When It’s Sub-40 Degrees, I Turn on My Battery-Heated Coat
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Welcome to Coat Week on the Strategist, where we’re asking everyone — from New Yorkers to people living in the coldest parts of the U.S. — about their favorite coats and trying out every puffer we can. For more, head over to ourCoat Week hub.
First there were electric blankets and heating pads, now there are … heated coats? When I first heard of them, I thought they sounded dorky and probably unfashionable. If anything, they might look overly techy. But over the past few years, I’ve lived in several frigid cities — including Minneapolis, Toronto, and now Pittsburgh — and regardless of how bundled up I am, my body can never seem to stay warm when the temperature drops below 40 degrees. (Medically, I’m actually cold intolerant thanks to an underactive thyroid.) So a heated coat started to seem a lot more appealing. I decided to give one a try with the Ororo, which has been on the market for a decade.
I first heard about Ororo back in 2022, whenLou Diamond Phillipstold us about his heated vest with a rechargeable battery. “It lasts all day,” he said, noting that he used it while shooting movies in the winter. Then about a month later,Reba McEntirecalled her Ororo vest the “greatest invention known to man.” These are just two of the many heated pieces that Ororo offers. There are also heated trench coats, hoodies, snow pants, and parkas — plus leather gloves, seat cushions, dog coats, and more.
I opted for the newly launched Aero coat, which has 800-fill RDS-certified (responsible down standard) insulation and looks similar to a lightweight Patagonia puffer I once owned, but in a lovely chocolate-brown shade. I immediately got started plugging in the battery pack, which is about half the size of my iPhone Pro Max, only thicker. It was easy to charge: All I had to do was hook theOroro battery packup to my phone’s USB‑C charger (this battery pack can actually be a stand-alone power bank for charging your devices on the go). Once charged, you slip the battery pack into a discrete pocket located just above the left-hand pocket. While it took some time to get used to having a battery pack in my coat — I kept mistaking it for my phone — now that I’ve been wearing it for a few weeks, I hardly even notice it’s there.
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To turn on the heating function, you connect the coat’s power cable to the battery pack. Then you simply press and hold the Ororo logo button located near the left hemline for three seconds. After a few minutes of preheating, the coat is ready to wear when the logo stops blinking. I toggled through the heat settings on the logo button, which then warm up the Aero coat’s four heating zones: two heated front pockets, plus the upper-back and mid-back area. When the coat is on, it feels like you’re wearing a warm piece of clothing straight out of the dryer. When it’s turned off, the heating zones just feel like these patches of thin wiring — only really noticeable in the hand pockets — but that doesn’t bother me at all, especially when there’s a chill in the air.
On the lowest heat setting, you can get ten hours of run-time, according to the brand. But I typically use the medium or high levels, which means the battery lasts for roughly three to six hours (for me, that’s about five days of wear). The medium and high settings are ideal for chilly or windy days, and I never feel sweaty or claustrophobic when I have the coat on at those levels. I most often opt for medium, which is the default setting and ideal for daytime (on a cold morning, I’d choose high instead). I’ve only used the low setting on occasions when it’s a bit balmy outside or I’m in direct sunlight. And if for some reason the Aero coat’s four heated zones aren’t warm enough for you, Ororo does sell options with six zones.Just note:I learned the hard way that it’s easy to forget to switch the Aero coat off, later returning to it with the battery completely dead.
In terms of the fit, I’m five-foot-five and took a size M since I have broader shoulders (I have a 35- to 36-inch bust). It fits nicely but if I haven’t layered it with a sweater or hoodie underneath, the Aero coat doesn’t fit as closely to my body, which prevents the heated panels from giving off as much direct warmth. Because of this, I think it might be worth it to consider taking a smaller size, especially if you’re between sizes.
The water-repellent nylon shell of the Aero works well in light rain, but it’s technically not designed for heavier rainfall (Ororo makes waterproof-specific coats); however, I’ve layered the Aero under a heavy-duty raincoat, and this method worked super-well for keeping the water out and my midsection toasty. Though Ororo pieces can technically bemachine-washed, I haven’t attempted to clean mine yet (or needed to). I’ve found myself reaching for my heated Aero coat more than any other cold-weather piece this fall. As I brew my cup of coffee, I’ll preheat my coat, and on mornings when I walk my dog at sunrise, it’s the perfect warm hug to get me out the door. The lasting warmth is so delightful that I’ll sometimes leave it on for five to ten minutes after I’ve come back inside my house.
More From Coat Week
- How 7 People Who Live in the Coldest Parts of the Country Stay Warm
- The 9 Very Best Women’s Parkas
- The Best (Actually Stylish) Maternity Coats, According to Experts
- What Are the Nicest-Looking Coats Under $300 (That Are Actually Warm)?
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