Spent $80 on a heated train seat pad and it saved my commute this winter

I ride the 6:15 AM out of Union Station every day and that cold vinyl seat was killing my back for three months straight. So I bought this little battery heated pad that straps to the seat cushion and it made those 45 minute rides actually bearable. Anyone else find a cheap gadget that turned a miserable train trip around?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice80816d ago

Glad you jumped on that, heated seats are a game changer for winter commutes. Something nobody talks about though is how the cushion part helps with posture too, even when it's off. The firm padding keeps you from slouching into that weird curve on the hard bench seats (which is what kills my lower back on longer rides). I actually bought a cheaper version from a camping store for $30 and it works just as well, just doesn't last as long on a single charge. Makes the whole ride feel less like a punishment and more like a little warm bubble before work.

kellyg1416d ago

The posture thing is real but you gotta be careful with that cheaper camping store version. The voltage regulators on those are often garbage, they can pull way more power than your bus seat is rated for. Had a buddy blow a fuse on a coach bus because his cheap pad overloaded the circuit. The OEM ones usually have built-in thermal cutoffs and draw a consistent 12V. If you're going cheap, at least check the wattage rating on your vehicle's accessory port before you plug it in.