Love Winter With Ororo Heated Vests & Down Jackets
You will love winter whatever it throws your way in Ororo heated vests and down jackets says Snow Action’s Snowboard Editor and #1 new gear tester Peter Wunder. Pete normally rides (& skis on hard pack carve days) 100+ days a season in Thredbo and the surrounding backcountry in southern winter, then 90+ more at his northern winter home in Rusutsu, Hokkaido.
So he knows a thing or too about all conditions riding, and the gear that works or not to keep you out there.
Ororo Heated Vest Review
Since I tried heated gloves and saw there are heated puffer jackets, I was super keen to try a jacket so I finally decided to get one.
I did a lot of research online, and from that was certain ORORO heated jackets were superior to others on the market.
So I bought a sleeveless puffer vest, thinking I would wear it every now and then when out snowboarding, particularly on colder days. It wasn’t long and I was wearing it every day.
I’m so impressed with how warm the vest is, but being sleeveless it’s never too hot. It’s the best first thing in the morning on that freezing first chair ride up the mountain, and again late afternoon when the sun’s gone and it’s really cold.
You can regulate your body temperature with a simple press of the on button, which turns the heated pads on high. It takes less than 10 seconds and you can feel the heat making radiating through you. I usually don’t have it turned on during the middle of the day as the vest by itself provides the perfect temperature.
Skiing in Australia it’s hard to dress for extreme cold with snow or wet conditions at the top of the mountain, but also much warmer conditions down the bottom. In the past whatever I wore would mean I’d either be too cold at the top or too warm at the bottom, or a bit of both. The ORORO heated vest removes that problem allowing you to regulate your temperature with a push of a button. As soon as I turn it on, I feel like I’m tricked into feeling much warmer than I am because I know the heat is there straight away. It’s great when I’m feeling the freeze on cold snowy days and I don’t want to wait to warm up. After a couple of minutes I’m cosy and warm as the heat builds and spreads all through my top.
There are three temperature settings on the ORORO vest: low, medium and high, all with their own colour on the power switch, so you know which setting you’re on.
The lithium ion 5200 MAH 7.2V batter is the size of most mobile phone batteries, so being so light you don’t notice it in the inside battery pocket. It’s a high quality battery that will last three hours on high, six hours on medium and ten hours on low. Then simply plug the cord into the power point to recharge.
The ORORO vest battery also has a USB port, so it can recharge your phone on the go. How cool is that and particularly handy if your phone battery life is affected by cold conditions.
The heating pads in the vest are placed across your upper back, on the back of your neck, and on the outside of each hand pocket, so your hands stay warm as well. If you wear it under a ski jacket like I do sometimes and can’t put your hands in the pockets, the heat warms your lower front around the pockets.
So many days out skiing my friends say they’re cold, but I’m always toasty warm now.
It’s like sitting on the couch with an electric throw blanket which is why four of my friends now have an ORORO heated jacket or vest too.
For someone who feels the cold it can mean the difference between wanting to go skiing knowing they’ll be warm enough with a heated puffer vest, or not wanting to ski and missing out on the fun.
ORORO customer service were outstanding, helping with delivery issues as I live in a remote area. I was impressed when they were able to solve the problem quickly and politely. I can’t say enough how happy I am with the product quality and functionality, and the service.
I highly recommend ORORO, you won’t be disappointed.
Note this is not a sponsored review – I purchased the vest with my own money, and I’ve been very happy with it. After loving the vest and thinking it a great item to write up and review for Snow Action’s Snow Stuff section, we approached ORORO and asked for a heated down jacket with full length arms to try out and on-snow test too. They’ve been very obliging and have sent me the heated down jacket which I’ve loved just as much.
Ororo Heated Down Jacket Review
For the extremely cold days the 800 fill down heated jacket is the one to pick, it’s so warm. I don’t use the heated power much when skiing during the middle of the day, but it’s so nice to put it on when its -5 degrees in the morning waiting for the lifts to open, or late in the day once the mountain is in shadow, especially on those freezing T-bar rides accessing the wind blown high up on the slopes.
This jacket would also be fantastic for parents standing around watching their kids on sports days in winter, or for cold nights on camping trips.
It’s not all about the snow, there are so many places this jacket will come in handy. I can’t wait to take this jacket to the Japanese ski fields (Pete had lived for many seasons in Rusutsu), where it’s -15 some days.
The ORORO heated down jacket will be a game changer for me in Japan, and will definitely keep me out on the slopes longer.
I highly recommend both the ORORO sleeveless puffer and the down jackets.
Apart from at the snow for a host of activities for people who live in SE Australia or anywhere else with cold winters you will find the Ororo heated vests and jackets great additions to your outdoors wardrobe.
Who are Ororo?
Ororo are from the freezing mid-west of America, founded in 2015 and claiming over 500,000 satisfied customers since then. The name, ORORO (pronounced Oh -ROAR-oh) was influenced by the first name of the X-Men superhero, Storm. Storm is capable of controlling weather and adapting to extreme weather conditions so the founders figured that was the perfect match for them.
Our Snowboard Editor Pete sure concurs, it was the perfect match for him too.
Ororo down jackets $AUD 379, Ororo heat vest $AUD 239 – check the link above for deals & specials.
The Ororo Heated Down Jacket Features:
- Added Collar Heating: In addition to left and right hand pockets and mid-back heating zones powered by the durable and safe carbon fiber heating elements, collar heating is added for extra warmth. Adjust between 3 heating settings (high, medium, low) with just a simple press of the button.
- Designed for Extreme Cold: One of the warmest performance heated jackets features premium 750-fill RDS-certified down and water and a wind resistant shell that keeps snow and water out.
- Extra Comfort and Element Protection: 3-piece adjustable and detachable down-filled hood adds warmth and element protection while the fleece-lined collar gives extra softness and comfort over your neck. Stretchable cuffs with thumbhole construction helps lock in heat.
- 5 YKK Zipper Pockets: 2 side-entry hand pockets; 1 chest pocket; 1 interior napoleon pocket; 1 interior battery pocket.
