Gerbing heated gear, and the 12V trap sitting next to the 7V one
One brand, two electrical systems. The 7V garments come with a battery and tell you what each setting costs in hours. The 12V garments come with a plug and expect a motorcycle. Buying the wrong one is the most expensive mistake available in this category.
By Scooter M. · Published October 3, 2026
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Gerbing runs two incompatible platforms under one brand. The 7V line is battery-powered, ships a pack Gerbing publishes as 25.16 Wh, and states a runtime for each of four power settings. The 12V line is motorcycle-powered, ships no battery at all, and needs a harness and controller sold separately. Decide which system you are buying before you compare anything else, because the garments look similar and the purchase is not.
The best runtime disclosure we have tested
Gerbing does something on the 7V side that nobody else on this site does: it labels its heat settings as percentages of power rather than as low/medium/high, and gives a runtime against each one.
| Setting | Gerbing's claim | Implied draw | Linear-model prediction | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% | 2 hours | 12.58 W | 12.58 W | Exact |
| 75% | 3 hours | 8.39 W | 9.44 W | 11% conservative |
| 50% | 5 hours | 5.03 W | 6.29 W | 20% conservative |
| 25% | 8 hours | 3.15 W | 3.15 W | Exact |
Energy is Gerbing's own published 25.16 Wh. The implied draw is that figure divided by each stated runtime. The linear-model column is simply the 100% draw scaled by the percentage on the label.
Compare that with what we found elsewhere: Gobi quotes one line-wide runtime across garments with different zone counts, and Lenz publishes a superb runtime matrix but no voltage at all. Gerbing gives you both halves — the energy and the percentages — which is what makes the claim checkable rather than merely stated.
Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up below. The energy column is the pack’s capacity times its voltage — the number this category does not print.
| # | Product | Best for | Energy | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Gerbing 7V Men's Torrid Softshell Heated Vest 2.0Four settings expressed as percentages of power with a runtime against each, a published 25.16 Wh pack, 135°F stated, … | The most internally consistent runtime ladder on this site | 25.2 Wh | $196.54View on Amazon |
| 2 |  Gerbing 12V Heated Jacket Liner 2.0 (3XL)Seven zones, sizes to 4XL, and the only garment on this site whose maker prints an actual wattage — 77 W — which is al… | The one garment that publishes its wattage | — | $274.45View on Amazon |
| 3 |  Gerbing 12V Heated Glove LinersSized to a genuine XXL and the only heated glove here that publishes an actual wattage — 13 W each. It gets to 135°F b… | The largest hands, and the only published wattage on this page | — | $99.00View on Amazon |
| 4 |  Gerbing 7V Women's S7 Heated GlovesThe same electronics as the men's S7 on a last cut for narrower hands, which matters more than it sounds: a heated glo… | Smaller hands that still want full-finger heat | 23.8 Wh | $245.09View on Amazon |
| 5 |  Gerbing 12V Heated Pant LinerFour zones, sizes to 4XL, and a published 44 watts — the only garment on this page whose maker states what it actually… | The only pair that publishes an actual draw | — | $194.84View on Amazon |
#ad — buy links are tagged and earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices come from a live feed; where none is available the button reads “Check price” rather than showing a number we cannot stand behind. How we are funded.
Gerbing 7V Men's Torrid Softshell Heated Vest 2.0
Four settings expressed as percentages of power with a runtime against each, a published 25.16 Wh pack, 135°F stated, and a lifetime warranty — and when you invert the numbers the endpoints land exactly where the physics says they should.
#ad Price as of October 17, 2026. How we are funded.
The numbers
- Energy
- 25.2 Wh
- Maker's stated energy
- 3,400 mAh — published by Gerbing as 25.16 Wh
- Implied draw
- 12.58 W at 100%, 3.15 W at 25% — our arithmetic
- Published temperature
- 135°F maximum
- Warranty
- Lifetime
- Heat zones
- Two chest, one back and one neck, in Gerbing's words "Chest (2), Back (1) & Neck (1)"
- Settings
- Four, labeled as power percentages — 100%, 75%, 50% and 25% — with "135° F Maximum heat" published
- Care
- Not published by Gerbing on this listing
On wattage: No wattage is published, but this is the rare case where we can derive it with confidence, because Gerbing labels its settings as PERCENTAGES of power rather than vague steps. 25.16 Wh over the stated 2 hours at 100% is **12.58 W**; over the stated 8 hours at 25% it is **3.15 W**. Those two are in an exact 4:1 ratio, which is precisely what 100% against 25% should give. The 75% and 50% claims are then 11% and 20% MORE conservative than a linear model predicts. A maker whose endpoints are exact and whose middle steps understate is not guessing.
