Martin Lewis recommends heated gilets and hand warmers for staying warm – so we tried them

Available in sizes XS to 3XL, this black heated gilet has a burgundy-red contrasting zip and a collar. While this is listed as a women’s version, you can also buy a men’s heated vest (£219.99, Ororowear.com).

Its composition comprises a nylon outer and polyester lining. We immediately noticed how lightweight the gilet is to wear, which made it an easy layer for popping underneath oversized cardis or on top of jumpers. The hip-length shape is one to suit all seasons, too.

Coming complete with a battery pack, this energy source is rechargeable by using the included USB cable. It’s worth knowing the pack can be recharged up to a whopping 800 times.

After charging the battery pack, we attached it to a wire sitting in a zip-up pocket inside the gilet. We found that, while we noticed the pack in the pocket, it wasn’t heavy or bulky. This then connects to carbon fibre heating components throughout, so, when switched on, the warmth is felt inside the jacket and collar. The latter element is extra handy if you’re prone to feeling the cold on your neck or if you live in a chillier part of the UK.

To activate the heating system, there’s a button on the gilet’s top left, above its logo. There are three options, which you can cycle through by pushing the button. Red means high heat, amber comes on for medium heat and white signals low heat. After charging the battery, you can get three, six or 10 hours of heat from the high, medium or low settings respectively.

On a cold day, we reached for the gilet while working from home, and at first found it a useful layer, even without the heated element. Pushing the button, we were quickly flooded with warmth across our back, front and neck. Depending on how cold we felt, we tended to start with the highest heat. Once warmed up, we would reach for the medium setting. We also popped our hands in the pockets and felt heat there, too.

Having that versatility between the temperature types is helpful, as you can tailor the heat to your preference. Plus, as the gilet is insulated, we also found it holds the heat for a little while after switching the button off.

The gilet is also water- and wind-resistant, so it helps keep out the elements during winter walks. We wore the garment underneath a coat and appreciated the heat our torso felt during a chilly morning spent walking the dog.

We were also impressed to see the outerwear item is machine washable for added practicality. Plus, all the Ororo heated items we tried arrived presented in zip-up pouches, for handy storage.

Although undoubtedly an investment buy, we’ve been wearing this gilet non-stop and have really appreciated its speedy warming function to help stave off the cold.

The black polyester hand warmer has an adjustable strap to clip it onto your waist, and the heated piece sits in the same place as a bum bag would. There are front and back zip-up pockets for putting your hands in, and for stashing coins or keys.

There’s also a third pocket, which sits closest to your body and holds the battery pack. This hand warmer is heated in the same way as the gilet, with three carbon fibre elements to spread warmth throughout.

The rechargeable battery pack offers up to 14 hours of heat, and we used it around the house to warm up cold hands, and as a transportable heat source around the waist. We also found it extremely useful for snuggling our hands into while standing at the school gate, watching a rugby game, and during winter walks.

The heated item is comfy to wear, being soft and padded. Wearing it feels like carrying a heated mini cushion, which you can then pop your hands into for warmth.

After pressing the power button with the same high, medium and low heat options as the gilet, we could detect the hand warmer heating up in just a few minutes.

Yes, this is a premium-priced buy, but it offers easily achieved warming support that kept our hands from being cold and, therefore, served up practical value for money.

Coming in sizes S to XL, these black padded gloves are water-resistant and have a cosy fleece lining. Plus, each hand’s fingertip can be used on a touch screen. Additional features include an adjustable strap and wrist toggle to tighten and cinch in the gloves, for a snug fit.

There’s also a tiny clip on both gloves, to attach them together (so you don’t lose one). As with both products above, they arrived in a zip-up pouch too, which is useful to keep them in.

After charging the included battery pack, we inserted it into each glove’s zip-up inner pocket. At this point, we appreciated how simple the heating setup is, with there being a low, medium and high heat setting once again. When fully charged, the settings can provide between three to five hours’ warmth.

We trialled the gloves on a tester with Raynaud’s disease, who said the toasty lining and heated element offered comforting cold-hand relief during a dog walk. The carbon fibre heating system reaches the entire hand and fingers, providing speedy cosiness. Our tester usually needs to wear several pairs of gloves at once to help prevent numb fingertips, and as such we think these thick, heated gloves are a game-changing investment for heating extremities.