All right guys. I have all 3 on hand and will test them outside. I will hang them outside overnight and place a temperature sensor in each one of them. Sensors will read and record temperature every 60 seconds. I'm planing to zip tie (close) all the openings for hands , legs and head. Should this be a fair test? Should I do anything else?
Outsider
Heater Body Suit vs IWOM vs ArcticShield Body Insulator Suit Test
I will. But it's not the same test if you go out hunting and each time the temperature , wind and other factors are different. I think this should be a fair test. I will have it done over the weekend since the sensors should be here on friday.
seems you need a heat source in each to me
what question are you trying to answer? They all will go from indoor temp to ambient outdoor temp..are you asking which will do so fastest? This is not an indicator of heat retention inside the suit
what question are you trying to answer? They all will go from indoor temp to ambient outdoor temp..are you asking which will do so fastest? This is not an indicator of heat retention inside the suit
This past week I was hunting the overlap between early archery and firearm opener at a friend's farm. He built a bunkhouse several years ago so a few of his friends can come down and spend a night or a few. A mutual friend was there as well and one afternoon he slipped his boot warmers into my boots as he was not going out to hunt that evening. MI was in the midst of an arctic blast with morning temps in the upper teens to low 20's with very little warmup during the day. I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it felt to put on warm boots and how they stayed warmer during that cold morning hunt. Point being that taking 3 room temperature garments out with a sensor doesn't seem like a great testing parameter in my thinking. Warm them up to a certain temp with a heating pad or whatever, then measure the drop in temps over time. Or as Zap suggested......just try each one out and see what feels the best at the end of each sit. Compare them over a span of time to get a good feel.
In for the results. I think Alaska is on to something with them all being close to the same temp before they are hung out. Room temp should be sufficient. Your right on checking the rate of temp drop and total degrees lost. Seems fair enough to me.
Maybe I will just hang them outside wide open first so they adjust to ambient temperature then I will close all the zippers and openings. If they off few degrees I don't think it will make much difference. The main point is how fast the temperature will drop/raise in each.
Thanks for running test. I’ve been on the fence about buying something like this. Looking forward to a great review from fellow AT’r.
People are going to complain and criticize no matter how you do it.
Do your best and know that most appreciate the effort. The others can do their own test.
Do your best and know that most appreciate the effort. The others can do their own test.
An easy heat source could be something as simple as a 1 gallon milk jug with boiling water put in it. It’s a consistent heat source unlike hand warmers.
Transporting
HBS is the biggest but I bought a backpack from them to carry it. Then AS and next the easiest is IWOM since you can put it on as a jacket.
Put it on in the stand
The hardest is again the HBS since it's bulky. Then AS since you have to slide in your shoes into separate lag sleeves and shoes will "grab" the material and you get really frustrated. Same with HBS.
Then the easiest one to put on is IWOM. Since your legs are both in one bag and it's easy to close it.
Shooting
This is hard one... In the AS you have to unzip two zippers on the side to get your arms out. Depends on your current position you might have a hard time unzipping them since you want to keep the zipper straight and tight to do it. It's much easier to unzip if you stand then when you sit. But once you get your arms out most of your body is still enclosed so you can wait a while before you get too cold. HBS it's very easy to unzip. No matter if you sit or stand. But then you uncover half of your body and loosing heat really fast. Very easy to maneuver your body once you unzip. IWOM it's basically a jacket so you don't need to do anything. But this is what worries me. I like all my body parts to stay inside the "bag". Also changing your stand position might be little but tricky sometimes cause both your legs are in the same compartment.
HBS is the biggest but I bought a backpack from them to carry it. Then AS and next the easiest is IWOM since you can put it on as a jacket.
Put it on in the stand
The hardest is again the HBS since it's bulky. Then AS since you have to slide in your shoes into separate lag sleeves and shoes will "grab" the material and you get really frustrated. Same with HBS.
Then the easiest one to put on is IWOM. Since your legs are both in one bag and it's easy to close it.