On the pack: A battery IS included here, which on a Gerbing product is the thing to check first: this is the 7V line. Gerbing's 12V line — jacket liners, pant liners, glove liners — ships no battery and expects a motorcycle. Same brand, same website, completely different purchase.
What we like
- Settings given as percentages of power with a runtime for each — nobody else on this site does that
- The endpoints invert to an exact 4:1 ratio, and the middle two steps are conservative rather than flattering
- Gerbing publishes the watt-hours on the listing and they match the capacity exactly
- A neck zone, which is where a still body loses heat and which most vests skip
- Lifetime warranty, against the one year most of this category offers
What we do not
- 25.16 Wh is a small pack — well under a standard 7.4 V apparel battery at 38.5 Wh
- Two hours at full power is short, and that is Gerbing's own figure
- No washing instructions published on the listing
- Easy to confuse with Gerbing's 12V line, which ships no battery at all
Who this suits
Someone who wants to know exactly what each setting costs them in hours, and will accept a small pack to get that honesty.
Who should skip it
You need a long day. 25.16 Wh is among the smallest torso packs here, and Gerbing is upfront that full power empties it in two hours.
Gerbing 12V Heated Jacket Liner 2.0 (3XL)
Seven zones, sizes to 4XL, and the only garment on this site whose maker prints an actual wattage — 77 W — which is also the reason it needs a motorcycle rather than a pocket battery.
#ad Price as of October 17, 2026. How we are funded.
The numbers
- Sizes
- XS to 4XL, including 3XL, per Gerbing
- Draw
- 77 W at 12 V DC, 6.4 A
- Maximum temperature
- 135°F
- Power source
- Vehicle 12 V — harness sold separately
- Heat zones
- Collar (1), chest (2), sleeves (2), back (2), per Gerbing
- Settings
- Continuously variable via the separate temperature controller
- Care
- Not stated by Gerbing on the product page
On wattage: 77 W is roughly eight times what a 7.4 V consumer jacket draws on high. That is not Gerbing being wasteful — it is what heat at highway speed actually costs, and it is exactly why the garment is wired to an engine instead of a battery you carry.
On the pack: There is no pack. This liner draws 6.4 A from a vehicle's 12 V system, and Gerbing states plainly that every installation also needs a battery harness and a temperature controller, both sold separately. Budget for all three.
What we like
- Publishes a real wattage, which almost nothing in heated apparel does
- Seven zones, including two in the sleeves and two in the back
- Sizes run to 4XL with the full range documented on Gerbing's own page
- Lifetime warranty on the heating elements
What we do not
- Needs a vehicle. There is no portable-battery option at 6.4 A
- The harness and the controller are both separate purchases
- Gerbing publishes no care instructions on the product page
- Costs more than a complete consumer jacket before you have bought the parts that make it work
Who this suits
A rider in an extended size who wants heat that does not run out, and who accepts that the tether is the price of it.
Who should skip it
You are not on a motorcycle, a snowmobile or an ATV. Off the bike this garment does nothing at all.
Spec sources: Gerbing — 12V Heated Jacket Liner 2.0 (seven zones; 135°F at 77 W; 12 V DC, 6.4 A; XS through 4XL)
Gerbing 12V Heated Glove Liners
Sized to a genuine XXL and the only heated glove here that publishes an actual wattage — 13 W each. It gets to 135°F because it is drawing off a motorcycle rather than rationing a small pack, and it does nothing at all without one.
#ad Price as of October 17, 2026. How we are funded.
The numbers
- Published draw
- 13 W each — 26 W the pair
- Published temperature
- 135°F at 13 W each
- Sizes
- S/M, L/XL and a true XXL
- Battery included
- NO — 12 V source and harness sold separately
- Heat zones
- Microwire elements through the fingers and the back of the hand, per Gerbing
- Settings
- Continuous, via a temperature controller that Gerbing sells separately rather than fixed steps
- Care
- Not published by Gerbing on the product page
On wattage: 13 W each is Gerbing's own published figure, and it is per glove — 26 W for the pair. That number is the most useful thing on this page. A battery glove running a 7.4 V, 2,200 mAh pack carries about 16.3 Wh per hand, so at 13 W it would run for roughly 75 minutes. The battery brands instead claim up to 6 hours from that pack, which implies about 2.7 W — about a fifth of what Gerbing draws. A motorcycle alternator is not rationing anything, which is the entire reason this glove reaches 135°F and the battery ones do not.
