DEWBU SOFT SHELL Heated Jacket Review

We recently were sent a DEWBU 12V Men’s soft shell heated jacket to test out and we loved it. It’s not only stylish and comfortable, but it also cranks out the heat. It can hit 140°F in seconds and if you ride a motorcycle, snowmobile, ATV, or other vehicle with a 12V system, you can plug the jacket directly into your vehicle and never have to worry about battery life.

While the weather has been on the warmish side in Denver, we headed up to the foothills to put the DEWBU to the test and it kept me nice and warm in a variety of situations and temperatures. This waterproof heated coat is perfect for cold and wet weather, keeping you warm and dry.

One feature that made this coat stand out was the heated pockets. The front heating elements are close enough to the pockets to keep the pockets toasty warm which I absolutely loved.

DEWBU makes a wide variety of heated clothing and is a well-respected brand in the industry. DEWBU sells heated jackets, heated vests, heated gloves, and even heated pants.

Keep reading to see my full review of the DEWBU 12V soft-shell heated jacket.

What is in the box?

The DEWBU comes nicely packaged in a clear sealed pouch. It includes the following:

DEWBUSoft Shell Heated Jacket
12V Battery with Intelligent LED display
Charger
User Guide

The Specs

Battery/Power Bank: The DEWBU comes with a high capacity 54Wh 12V CE/FCC certified battery. The battery has an intelligent LED display, so you always know exactly how much charge you have left. It also has a USC Type C port which can be used to charge your phone or other electronics when you are out and about.

This battery kicks the heat up quickly with the jacket warming up with a few seconds so you can get outside quickly. The battery pack is nice and slim and doesn’t weigh much, fitting nicely in the inside pouch. The 12V battery will keep the heat going for 9-10 hours on low but will drop down to roughly 4 hours on high.

As always, consider purchasing another battery if you are going to be outside for long periods of time.

12V Connector: The DEWBU uses a 12V system which means it can be connected directly to your motorcycle, boat, ATV, snowmobile or other vehicle that has a 12V connector. The DEWBU connector is sold separately and is a great way to extend your riding season or stay warm out in the cold without having to worry about battery life.

5 Heating Zones: This heated jacket has five carbon fiber heat zones that help keep your core nice and warm even when the temperatures really drop. There are four heat zones on the front, two located around the pocket area and two more on the arms, around the elbow region.

The two front heat zones keep the pockets nice and toasty, so your hands stay warm when standing around in the cold which is a fantastic feature that we think should be standard on all heated jackets. There is a large heat zone that goes across the entire mid-back area, so your entire body is wrapped in warmth.

Temperature Control Switch: The five carbon fiber heat zones on the DEWBU heated jacket can be controlled with one button. Simply press and hold the button on the chest to turn on the jacket and you can then cycle through the three heating levels by pressing short pressing the button again.

Heat temps are indicated by the light color for each heat zone:

Red light = high temp: 140°F max temp

Blue = medium temp: 125°F max temp

Green = low temp: 110°F max temp

The light that indicates the temp level is pretty subtle which is nice as in many cases a bright light on your chest can be distracting. It is obvious when you are out in the dark but during the day the light is almost non-existent.

Washable: While technically the DEWBU can be machine washed, as with most heated clothing, it is best to hand wash it. Be sure to put the power cord into the pocket and zip it up to prevent damage.

If you are machine washing the coat, use a laundry bag and cold water, do not use bleach or other cleaning solvents. The jacket should be hung to dry and should not be ironed, twisted, or dry-cleaned.

High Heating Temperatures: The DEWBU heated jacket cranks up the heat to 140°F which is 10°F higher than most of the other jackets we have tested. The high setting will keep you warm when the temperatures really drop but may be a bit high for warmer temps.

I found the medium (blue) setting to be the most useful. It felt right in a variety of conditions and allowed the battery to crank out the heat for roughly 6 hours. When the temps really drop a quick click of the button pushes up the heat.

According to DEWBUs documentation, this jacket will run for close to four hours on the high setting. We found that to be fairly accurate, usually getting at least 3.5 hours.

DEWBU Soft-Shell Heated Jacket Features

The DEWBU is one of my favorites when it comes to the look and fit, adding in the 140°F top temp is just a bonus. The waterproof soft-shell exterior is perfect for both wet and cold weather, once you turn the heat on the jacket just gets better.

Here is a quick breakdown of the features we loved about this heated jacket:

Look and materials: The water-resistant outer soft shell looks great and will keep you nice and dry when the weather turns wet. The interior of the DEWBU heated jacket is super soft and comfy and the 12V heating system will keep you nice and warm when it’s freezing cold outside.

Pockets: The DEWBU has plenty of pockets and two of them are heated which makes them a nice place to park your hands when it gets a bit cold outside. The heated pockets are large, zippered chest pockets, and they are deep, so you have plenty of space to keep the essentials.

There are also two good-sized back pockets, as well as 2 small left arm pockets, and 1 small pocket on the right sleeve which is a perfect spot to stash your car keys when you’re out on the mountain.

My only real complaint when it comes to pockets is the fact that the DEWBU doesn’t have an interior pocket, except for the battery. I like to keep my phone in an interior pocket and while my phone fits easily in the large chest pocket, I prefer it an interior pocket. This is simply a personal preference, there is plenty of storage with this jacket.

The large chest pockets were a great place to keep everything I might need quick access to when I was out and about, as a bonus, the pockets stay nice and warm.

Hood: The hood is a nice touch and ups the heat factor dramatically when it is cold and windy out. The hood is not heated but the waterproof material keeps the weather at bay and the drawstring lets you tighten up the hood when the wind really gets howling.

