Mosko Moto Ectotherm: Insulated Puffer and Heated Jacket in One
New technical heated jacket with multi-use functionality.

It’s a cold morning. Hot coffee is in order. Checking the thermometer on the bike would provide an idea of just how cold it is, but that’s not really necessary. Extracting water from one of the still-thawed dromedaries, and watching it freeze in real-time says enough. Aside from hands that feel like two large, numb fingers beginning at my wrists, I’m actually doing ok. Testing Mosko Moto’s Ectotherm heated jacket and Merino wool base layers here in frozen Arizona during winter has proved both effective, and slightly confusing at first.


Start opening things up and you’ll notice the left pocket has a double zipper, with pull tabs both outside and inside the pocket. This allows the jacket to stuff itself into that pocket either for easier storage or to transform into a pillow. Inside the jacket behind that same pocket is the power button and coax connector that plugs into your bike’s battery. The power cord can be wrapped up and stored in a small snap flap either when off the bike or when connecting the jacket to juice while riding isn’t necessary. Getting into the Ectotherm is made easier by two small slits at the cuffs where your thumbs can hook into, preventing the sleeves from riding up when outer layers are donned.


Beneath the puffy outer shell, six panels of carbon fiber heating elements (arms, collar, chest and back) draw 3.5 amps and 42 watts from the bike, and surround an endothermic rider with a warm ectothermic shell. Contrasting biology aside, it’s warm. The three heat settings of broil, toasty, and summery* can be scrolled through after holding the power button down for a couple seconds to activate the system (*setting nomenclature provided by journalistic license).


How It Performed
Even without being plugged in, the Ectotherm is highly effective as either a base layer or a stand alone jacket. Over several days of frigid testing, it was typically only on the smoother and faster sections of road or trail that I felt the need to fire up the heating elements. Even back home, living near the coast can have quite a nip some days, and the Ectotherm provides an ideal shield from wintery marine layers.

When to fire the jacket up is based on one’s personal preference, of course. I tend to bundle up more often than not, and usually turn grip heaters and such to 11 the first opportunity I get. Given that, I was pleasantly surprised at the level of warmth the jacket on its own provides, and found myself riding around comfortably unplugged in temps that dipped into the 40’s. As the 30-degree realm approached the horizon, the button pushing began. Living near the coast changes things up, as the coastal air mass can make even 50-degree weather feel biting at times. PCH on most winter mornings merits a self-bake (no, not that kind).


Once plugged in and turned on, three things are immediately noticeable: how quickly the jacket heats up, how warm the higher settings are, and how uniformly distributed the heat is. The speed and temperature level of the heating elements is likely due to the jacket being designed to run off the bike’s power exclusively. The uniform distribution of the heat could be due to either the placement of the heating elements, or the fact it’s a puffer jacket and retains the generated heat more effectively than thinner style jackets (or most likely a combination of both of those things). The insulation keeps the heat longer once you unplug from the bike as well. You also don’t notice the heating elements and wiring as much as you do with other heated jackets that do not have insulation, making it much more comfortable to wear as just a regular jacket off the bike.


The Ectotherm’s 42 watts of power consumption won’t put a dent in the power supply of most heavyweight adventure bikes, however smaller bikes with more limited stator output typically have around 100 watts of spare juice for accessories. Heated grips are in the 30-watt range for power consumption, so running the Ectotherm and a pair of grips should be fine for nearly any bike. Smaller bikes doing this while adding cell phones, GPS, auxiliary lights, and other accessories to the power grid mix may experience problems. While not recommended, I did play around with running the Ectotherm off of a portable lithium-ion battery as well. It does work, just does not seem to get quite as warm, and drains the battery fairly quickly.

As far as ease of use, the power button is positioned on the storage flap where it’s only about one inch below the hemline of the jacket when opened. This does make it a bit hard to access when outer layers are donned, as the button tends to hide behind whatever is worn over it. Making sure the tab is pulled out all the way helps make operating the temperature settings more convenient while sitting on the bike. The Ectotherm includes a fused wiring harness to connect to the battery, with enough cable length to route the plug from under the seat or through the steering head.


Mosko Moto’s website indicates the Ectotherm’s sizing runs small, and recommends riders select one size up from their usual gear size. I’m a size large in most riding jackets, and for my part the same size Ectotherm worked well. It’s a tighter fit, but I preferred to wear the jacket below my armor. They can also be worn over the armor, but obviously the heating effectiveness is reduced when not worn directly on your body. The hint of restriction from the form-fitting nature of the jacket wasn’t a problem, as most of the conditions I used the jacket in were very much “adventure riding” style versus more aggressive dirt biking.

Beneath the Ectotherm, I was running some of Mosko Moto’s Strata Merino wool base layers. As complicated as one might think an electric jacket would be, the base layers arguably have a more unique feature set. The jersey features the same thumb loops as the Ectotherm, as well as pockets and a detachable hood, giving it the feel of a very light hoodie. The Strata Merino thermal bottoms feature a single zippered pocket for packing up when not in use, and full-length zippers down the sides of the legs, with mysterious velcro closures on the waistband.


These components are a bit baffling until it’s learned the bottoms can be gotten in and out of without taking off one’s boots — the only long johns I’m aware of with a feature like this. This provides the advantage of allowing you to wear thermal bottoms in the morning when it’s cold, which can be quickly removed once it warms up.
As thin and light as the Merino wool base layers are, they provide a significant increase in warmth when used in conjunction with other gear. Having more of a “clothing” versus “underwear” feel, means they’re pretty effective for use lounging around the campsite as well.
Who It’s For

Mosko Moto’s Ectotherm jacket and Merino wool base layers have harsh Pacific Northwest winters woven into their construction. The multi-function nature of both the heated jacket and base layers makes them well suited for the wide variety of conditions one typically encounters over three or four seasons of riding. While powered gear generally gives the impression of big-bike adventure touring, the versatility of both the Ectotherm jacket and base layers make them good choices for light-bike winter riding as well.
Our Verdict

Unique among both heated gear and base layers, the stand-alone nature of both the Ectotherm jacket and Merino wool base layers expands their range of use to contexts beyond where an electric liner or basic thermal underwear would normally be used. The compact size the Ectotherm stuffs down to means it doesn’t take up much room in your luggage either. Plus it doubles as a pillow, which can further reduce your pack size. Either as part of a well-packed RTW voyage, or gnarly dirt bike ride in the dead of winter, both the Ectotherm jacket and Merino wool base layers are unique and effective options to stay comfortable and warm on the road or trail.

What We Liked
- Highly effective heat generation.
- Multi-use functionality.
- Unique feature set.
- High build quality.
What Could Be Improved
- Power button could be positioned lower for easier access.
Ectotherm Jacket Specs
- Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL
- Colors: Lichen (Olive Green), Bering Sea (Blue)
- Insulation: 100g of PrimaLoft Gold
- Heating Panels: collar, arms, left & right chest and back
- Price: $299
Shopping Options
Photography by Karla Robleto & Ely Woody
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The chest zipper is on the wrong side.
I hate wrong side zippers. Is it made in China?
Not if you’re right handed it isn’t.
Where do you plug your heated gloves into?
your but cheeks!