Heated clothing
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In its early days heated clothing was simply a coil of metal wire sewn into a garment. Unfortunately, these were unreliable and tended to catch fire while a user was wearing the garment. Since then, heating technology and battery technology have improved, and reliable battery heated clothing is available.
Most heated clothing is either for motorcycle applications, and wires directly into the battery of the bike, or is powered by rechargeable batteries for general and portable applications. Battery technology in older products uses nickel metal hydride battery technology which is cheaper, larger and heavier than the more modern lithium battery technologies; if not use properly, "battery memory" will shorten the battery's capability to recharge. Amongst the rechargeable batteries, lithium battery technologies are the best, there are two different types: Li-ion & Li-Polymer.
There are several heating technologies employed including copper wire, nichrome wire, metal "mesh' systems, carbon embedded fabric and carbon fibers. The most reliable systems have technologies that have redundancy in case of a heating element breakage.
[edit] Uses and Needs
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Normal insulation only traps body heat, and can be overwhelmed if it’s too cold for the weight of the insulation. Further, most insulating cold weather clothing can't change their essential functions on the fly. So in stop-and-start activities such as hiking or skiing, you may find yourself sweating while you're working hard then freezing when you're resting.
Heated garments solve both these problems, generating core body warmth only when you need it. You can turn down or turn off the heating when exercising to prevent overheating and turn it on again during rest periods to prevent that after-exercise chill. If the weather is a little warmer, in many models you can detach the controller and battery easily, and wear it as a regular garment.