While the hood is not detachable there are Velcro straps that allow you to roll it up and secure it. I loved this feature as I don’t like a hood hanging down if I don’t need it. It was very quick and easy to secure the hood.

Two-way zipper: The two-way zipper on the DEWBU lets you open the coat from the top or the bottom of the zipper. This feature turned out to be more useful than I originally thought, it makes it easy to open just the bottom of the jacket to power up the battery or switch out the power bank.

Power bank: The power bank included with the DEWBU is small and well-designed. It fits nicely in the inside pouch of the jacket. It is a high-capacity 54Wh 12V CE/FCC-certified battery that cranks out the heat. The power bank heats the jacket up very quickly and can push the heat up to 140°F and keep it flowing for up to four hours on high and 9-10 on low.

There is a digital readout on the top of the power bank that makes it easy to see exactly how much juice is left in the battery. The power bank also has a USB Type-C port can be used to charge smartphones and other mobile devices which is always handy when you are out in the weather.

Like most heated jackets, the DEWBU is super easy to use. Once the power bank has been turned on, simply press and hold the button on the jacket. The coat kicks into high (red light) for a few minutes and then moves to medium (blue light).

Adjusting the heat up or down is as simple as pressing the button on the jacket again. The green light is low, blue is medium, and red is high. You can turn the jacket off by pressing the power button again for about 3-5 seconds until you see the light go out.

The power light is not too bright which we loved, it helps keep the distraction to a minimum and wasn’t too obvious when I was out in a crowd.

While this jacket can technically be machine washed, as with most heated gear, it is best to hand wash it. However, if you need to machine wash it be sure to use a laundry bag and wash it on gentle in cold water. Do not iron, dry clean, or use bleach, it should be line-dried.

How does it perform?

The DEWBU is an excellent heated jacket, I love the look of it and the 12V power bank really cranks out the heat. The jacket would always heat up in seconds which is a huge benefit when you are headed out into the cold.

I wore this jacket in several different situations, and it performed flawlessly every time. I took several walks around our property in temperatures that ranged from the low 40s to the high teens. As always, I only had a t-shirt on underneath, but the DEWBU kept me warm in all temperatures. The jacket fits great, and I had full range of motion, it never felt tight or uncomfortable.

We also took the DEWBU up to the foothills for a quick walk next to the river in Golden. The jacket kept me nice and warm and looked great. I even had a person compliment the look of the jacket when I was strolling around.

While I originally thought the deep chest pockets were in an awkward spot, once the jacket is on, they make a ton of sense. They are in a perfect spot to keep your hands both comfortable and warm while strolling around in the woods.

I also found the drawstring on the bottom of the jacket to be quite handy, it helps keep the heat in when the temps start to drop. The DEWBU may run a bit small, so be sure to check the size guide and measure carefully to ensure you order the correct size.

DEWBU offers a 30-day refund if you are unhappy with the coat or a 30-day exchange on the chance it doesn’t fit right. The DEWBU comes with a 12-month warranty which is extended to 36 months if you register your coat with DEWBU.

DEWBU is a well-regarded company so you can be confident in the coat as well as their customer service.

If any issues do arise with the jacket DEWBU offers plenty of ways to get in touch with them. You can contact customer service by chatting online, emailing, or via a phone number.

As with most heated jackets, a great way to crank up the heat is to wear a hoodie or fleece under the coat. When the temps really drop slip a base layer on before putting the coat on and you will be nice and toasty. The DEWBU heated coat is lightweight and while I was aware of the battery once in a while it never interfered with my movements, most of the time I didn’t even notice it was there.

The battery life was pretty close to DEWBU’s claims. I ran it on high and got to just under 4 hours. I mainly used the coat on medium but would push it up to high when the temps dropped below 20°F or so. On medium I was getting 6-7 hours or so before it needed to be recharged. We always suggest taking an extra power bank if you are out in the weather for more than four hours. You can purchase an extra DEWBU power bank or other compatible power bank.

The DEWBU has a 12V heating system which means that you can plug it into your car, motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile or other vehicle that has a cigarette lighter plug. You will need a DEWBU connection cable which allows you to plug the jacket into your vehicle, so battery life is no longer an issue as long as the vehicle is running.

We did not connect the coat to a vehicle as we didn’t have a connection cable but read several reviews from drivers and it seems to work well. Keeping this cable in your vehicle is an excellent way to conserve your battery.

The DEWBU did a fantastic job keeping me nice and warm out in the weather, I slipped this coat on one morning when the temps dropped down to 18°F and walked out to the mailbox and back (about 2.5 miles) and I never felt cold at all. The DEWBU kept me wonderfully warm. The DEWBU is an excellent choice if you are looking to put a heated jacket in your closet. We loved it.

The Bottom Line

The DEWBU is an excellent heated jacket and has earned its place as one of our favorites. It kept me warm out in the coldest weather I could find (about 18°F) and looked great doing it.

I am happy to wholeheartedly recommend this soft-shell heated coat. The 12V system keeps the heat flowing for hours and the top temp of 140°F is one of the highest available so you will be nice and toasty when you are out in the cold.

The only change I would suggest is to add an inside pocket that is not for the battery. While the DEWBU has plenty of pockets, an inside pocket to store your phone or other valuables would be a nice addition.

The deep chest pockets were perfect for carrying all the stuff I like to have with me when I am out and the fact that these pockets are heated was a huge advantage. I loved them.

The DEWBU is a fantastic choice if you are in the market for a heated jacket. It kept me warm whenever I was out in the cold while also looking and fitting great. You can absolutely buy this heated jacket with confidence.