Review by Jenn K.
This product was provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of this review.
Say “hello” to the future of warmth from Columbia with the new Women’s Heat Elite Vest. There are three main technical components (described below) to this simply designed vest.
Columbia’s Omni-Heat Thermal Reflective Technology makes up the inner lining. The Omni-Heat thermal reflective lining is made of silver reflective dots that are designed to reflect back body heat to make 20% more warmth. Sounds good to me!
The vest has a property called Omni-Heat Thermal Insulated. This insulation is made of 50% recycled content and is soft; with almost a down like feel. Per the manufacturer; this technology is designed to help maintain warmth and prevent heat loss with the highest heat retention per gram in the industry.
The Heat Elite Vest is also designed with Columbia’s Omni-Shield (Advanced Repellency) technology. Omni-Shield is a coated fabric that is designed to resist light rain, water, and stains. The fabric resists all liquids below 170 degrees F from absorbing into the yarns and staining the fabric. This coating is designed to have no effect on the feel of the material. The fabric is also designed to dry 3-5 times faster than untreated fabric and it does not hold moisture.
I am a big fan of vests! I find them to be a great layering component in a wide range of weather conditions. On cool days I like to layer them over a long sleeve wool or fleece top. When it is raining or snowing I like to layer a vest under my shell.
Omni-Heat Fabric
The Columbia Heat Elite Vest looks very stylish and the fleece fabric feels soft and brushed. The outer body of the vest is mostly fleece. There is a grey fabric panel running the length of the vest below each arm pit. This panel is made of polyester /elastane and has some stitching to give it a quilted appearance. The elastane in this panel gives the fabric some stretch. There are two large, fleece lined, zippered hand pockets. There is a pull cord in each pocket to cinch the bottom of the vest tighter. There are rubber cord locks on the bottom hem of the vest to keep the cord from moving. The vest has a full length zipper with a large metal zipper pull tab. The collar is fleece lined and has a zipper door at the top. The quilted lining of the vest is mostly constructed of the silver dotted Omni-Heat fabric. The rest of the fabric is made of a smooth, silky like polyester material. This material reminds me of the inside lining of my sleeping bags. The Omni-Heat lining is very shiny and looks kind of “space age” to me. I think it is pretty cool as I have never seen anything like this before.
Update 1/3/11
I am very happy with the Heat Elite Vest. I actually love it! During the past month it has been chilly and rainy here in Southern California, so I have been wearing the Heat Elite Vest for much of the past month while hiking, walking at the beach, before and after my bike rides, and to work. I think the Heat Elite Vest is very stylish and I get many compliments on it. People are often curious as to what the silver dots are on the lining.
Generally in the outdoors the vest was layered over a long sleeve wool top (various weights) or over my short sleeve wool top with my fleece arm warmers. When wearing the vest the temperatures ranged from 22 F to the upper 50’s F. The coldest temperature that I wore the Heat Elite Vest was at 22 degrees F in the San Jacinto Wilderness area. In San Jacinto the vest was warm for my core, but I needed to add a shell layer to keep my arms warm. On windy days the Heat Elite Vest did a good job of insulating my core and kept me warm. I found that the wind was not penetrating trough the fabric.
The quilt style construction makes the vest not puffy; which I like. At first I thought the Omni-Heat fabric was a gimmick, but I found that it actually kept me very warm. With temperatures in the upper 30’s F to the low 50’s F I was not too cold that I had to add a layer on top of the vest. When temperatures were in the upper 50’s I felt too warm at times; especially while walking or hiking.
I got stuck in a light rain shower while wearing the Heat Elite Vest. My arms became wet, but the vest was not soaked through from the rain. I hung the vest up to dry overnight and it was dry in the morning.
The vest is long enough that it there is no issue of it riding up when I am wearing a pack. The pockets are well placed and the lining on the inside of the pockets is very soft. The pockets are also large that I can stuff gloves inside with other items that I like to have close by (snacks, lip balm, a map).
I have washed the vest a few times by following the directions on the tag. A few times I placed it in the dryer instead of hanging it to dry. I was skeptical about doing this because I was afraid that the Omni-Heat fabric would melt. I was happy when I took it out of the dryer and the fabric was not melted. I noticed that the fleece picks up lint, and it is very noticeable because the fleece is black. Once in a while I brush the fabric with my lint brush to remove some of the lint. After washing the vest the fleece was not pilled or fuzzy, it looked like new.
Final Update 2/19/11
The weather has been strange in Southern California the past month. We have gone from almost record breaking highs, then back to colder temperatures, and now it is raining again. During the past month the temperatures have been milder at times and I unfortunately only got to wear the Heat Elite Vest on average 2-3 days per week. I really enjoy wearing vests, mostly because they keep my core warm, are very functional, and I can wear multiple layers underneath or on top depending on the weather.
I really do not have anything bad to say about this vest. I know that it keeps me warm (with long sleeve under layers), without an additional layer on top in temperatures dipping into the 30′s. Generally the layers I have been wearing with the vest are wool with various weights depending on the temperatures. When the temperatures are in the upper 20′s I feel like I need a layer over the vest or rather prefer wearing a jacket.
The vest has nice deep pockets. I can cram a bunch of stuff in there (tissues, snacks, gloves, etc.). Plus it keeps my hands toasty warm due to the soft inner lining of the pockets.
The vest has washed up nicely. There are no signs of pilling or fuzziness on the material. I was concerned that the Omni Heat Lining would melt in the dryer. But, it looks just like new. I noticed that when I am wearing the vest it tends to pick up a great deal of lint on the soft fabric. But, that is OK. I am not headed to a fashion show.
This concludes my review of the Heat Elite Vest. It is a keeper and I plan on using it during my future outdoor adventures.
The Women’s Heat Elite Vest retails for $130.00 and is available in black and deep teal. For more information please visit http://www.columbia.com/.
[...] Columbia Women’s Heat Elite Vest [...]