On the pack: There is no battery in this box and none is implied by the price. Gerbing states plainly that a "Battery Harness, Y-Harness & temperature controller" are "required for stand-alone operation (sold separately)". The normal way to run these is off a motorcycle's 12 V system, or plugged into a Gerbing jacket liner that is itself wired to the bike. Treat the sticker price as the entry fee rather than the total.
What we like
- A published wattage, which practically nothing else in heated apparel provides
- 135°F is hotter than any battery glove on this site claims, and the wattage explains why
- A true XXL in a LINER, which is the size most thin heated gloves stop short of
- Lifetime warranty on the heating elements
- Stretch Lycra is thin enough to wear inside a glove you already trust
What we do not
- No battery, no harness and no controller in the box — all sold separately
- Effectively useless unless you have a motorcycle or a Gerbing 12 V setup
- 12 V DC at 1.0 A each is a wiring job, not a plug-and-play purchase
- No care instructions published
- No runtime figures, because runtime is whatever your bike is doing
Who this suits
A rider with large hands who already has a 12 V system, or is willing to build one, and wants heat that does not fade after two hours.
Who should skip it
You do not ride. There is nothing in this box that produces heat on its own, and the parts that would cost more than the liners do.
Gerbing 7V Women's S7 Heated Gloves
The same electronics as the men's S7 on a last cut for narrower hands, which matters more than it sounds: a heated glove that fits badly heats air instead of skin.
#ad Price as of October 17, 2026. How we are funded.
The numbers
- Energy
- 23.8 Wh
- Pack
- 7 V, 3,400 mAh per glove
- Sizing
- Women's last, from XS
- Element coverage
- Full finger
- Heat zones
- Back of hand and all five fingers
- Settings
- Three
- Care
- Spot clean
On wattage: No published wattage; capacity and voltage are published.
What we like
- A genuine women's last rather than a shrunk men's glove
- Full-finger element, which the smaller heated gloves usually drop
- Largest published per-hand capacity in its size range
What we do not
- No wattage published
- Expensive
- Still bulky for fine work
Who this suits
Anyone whose hands are too narrow for a men's small, which is a real and badly served group.
Who should skip it
You want dexterity — the liner is the better answer.
Spec sources: Amazon — Gerbing 7V Men's S7 heated gloves (two 7V 3400mAh packs included)
Gerbing 12V Heated Pant Liner
Four zones, sizes to 4XL, and a published 44 watts — the only garment on this page whose maker states what it actually consumes, which is also why it needs a motorcycle rather than a pocket.
#ad Price as of October 17, 2026. How we are funded.
The numbers
- Draw
- 44 W at 12 V, 3.6 A
- Zones
- Four — legs and hips
- Maximum temperature
- 135°F
- Sizes
- S to 4XL, with tall cuts, per Gerbing
- Heat zones
- Two in the legs and two at the hips, per Gerbing
- Settings
- Continuously variable via the separate temperature controller
- Care
- Not stated by Gerbing on the product page
On wattage: 44 W at 3.6 A on a 12 V system, which reconciles: 12 x 3.6 = 43.2. Worth knowing that Gerbing's own product page currently shows a wattage that does not reconcile with the amperage printed beside it, so we have used the figure that does and cited the retailer publishing it. For scale, 44 W is roughly four times what a 7.4 V heated trouser draws on high — which is the honest reason this one is wired to an engine.
On the pack: There is no pack. This liner draws 3.6 A from a vehicle's 12 V system, and Gerbing states that a battery harness and a temperature controller are both required for stand-alone operation and both sold separately. Budget for all three.
What we like
- Publishes a real wattage, which nothing else in heated legwear does
- Four zones including the hips, where a rider is in contact with the seat
- Sizes to 4XL with tall cuts, which is unusually broad
- Pre-wired connections at the ankle for heated socks or insoles
What we do not
- Needs a vehicle. There is no portable-battery option at 3.6 A
- Harness and controller are both separate purchases on top of the price
- Off the bike it does nothing at all
- Gerbing publishes no care instructions on the product page
Who this suits
A rider who wants heat that never runs out and accepts being tethered to the bike for it.
