But with the UK’s ever changing and often unpredictable weather packing the right clothing could dictate how enjoyable your trip is.

If you’re still out and about as we head into the winter months warm clothing will be essential if you’re planning to go walking or participate in any other outdoor pursuit.
Blaze Wear offers a range of outdoor clothing from jackets and gilets to socks and gloves, all thermal in their own right but with the added bonus of a controllable built-in, battery operated heating system.

I’ve been fortunate enough to try a number of these clothing items over the past few weeks where the weather has been challenging to say the least. (see my Kit for keeping warm feature for the Active gilet and boot socks)

With the temperature struggling to reach double figures and the odd day where it’s hovered barely above freezing the Traveller jacket (also available for men) has been an extremely welcome addition to my outdoor wardrobe. This puffa-style jacket with detachable hood has a really flattering fit, and is really warm without being bulky. It’s a good length, finishing at the hips to give adequate coverage to lower back if you are horse riding or cycling.

If you’re a naturally warm person you may well find the thermal properties of this jacket enough if teamed up with base and mid layers. I feel the cold so was keen to try out the jacket’s heat technology.

The Traveller like the Active gilet I tried has three body panels – two front/chest panels and one back panel. These TriZone heated panels contain heating elements comprising of tiny carbon fibres. When connected to the rechargeable 5v USB power bank, heat is generated almost immediately within these panels.

In case you are wondering, these panels are very discreet and are totally flexible so there’s no restriction to movement or compromise on comfort.

The power bank (you have to buy it separately) fits in its own pocket where it’s connected to the TriZone heat system. Once connected you can choose from three heat settings depending on your needs. The highest setting Blaze Wear tells me gives a temperature of up to 55 degrees celcius for four hours and on the lowest setting 13 hours of uninterrupted heat from a fully charged battery. There's a power button inside the jacket on the right hand side at chest height. Hold this on for two seconds until the red light shows - this is the highest setting. Press again for the mid setting and again for the lowest (the button turns blue). Although the battery is quite bulky you're not really aware of it once it's in your pocket.

Wearing the jacket for up to four hours at a time and, depending on my activity rate, I found I only needed the heat boost (middle setting) for a very short period. 

The jacket features a lightweight, high performance wadding fill and a water-resistant and breathable nylon outer which also keeps out the wind.

Concealed cuff with thumb loops, hood adjusters and fleece-lined side pockets are all nice touches that add to the coat’s appeal. I also learned the powerbank doubles as a phone charger so you can keep connected too. Bonus!