Venture heated vest...any experience?

[Frontpointer1000]

hi all.

I’m just doing research at this point, but I’d certainly be interested in everyone’s opinions. I dive dry and despite using various undergarments, I still get cold at some point in the day. Coldest water I dive is 41°, but I’d certainly be open to diving colder. I will dive multiple dives throughout the day, And I’m starting my advanced nitrox and deco procedures so I will only be in the water longer. I dive a Water Proof D7 ISS suit. Multiple undergarment configurations depending on the environment and dive situation. A significant amount of my diving is solo. I’m 5 foot nine 155 pounds. The suit fits me very well.

Thx for your insights!

PS: I prefer the discussion to be geared toward this particular product or other heated vests, as opposed to an in-depth analysis of the various undergarment possibilities, as I feel pretty comfortable with that at this point.

https://www.amazon.com/Venture-Heat...nture+heated+vest+scuba&qid=1578168220&sr=8-3

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I have a Thermolution which heats through the back. Seeing that this one heats front and back piques my interest (though unless my Thermolution dies, I don't see myself buying another one).

While I dive in water that ranges from the low 40s to high 50s, I'm a real wimp when it comes to water temperature. I love my thick undergarment (4th Element Halo 3D) and my heated vest. When my Russian wife makes me swim in 60ish degree water with her, I do toughen up a bit and don't use my vest on dives immediately following. But that doesn't last long.

I'm hoping some people with real world experience with this vest chime in. I love my Thermolution, but this looks like it may be a better product.

 

[grantctobin]

I shy away from anything with batteries inside the suit. Thermalution seems to be the name thrown around most often if you elect to go that route but burn time and quoted wattage don’t line up. YMMV.

I’d recommend an external battery with an internal heated vest. Light Monkey, Santi, Exo2, iQSub unless you want to go the DIY route. The Pitkin controller from LM or the controller from UWLD are great and allow for different thermal settings. This is something you want to buy correctly and buy once, expensive as it is.

What undergarments are you using? Which hood? If you’re not in multiple two layers of wool gloves and a 10mm hood, those are cheap starting points, especially at pre-technical diving dive durations. If you’re not using a merino or similar base layer, a vest (XCore or similar), and a Halo3D/BZ400x as it is, there’s room for improvement.


EDIT: Freudian slip and wrote BB rather than Bobby/UWLD

 

[Marie13]

Those Venture vests are brand new. They were just released at DEMA. The company has been making other heated vests for outdoor activities for a while. DRIS sells them now.

I know a guy who wore one on his AN/DP class deco dives in October. Said it worked fabulous. Compared with the Thermolution, my tech instructor (who taught the class where the one guy used the Ventute) said the Venture batteries are about the size of 1.5 iPhones while the Thermolution batteries are about the size of a single iPhone.

I was considering the Venture due to back and front heating elements, but instructor said with my short torso, he thought the Venture batteries would be too big for me. I’m going be getting the $800 Thermolution vest. I know a good number of people who have been diving them for at least 2-3 years and they are all happy. They are all Great Lakes divers, so lots of cold water dives. The Thermolution has been around for while, so I’d prefer to go with something already tested in real world use rather than a brand new product.

 

[Manatee Diver]

I know a guy who wore one on his AN/DP class deco dives in October. Said it worked fabulous. Compared with the Thermolution, my tech instructor (who taught the class where the one guy used the Ventute) said the Venture batteries are about the size of 1.5 iPhones while the Thermolution batteries are about the size of a single iPhone.

Depends on which battery he is looking at they both offer two battery sizes, and the two sizes are pretty close but the Venture batteries for the same sizes are a little larger by about about 20%. Of course that is assuming that we are comparing apples to apple numbers.

I am glad to see more wet heated vests, I like my Thermulation, but their prices are a little high if I didn't get it for half off by buying used I wouldn't have bought mine, so perhaps with competition we might see the price decrease a little.

 

[davehicks]

Two of my local buddies just got this Venture heated vest and were diving it with me earlier this week. They both had a Thumbs Up review and were happy with it so far.

Personally I've been diving the Thermolution Vest (both my wife and I) for over a year and have been very happy with these units. We have about 150 dives between us and they are running fine.

I just read in this week's UWPMAG issue a review of a "Fix Heated Vest". When I saw my friends Venture Vest I noted that the wireless wrist controller and battery packs looked identical to the Venture units they had. I suspect they are basically the same and just re-branded from the same OEM. You can read the review of the Fix Vest in the free download of the UWPMag issue #112.

http://www.uwpmag.com/?download=112

The FIX Under Warmer Vest starts at $399 and goes up to $649 plus accessories.​

 

[a878bob]

I've had a thermalution vest in the past. It was a well designed product, but no heat in the front and limited battery life lead me to find an alternative.

The technology of the venture vest seems very similar. But heated front will definitely be better. I had that conversation with the thermalution group at dema 2 years ago. Battery life, I'm on the fence, but could definitely see using this vest driven by my can light battery.

I hope we see some reviews of it here. If someone has a link to the Big Blue heat controller, I'd love to see it.

 

[a878bob]

After digging a little deeper, I see my can light has 8.7 amp/hr.
2 x 5.2 amp/hr batteries = 10.4 amp/hr. Hmmm.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

If someone has a link to the Big Blue heat controller, I'd love to see it.

??? Anything like that from Big Blue scares me, as I returned my BB canister light after they had a recall as a result of one of their canisters blowing up after charging and almost killing a guy.

 

[grantctobin]

I've had a thermalution vest in the past. It was a well designed product, but no heat in the front and limited battery life lead me to find an alternative.

The technology of the venture vest seems very similar. But heated front will definitely be better. I had that conversation with the thermalution group at dema 2 years ago. Battery life, I'm on the fence, but could definitely see using this vest driven by my can light battery.

I hope we see some reviews of it here. If someone has a link to the Big Blue heat controller, I'd love to see it.

I errantly wrote Big Blue rather than Bobby/UWLD. I wouldn’t touch a Big Blue electronic anything with a ten foot pole.