Shooting
This is hard one... In the AS you have to unzip two zippers on the side to get your arms out. Depends on your current position you might have a hard time unzipping them since you want to keep the zipper straight and tight to do it. It's much easier to unzip if you stand then when you sit. But once you get your arms out most of your body is still enclosed so you can wait a while before you get too cold. HBS it's very easy to unzip. No matter if you sit or stand. But then you uncover half of your body and loosing heat really fast. Very easy to maneuver your body once you unzip. IWOM it's basically a jacket so you don't need to do anything. But this is what worries me. I like all my body parts to stay inside the "bag". Also changing your stand position might be little but tricky sometimes cause both your legs are in the same compartment.
Back to heat source. What you guys think of rechargeable hand warmers ? Like this one https://www.amazon.com/KARECEL-Rech...343991&refinements=p_85:2470955011,p_90:8308921011&rnid=8308919011&rps=1&sr=8-1
or Zippo hand warmer like this one https://www.amazon.com/Zippo-Hand-W...1&refinements=p_85:2470955011,p_90:8308921011&rnid=8308919011&rps=1&sr=8-6&th=1 . Will they produce enough heat to use it for the test? I don't have any experience with them so that is why I'm asking.
or Zippo hand warmer like this one https://www.amazon.com/Zippo-Hand-W...1&refinements=p_85:2470955011,p_90:8308921011&rnid=8308919011&rps=1&sr=8-6&th=1 . Will they produce enough heat to use it for the test? I don't have any experience with them so that is why I'm asking.
Anxious to hear results. I was looking hard at the IWOM XT for late season bow hunting here in ND.
These clothing items aren't warm to the touch, so just hanging them outside is no different than hanging a bedsheet outside. They will become whatever the ambient temperature is.
The way all of these, or any cold-weather item, are designed is to provide some aspect of heat insulation, ie a person's body heat fills the space and the item helps keep that body heat in, while limiting the cold air from entering.
You HAVE to use an exact equal heat source. You are going to need to use three very accurate digital thermometers and timing device, show that the heating element is exactly the same, the time is the same etc.
I would actually not suggest putting them outside as anything from wind direction to sunlight on a slightly different camo pattern could affect your results. Put them all in the same room away from any heat source like a heat vent or baseboard heater or sunlight through a window. This should provide your most consistent study. Measure them at 1/2 hr increments and use a phone camera to record the results. No need to go past 2 hours, as the information will already be known by then. However, your study can't show how under-layers, wind conditions, humidity, etc will effect each situation.
Bottom line these are no different than a sleeping bag or a space blanket, or even a 2nd jacket or set of coveralls. It's an extra layer. It amazes me that people can't figure that out and somehow think that these are things that actually provide heat to the body.
The way all of these, or any cold-weather item, are designed is to provide some aspect of heat insulation, ie a person's body heat fills the space and the item helps keep that body heat in, while limiting the cold air from entering.
You HAVE to use an exact equal heat source. You are going to need to use three very accurate digital thermometers and timing device, show that the heating element is exactly the same, the time is the same etc.
I would actually not suggest putting them outside as anything from wind direction to sunlight on a slightly different camo pattern could affect your results. Put them all in the same room away from any heat source like a heat vent or baseboard heater or sunlight through a window. This should provide your most consistent study. Measure them at 1/2 hr increments and use a phone camera to record the results. No need to go past 2 hours, as the information will already be known by then. However, your study can't show how under-layers, wind conditions, humidity, etc will effect each situation.
Bottom line these are no different than a sleeping bag or a space blanket, or even a 2nd jacket or set of coveralls. It's an extra layer. It amazes me that people can't figure that out and somehow think that these are things that actually provide heat to the body.
I never said this provides heat to the body. I know the purpose of the suit. I think putting them outside is better then do it inside. Even if the camo pattern will affect the result I want to know that.
I've been on the fence for a few years now. I think if or when I buy one it will be a Artic Shield. It was between AS and hbs, AS is cheaper and I've had an AS h4 jacket for about 10 years and I like it. I wish AS had the predator camo.
I hunt in Iowa from halloween through late muzzle basically for the last 19 years and managed without that's why I'm dragging my feet on buying.
I hunt in Iowa from halloween through late muzzle basically for the last 19 years and managed without that's why I'm dragging my feet on buying.
The reason I mentioned using boiling water in gallon milk jugs is it’s a constant. Hand warmers are hit or miss. I think the test will be accurate ENOUGH if you use the same exact amount of heat in each suit. We all know the suits work, you’re just trying to find out if one is noticeably better than the other
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