BACKROADS • FEBRUARY 2022
Page 26
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS AND REVIEWS CALIFORNIA HEAT ELECTRIC HEATED GEAR AND HEATED 4U Everyone I meet is from California There’s dancin’ in the streets in California
America
Why? ‘Cause it’s warm there! Things change in this world. But some things will always be with us. Here in the northeast one of them is winter. For me it is funny as I was just writing about “Indian Summer,” another Dewey Bunnell crafted tune. So, how does this self-indulgent homage to the band America relate? (other than A minor… was my first chord…thank you, Terry!) It is a company called California Heat. Here’s the kick – they’re in Maryland. Probably just a tad higher in temps than we are here in the Forest of the Lenape. We have been big advocates of heated electric gear for decades. This is not just about comfortability, but safety. Keeping your fingers warm is great, but it is far more important to keep your Core-Body temperature up while riding in anything below 40 degrees. Everyone is different, but all humans react to cold in the same way… some quicker than others. But we hate the idea of having our season end just because the Earth’s rotation, axis, and time forces the northern hemisphere to bundle up. We are always looking for the latest or improved version of heated gear. We have finally hooked up with California Heat - a company that has taken the best of all the others and made some serious electric heated riding gear. In truth, all this gear kinda works the same. But what we have found over the years is quality, innovativeness, and comfortability make the difference. There is a company down in Street, Maryland who have almost every base covered when it comes to heated gear. Heated 4U. They offer the widest selection of heated gear for almost every situation of which you can think. We are riders, so we stuck with their 12-volt offering, but they also have a good number of 7-volt for a more portable heat as well. Let’s talk about their motorcycle gear. On their website, you will find outer jackets and pants, but we like our riding gear and have found that the wide selection they offer gave us a chance to ride with heated liners that were comfortable and stylish enough to be used as a walk-around town night jacket. Liners, for the most part, will fit under your warmer riding gear and usually a good thick base-layer. The liner will keep you riding for many miles as the temperatures plummet. If you are still cold at this point it might be a good idea to park it for the night. Continued on next page
