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LKLA

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Has anyone bought one of those heated boot bags - would welcome to hear your experience.

I would like to get one that has a battery - that will heat the boots for an hour or two once unplugged.

Thnx
 
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SallyCat

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I have the Athalon heated bag and can offer the feedback that it does not get as warm as I'd hoped. It's been durable and is a good size. If I leave my boots in it overnight, they are dry in the morning. It holds my boots plus my Zipfits, (which I store and carry outside the boot shells).

The Athalon bag does not have a battery.

https://www.ebags.com/hproduct/atha...MInYvKyrqZ1gIVh7rACh1T5QxfEAQYASABEgJWuvD_BwE
 

janeskis

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I love!!!!!! My hotgear bag. I won it as a prize 7 years ago and it still works great. It doesn't have a battery, but you can plug it into your car charger on the warm setting, so boots don't cool off while driving to the mountains.
 

Chris Walker

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I've never heard of one with a battery. I also have a hotgear bag and I love it.

If I've been in deep snow and my boots get quite wet, this completely dries them overnight. I have about an hour and 20 minute drive to the mountain. I just plug it in to my car charger on the way up and by the time I get there my boots are soft and warm. Amazing on really cold days.
 

Monique

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I'm waiting for the @KULKEA heated boot bag to come out this winter. I really like how thoughtful their bags are (from looking through their site - not from personal experience).
 

Tricia

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I believe @KULKEA said that they were working on a Heated boot bag, but in the mean time I'm married to my Hot Gear Bag.
I'm a great candidate to test a new KUKLEA when its available because I've had 3 different hot bags and know the skinny on what works .....for me. :D
 

bbinder

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I've been using a Transpack heated bag the past year and a half. Well made and works great. It comes with two plugs -- wall plug and a car adapter. No battery, but it does stay warm for an hour or so after unplugging as long as you are indoors. I suppose that you could lug around a car battery with you...
 

Jerez

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I have never seen anyone replace a Hot Gear bag with anything but another Hot Gear bag unless sponsor money was involved.
We did. I got sick of having to replace the heating element. Did it twice, couldn't find a replacement part for the third go-round. Too bad because we really liked it. Fit two pairs of boot and extras.

We ended up going with two Transpack single bags and have liked them very much. The switch on one became loose after a season and they replaced the whole bag right away. Very good customer service. It doesn't get as hot as the Hotgear bag, but then that's good for the new boots with moldable shells.
 

Jerez

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PS: a battery is a good idea. perhaps the manufacturers are listening.
It would be good for folks who take public transport to the hill or others who don't boot up right away.
 
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LKLA

LKLA

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PS: a battery is a good idea. perhaps the manufacturers are listening.
It would be good for folks who take public transport to the hill or others who don't boot up right away.

I would rather plug it in overnight to charge the battery and then put the boots in and have an hour of battery life to keep the boots warm on the way to the mountain. I'd rather not have to plug it into the power outlet in the car to keep the bag warm. Figure a battery that will hold one hour charge is not too much to ask.
 

Tricia

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I've been using a Transpack heated bag the past year and a half. Well made and works great. It comes with two plugs -- wall plug and a car adapter. No battery, but it does stay warm for an hour or so after unplugging as long as you are indoors. I suppose that you could lug around a car battery with you...
I only had a short time testing the Transpack. I felt like the smaller size (in relation to the HGB) was nice but I also felt like I was missing some of the pockets I like to use.
I would love to get your insight on it.
 

Monique

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We did. I got sick of having to replace the heating element. Did it twice, couldn't find a replacement part for the third go-round. Too bad because we really liked it. Fit two pairs of boot and extras.

That's what I'd read about the Hot Gear bags, and why I haven't pulled the trigger yet.
 

bbinder

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I only had a short time testing the Transpack. I felt like the smaller size (in relation to the HGB) was nice but I also felt like I was missing some of the pockets I like to use.
I would love to get your insight on it.

Prior to the Transpack, I was using a Dakine 30L boot bag, and they are similar in size and capacity. The size works well for me because it carries everything that I want to use for a day of skiing, and it works well as a carry-on when I fly. When I fly, I can carry everything that I need for a day of skiing in case my luggage gets lost: boots, socks, long underwear, shell pants and jacket, gloves and goggles. I like the Transpack compared to the Dakine in terms of how everything fits into it. I can appreciate how the HG bag can hold more, but I just don't need the space. I will be interested to see how the Kulkea heated bag compares to the Transpack in terms of size.
 

Castle Dave

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Last season we decided to get a heated boot bag for my wife's 130 race boots. I did some research and was discouraged by the price and mediocre bag reviews, particularly in regards to the reliability of heating elements so decided to make my own. I bought a 50 can soft side collapsible cooler for $19 on end of season clearance at Canadian Tire. We had an old heating pad we never used and after experimenting discovered it was a perfect boot heater set on low with the fuzzy cover off wrapped around the boots and still lots of room for gloves, etc. Since the heating pad only draws 50 watts I have a little 100 watt inverter for the drive to the hill.
If you want to make your own there may be a difficulty finding a heating pad because most modern pads have a two hour time limit. Look for a really cheap pad without the time limit.
 

bbinder

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Before I had a heated bag, I would use those boot dryers that look like tubes and slide into the boots. When the boots were zipped into a standard boot bag and the dryers plugged in, they did an ok to decent job of warming/softening the boots. With an inverter, I could use them on the way to the mountain to warm my boots. Not as good as a heated bag, but cheap.
 

Jerez

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Be careful of jerry-rigging. I did this while searching for heating element replacement. It did work although not all that well. When I took it out after the new bags arrived, I discovered a small burn hole in the cloth by the heating element. There is a reason the modern heating pads have an automatic shutoff.
 

Monique

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I would also be extra careful with moldable shells.
 

Nobody

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I bought an HotGear boot bag (with also shoulder straps, backpack like) last year,
Very nice to put your feet in a warm and dry boot every morning but must pay attention the heat level one selects (if left on the whole night).
On one occasion we drove 4 hrs with the bag connected to the car 12v all the time.
Heat is not selectable in that setup (only when connected to the home 220v, can one select three warmth level, the highest of which it is suggested not to let on for long)
afte having it run full power the whole night.
When reaching our destination, boots were as soft as overcooked noodles, I could even feel the sole almost bending underneath my feet while walking. Luckily I had used my old and soon to be retired plug race boot (xt17). Apart from that, once got used to the fine points of using it, fantastic product.
Not only boots, but also gloves and helmet can stay dry and warm...not only when plugged in.
We discovered that the HG bag keeps the warmth for at least a couple of hours (depending on variables like external temps, car temps and so on).
 
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