The Bosch Women’s Heated Jacket is a welcome addition for many of us that lost our original heated jackets to the ladies in our lives. Just as much as they like to wear our favorite sweatshirts (and they do look awfully cute wearing them), when they found out that our jackets were heated by a battery, we were lucky to get to borrow them once in while. Now with a women’s specific fit, Bosch has given the ladies their own heated jacket and just in time for the winter weather to cover the country all the way down to Florida.
If you’re going to get women to pay $200 for a jacket, it needs to fit them well and be stylish enough to keep them away from Macy’s. Of course, the alternative is that we men buy it for our ladies. Still, if we expect her to wear it, it has to look good and fit comfortably.
Since I’m clearly not a lady, I was able to convince my lovely fiancée, Rebecca, to both model and give her thoughts on the Bosch Women’s Heated Jacket. Actually, there wasn’t much convincing. As soon as I said “heated,” “you can charge your phone with it,” and “women’s fit jacket” she wanted to know how quickly it would arrive.
The USB charging holster is a huge plus on the Bosch Women’s Heated Jacket, which also comes standard with the men’s. The overall design reminds me of a pit crew jacket from car racing. That’s not a bad thing, by the way. We’ll have to see if Rebecca is convinced though. The red and black Bosch name and accents are identical to the men’s.
Using the Bosch Women’s Heated Jacket
Sizing and Fit
Don’t let the sizing measurements fool you on this. The small really is 41.7″ around the chest, but Rebecca is not. After not being able to find a sizing chart that satisfied my thoughts of what it should be, I decided that if it really was that big in the chest, it should fit me… and it did. Only around the chest though. The other measurements were definitely no fit for the male physique. My concern is how effectively it will heat the chest area if it is not in tighter contact. We’ll see.
As for overall fit, Rebecca typically wears a small when it comes to tops and jackets. The small Bosch Women’s Heated Jacket was the most appropriate fit for her. Go with what your lady typically wears in size and it should be pretty close.
Heated Jacket Style
Here’s the $200 question: Is this a jacket that a lady is going to go out and spend that kind of money on given the vast number of choices across all markets? Uh, probably not. For a lady that is looking for a jacket solely based on style this isn’t going to be the one at that kind of price point.
As a gift though, it’s a different story. The style is very similar to production crew style jackets like what you find around film sets. That’s not a bad thing. There’s enough style here that she’ll be able to wear it in more places than just around the house. The fact that it’s heated by a Bosch 12V battery and has a USB charging port on the holster gives her a reason to.
Now, before you think that my resident expert and I are completely against this jacket’s style, let’s set an expectation. This is absolutely a jacket that has a home for working applications. We’re not talking about the lady walking the streets of downtown Chicago on her way to the 37th floor of Trump Tower. Here’s what Rebecca had to say about the style aspect: “My family works with horses. We don’t want to wear our pea coats or professional jackets out there. We do want to look good though, and the Bosch Women’s Heated Jacket allows us to work without giving that up.”
Bosch Women’s Heated Jacket Specifications
- Power Source: 12 Volt Lithium-Ion Battery
- Available Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large
- Heat Settings: 3 (High, Medium, Low)
- Heat Zones: 3 (2 chest, 1 back)
- Washing Instructions: Hand Wash Only
- Material: Polyester
- Weight: 3.4 pounds
- Warranty: 3 year jacket 2 year battery with ProVantage registration (free)
- Price: $199.99
Bosch Women’s Heated Jacket Features
- Wind and water resistant
- 3 Heating Zones
- 5 Pockets
- USB Charging Holster
- Holster Belt Clip for use outside the jacket
- Up to 6 hours run time
Women’s Heated Jacket Comfort
This is what it’s really all about. The Bosch Women’s Heated Jacket claims wind and water resistance. As it so happens, when we went out for the photo shoot, we got both. Heavy winds and light rain never made it through the jacket, much to Rebecca’s delight.
The women’s specific fit allowed for movement and really didn’t feel too tight or loose, according to Rebecca. She really appreciated the deep, functional pockets. As guys, we take our pockets for granted. Women’s clothing, however, tends to have decorative pockets that really don’t serve much function otherwise.
Alright, so what about the heating feature itself? The jacket delivered noticeable heat in high to all three zones within 30 seconds of turning the power on. Those three zones were also very distinct. Other jackets we’ve tested distribute the heat in a way that isn’t quite so location specific, but is also slower.
There is just one weird thing when it comes to the comfort level: the battery placement. It’s an inside front left pocket that just doesn’t feel quite right. Bosch does help us out a bit by providing an access slot to run the cord to the holster while clipped to your belt. Clipped on is much more reasonable for the feel, just remember to unplug it before taking the jacket off!
Conclusions
$200 is a lot for a lady to spend on a jacket. For the lady that spends time outside working or being active, the Bosch Women’s Heated Jacket is going to be a great gift. I’m not completely sold on how many women will seek out this jacket, but I do think that once those ladies get their hands on it, they’ll be hesitant to let go.
The fit is excellent, just be sure to go with your normal sizing. There is enough style for ladies to still look good while working or being active outside on cold days. It’s comfortable enough on its own, but the speed in which the heating elements increase the temperature will win many people over.
