TESTCENTRE
The heat is on
The vest , battery packs zipped into pockets
Close-up of the wireless wrist control
Venture Heat Dive Vest V3
COMPANY : DIVING DISTRIBUTION PRICE : £ 895.50 TEL : 07850 565556 WEB : WWW . VENTUREHEAT . EU EMAIL : INFO @ DIVINGDISTRIBUTION . COM
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’ ve always seemed to have a decent resistance to low temperatures . I put it down to my hardy Geordie genes and many years of exposure to the cold North Sea . A couple of decades in the warmer south-west climate doesn ’ t seem to have eroded this ability . Despite this , I do sometimes wish I ’ d doubled-up on my layers or used a thicker undersuit when the cold begins to bite midway through a dive . For those individuals with a low resistance to chilly water or are diving deep , for extended durations or ice diving , a heated vest is an excellent way to keep warm . Venture Heat is a California-based heated clothing company which has manufactured heated garments for 20 years , including motorcycle wear , coats , trousers and gloves for everyday use . When the popular Thermolution brand came to an abrupt end due to bereavement , Venture Heat stepped in to take over production and distribution under its own banner . Their combined expertise has resulted in the Venture Heat Dive Vest V3 .
The vest consists of a Thinsulate nylon gilet embedded with carbon fibre heating elements . These are situated in both the back and front of the torso to provide allround warmth . This saltwater-safe infrared heating technology is depth-rated to 100 metres .
Two 16w 5.2Ah Li-ion batteries provide 32 Watts of heat , which can be adjusted across three levels : low , medium and high . Unlike other heating systems , which rely on a physical through-suit connection to an exterior battery pack , Venture Heat ’ s vest is operated via a wireless remote control .
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