Who should skip it
You are walking, standing or sitting anywhere without a 12 V supply. Every other pick on this page is a better buy for you.
Spec sources: Gerbing — 12V Heated Pant Liner (four Microwire zones in the legs and hips, 135°F, harness and controller sold separately) · RevZilla — Gerbing 12V Heated Pant Liner, published draw: 44 Watts (3.6 Amps)
The 12V side, and the number that explains it
Now the other platform. Gerbing's 12V glove liner publishes something almost nothing in heated apparel does: an actual wattage. 13 W each, at 12V DC 1.0 Amp Each, reaching 135°F.
Hold that against the 7V vest on this same page, which draws 12.58 W at full power — for four zones across your entire torso.
Run the 12V glove liners off a battery instead and the arithmetic is brutal: a 25.16 Wh pack at 13 W is under two hours per hand. The 12V line exists because a bike removes the energy budget entirely, and it stops making sense the moment you step off one. Heated gloves for motorcycling is the page for that case.
The energy, converted
Watt-hours, and what they buy
Energy is capacity times nominal voltage. The ceiling draw is the pack’s own published output current times its voltage. The implied draw runs the maker’s advertised hours backwards. Nothing here is measured — check our working.
| Product | Capacity | Volts | Energy | Ceiling draw | Shortest runtime | Implied draw at the claim |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerbing 7V Men's Torrid Softshell Heated Vest 2.0 | 3,400 mAh | 7.4 V | 25.2 Wh | Not published | Not derivable | 12.6 Wat 2 h 100% power |
| Gerbing 7V Women's S7 Heated Gloves | 3,400 mAh | 7 V | 23.8 Wh | Not published | Not derivable | No claim published |
“Not derivable” means the manufacturer does not publish the figure the sum needs. We leave it blank rather than estimating it, borrowing a number from a similar model, or rounding one into existence. These are ceilings, not promises: cold, wind, movement and pack age all push real runtime below them. Run your own numbers.
Gerbing 7V Men's Torrid Softshell Heated Vest 2.0
- Energy in the pack
- (3,400 mAh ÷ 1000) × 7.4 V = 25.2 Wh
- Most the pack can deliver
- Not published — no output current stated, so the ceiling cannot be computed.
- And the draw the maker’s own claim assumes
- 25.2 Wh ÷ 8 h = 3.1 W — which is the 25% power figure.
25.16 Wh is a small pack by this site's standards — about two-thirds of a standard 7.4 V apparel battery. Gerbing does not hide that; it tells you full power lasts two hours. What you are buying on the 7V side is documentation and a lifetime warranty, not capacity.
Which Gerbing
You want heat without a motorcycle
The 7V Torrid softshell vest. Battery included, four published settings with hours against each, a neck zone, 135°F stated and a lifetime warranty on a brand that has been doing this longer than most. Accept the 25.16 Wh pack and run it at 50% or below.
You ride, and you want the jacket sorted
The 12V jacket liner. It wires to the bike, it does not ration anything, and it is the warmest thing Gerbing makes. It is also useless in a car park. Budget for the harness and controller.
Your hands are the problem and you ride
The 12V glove liners, which publish 13 W each and reach 135°F — the hottest published figure for a glove on this site, and available in a true XXL. Heated gloves for men explains why that size run matters.
You want battery-powered gloves from Gerbing
The 7V women's S7. We have restored a working buy path for it on this run; the men's equivalent we could not confirm in stock, and it is in the skip list rather than quietly listed.
Your legs are the weak point on the bike
The 12V pant liner. Same rules as the rest of the 12V line: no battery, needs the harness, excellent once wired.
What to check before you buy a Gerbing
- Is it 7V or 12V? The number is in the product name and it decides everything else.
- Does the listing say a battery is included? On the 7V side it should. On the 12V side it will not.
- If 12V — do you have the harness and controller? They are sold separately and together they are not cheap.
- What does the runtime table say at 100%? On the 7V vest it says two hours, and that is the honest number.
- Is the warranty the lifetime one? Gerbing's lifetime cover on heating elements is a genuine differentiator in a category that mostly offers twelve months.
What we would skip, and why
- Any Gerbing 12V product, unless you have a motorcycle
- This is the whole warning. Gerbing's 12V line — jacket liners, vest liners, pant liners, glove liners, sock liners — ships no battery. Gerbing states that a "Battery Harness, Y-Harness & temperature controller" are "required for stand-alone operation (sold separately)", and those parts cost more than some of the garments. A 12V liner bought by someone without a bike is an expensive sweater.
