Vest filled with rice

What kind of fill power are you shooting for? It is going to be very heavy.

–B.G.–

maybe a visit to the local pet shop would be cheaper if you are after some mice or the like.

I work from home most days. I have a big house that's not well insulated, and I like to keep my heat low to save money (used to be 60 during the day, but I'm up to 64 these days).

So if I had a whole vest filled with rice, I could put it in the microwave and heat it up, and then put it on while I worked (at a computer all day) and stay toasty even as the house was chilly. Sounds dreamy to me.

It might be simpler to wear a conventionally insulated vest.

–B.G.–

You can get pretty close with commercial products

http://www.amazon.com/Sunny-Bay-Microwavable-Shoulder-Upper/dp/B00DYE7R0A
http://www.amazon.com/Sunny-Bay-Heating-Washable-X-Large/dp/B00BEB5AM2

Yeah, I saw those, but they don't quite get all the way there. And I want something that gets all the way there! :-)

Interesting. How long would the rice hold heat?

Ryan

I'm figuring 45 minutes or so. Then back in the microwave!

Sounds mighty toasty! We, too, have an old (1955) drafty house. On the bright side, we'll never get "sick house syndrome"; on the darker side, we freeze while sitting at the computer.

When I become unbearably cold, I put on my old North Face Nuptse jacket (extreme overkill for the 64F-65F indoor temperature), and before I know it, I'm toasty again. Don't forget the sheepskin slippers. Very important to have toasty feet! And as a last resort, pour yourself a cup of herbal tea.

Hmm…I wonder if you could get a used vest with batting fill, open up some seams, remove the batting and replace it with rice? (For some reason I want to go on and give you the ingredient list for paella – must be close to dinner).

Jasmine rice might smell better. Just make sure your microwaveable vest doesn't have any metal!

Our kids had teddy bear with a remove able pouch full of buckwheat. One minute in the microwave and it stayed warm for 30 minutes or more. I suspect rice would work just as well but not sound as exotic to yuppies as buckwheat.

"Our kids had teddy bear with a remove able pouch full of buckwheat."

Hmmmm. Maybe I could just add pouches to the inside of the fleece vest I'm wearing at the moment, and then get sewn bags of rice or buckwheat. This could work out well.

And then instead of spending money on getting a vest made, I could spend it on a Moots Routt 45 bike instead. I like this better already….

Or try an electric seat. It makes a huge difference in a car (says the guy who drove 90 miles at -20F without a heater core). 12-volt ones for car seats are maybe $40. Heating pads are cheap. Electric blanket for beds are widely available.

"Doug's been bad. . . We're sending him to the electric chair."

Sitting on an electric heating pad works amazingly well. As does a curtain around a desk with a space heater underneath. I always thought there would be a market for a heated mouse.

I do like your heated vest idea.

Inside temps of 60 are what I do wearing microfleece top and bottom with insulated jacket.

"Inside temps of 60 are what I do wearing microfleece top and bottom with insulated jacket."

I tried the jacket, but found it a bit too confining, which is why I started looking at the vest route.

"Or try an electric seat. It makes a huge difference in a car"

I love the heated seats in my car! I can also get by with it being pretty cold (but not -20) without having to turn on the car heater. Of course, it heats both the seat and back. And I was hoping to go 'wireless.'

I lived in the UK for a couple of years, and due to the poor heating in the many of the homes, most folks used a covered hot water bottle to keep warm around the house. My wife has one she brought back with her, it has a fuzzy sleeve it fits into, usually stays quite toasty for several hours. I imagine one in your lap would do the trick as your circulatory system distributes the warmth around your body.

Use Orville Redenbacher's popping corn as an alternative.

Have hand sized plastic zippered access holes sewn in.

Don't over heat during working hours.

When finished working, microwave one more time on high to pop the corn and then relax

in front of tube with a movie. Keep the vest on and eat popcorn while you watch.

I like dual purpose :-)

What the backpacking community needs is a good Esbit-fueled popcorn popper.

–B.G.–

This is screams, "Doug!"

"This is screams, "Doug!""

I'm highly embarrassed that I didn't think of this! It's brilliant!

Doug, at first I thought you were a little early for the 4/1 thing but when you gave a reason for it, it all made sense.
If you had a whole vest of the rice you will cook in it. I really mean you will cook, like a slow cooker. I think it will be way too hot.
I suffer from the same office problem as you (too cold) and I use to have a bag of rice for my back that did the same thing. My flannel bag of rice (about the size of a small football) seemed to warm up my whole body (especially my back).
I think David idea of packets might be the best way to go. Just sew a few pouch pockets into the vest and you can add as many rice bags as needed for the day and time. Kind of like my kids swim float vest- you slowly took out a section of foam until they were swimming on their own.
YMMV
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