able to stay on stand fairly comfortably until 10 o'clock and only headed in because we had company coming for Thanksgiving dinner at 1 o'clock and my wife wanted a little help (that's all I am is just "a little help") before they got there. Without the heated hoodie I don't think I could have stayed on stand much after daybreak.
The hoodie puts out a lot of heat on the medium setting and really puts out heat on the high setting. The low setting puts out a low amount of heat and I will sometime switch from medium to low once I'm warmed up. Having a second battery in my pack gives me the option of all day heat if I'm in the field all day long. I'm sure the hoodie will get a lot of use this winter while I'm on the tractor plowing snow. I'd highly recommend the Milwaukee Heated Hoodie. It's really well made and feels like a high quality garment. It's machine washable and dry-able. I'm sure the heated jacket is top notch as well.
After looking at the jacket in my local Rural King store I concluded that a hoodie was probably a better choice due to the much quieter fabric. I wasn't concerned with getting it in any camo pattern because my intent was to use it as a layer so it would be covered anyway and also I would be using it for casual and work as well.
The first couple of times I used it while hunting, either I didn't need to turn it on because I didn't get cold or I turned it on just to try it out. However, Thanksgiving morning I got dressed and headed out to the woods but misjudged the weather by quite a bit. The day previous the temps were in the low to mid 30's with winds around 20 mph. That day I wore my base layer (long undies), the Milwaukee hoodie and a wool sweater with wind block from Cabela's. I stayed comfy only turning the hoodie on to the middle setting (it has a high, medium and low setting) later in the morning when the wind started to erode the warmth and the cold started to creep in. The heated hoodie warmed right up and kept me comfortable. Thanksgiving morning the temps dropped to the low to mid 20's with winds in the 20-25 mph range. Somehow I missed that and dressed exactly the same as I had the day before. Surely another layer was needed as I was to find out while hanging from a tree with my bow.
Once I climbed into the tree I noticed that I seemed to be chillier that I thought I should be. I assumed that I had worked up a sweat getting to my stand. Usually the sweat doesn't take that long to dry due to the synthetic under garments wicking action and quick drying properties. I assumed I in a few minutes I'd be dry and warm right up. But that didn't happen. I was a little chilly and it only got worse. I didn't plan on turning on the hoodie for a couple hours but I needed to turn it on right away. Milwaukee claims the hoodie will heat for up to 6 hours which I'm sure is on the lowest setting. I turned the hoodie on to the medium setting while it was still dark out. Right away I could feel the warmth across my back and chest. My arms were still chilly but with my core area warm it made the sit bearable. I was able to stay on stand fairly comfortably until 10 o'clock and only headed in because we had company coming for Thanksgiving dinner at 1 o'clock and my wife wanted a little help (that's all I am is just "a little help") before they got there. Without the heated hoodie I don't think I could have stayed on stand much after daybreak.
The hoodie puts out a lot of heat on the medium setting and really puts out heat on the high setting. The low setting puts out a low amount of heat and I will sometime switch from medium to low once I'm warmed up. Having a second battery in my pack gives me the option of all day heat if I'm in the field all day long. I'm sure the hoodie will get a lot of use this winter while I'm on the tractor plowing snow. I'd highly recommend the Milwaukee Heated Hoodie. It's really well made and feels like a high quality garment. It's machine washable and dry-able. I'm sure the heated jacket is top notch as well.