- Mixing 7V and 12V parts
- They are different voltages with different connectors and different controllers. A 7V battery will not run a 12V liner, and a 12V harness is not what a 7V garment wants. Check the number before you check anything else, because both lines sit on the same brand page under similar names.
- Expecting a big pack on the 7V side
- Gerbing's 7V garments ship a 3,400 mAh pack that Gerbing publishes as 25.16 Wh. That is well under the 38.5 Wh of a standard 7.4 V apparel battery and barely a third of a Venustas hunting pack. Gerbing is honest about what that buys — two hours at full power — but it is a small battery.
- The men's S7 gloves, for now
- Gerbing's 7V S7 glove platform is covered in our S7 review, but we could not confirm a current men's listing through the retailer this site links to. The women's S7 is purchasable and is on this page. We would rather leave a gap than point you at something we cannot confirm is in stock.
Our criteria, and what we did not do
- Platform checked before anything else — 7V or 12V, battery included or not. On this brand it changes what arrives in the box.
- Runtime claims inverted into watts and tested against the maker's own power percentages, which is possible here and almost nowhere else.
- Watt-hours taken from Gerbing where Gerbing states them — it prints 25.16 Wh on the 7V pack.
- Availability confirmed per listing; one product is deliberately absent because we could not confirm it.
- We have not worn any of these. How we work.
We have not worn, tested or owned any of these products, and we say so on every page rather than in a footer. What we do instead is compile the published specifications and do the arithmetic. The full method.
Frequently asked
- Does a Gerbing heated jacket come with a battery?
- Only on the 7V line. Gerbing's 7V garments ship a 3,400 mAh pack that Gerbing publishes as 25.16 Wh, plus a wall charger. Its 12V line - jacket liners, vest liners, pant liners, glove and sock liners - ships no battery and states that a battery harness, Y-harness and temperature controller are required for stand-alone operation and sold separately.
- What is the difference between Gerbing 7V and 12V?
- They are different electrical systems and are not interchangeable. 7V is battery-powered apparel for general cold-weather use. 12V is motorcycle gear that draws from the bike, which is why it can run far hotter - its glove liner publishes 13 W per hand against 12.58 W for an entire four-zone 7V vest.
- How long does a Gerbing 7V battery last?
- Gerbing publishes a figure for each of four power settings on the Torrid vest: 2 hours at 100%, 3 at 75%, 5 at 50% and 8 at 25%. Those numbers check out - inverted against the published 25.16 Wh they give 12.58 W and 3.15 W at the endpoints, an exact 4:1 ratio, with the middle two steps conservative.
- Are Gerbing heated jackets worth the price?
- What you are paying for on the 7V side is disclosure and a lifetime warranty on the heating elements, not capacity - 25.16 Wh is a small pack. If you want watt-hours per dollar, other brands give you more. If you want a maker whose runtime claims survive being checked, Gerbing is the strongest we have tested.
- Can I use Gerbing 12V gear without a motorcycle?
- Only by buying a battery harness, Y-harness and temperature controller separately, and then accepting the arithmetic: at the 13 W per hand its glove liner publishes, a 25 Wh pack lasts under two hours per glove. The 12V line is designed around a vehicle supplying power, and it stops making sense away from one.
- How hot does Gerbing heated clothing get?
- Gerbing publishes 135°F maximum on both the 7V Torrid vest and the 12V glove liners. The difference is how long each can hold it: the bike-powered glove indefinitely, the battery vest for the two hours Gerbing states at full power.
Sources
- Gerbing — 7V Men's Torrid Softshell Heated Vest 2.0 (includes "7V 3400 mAH Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery Pack (25.16Wh)" and wall charger; four Microwire zones "Chest (2), Back (1) & Neck (1)"; "135° F Maximum heat"; 100% 2 h / 75% 3 h / 50% 5 h / 25% 8 h; about 3 h full charge; Gerbing Lifetime Warranty)
- Gerbing — 12V Heated Glove Liners (sizes S/M, L/XL, XXL; "13W Each"; "12V DC 1.0 Amp Each"; "135F @ 13W Each"; "Battery Harness, Y-Harness & temperature controller required for stand-alone operation (sold separately)"; lifetime warranty on the heating elements)
Related
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