Weighted Vests?

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Do any of you here make use of weighted vests? Have you found any better than others? I've been thinking of getting one, but I've been having trouble A: finding any for adults (I'm very small, so I'm out of range of most of the children's sizes by a couple of inches), and B: finding any that are subtle enough to wear outside around other people, without it just screaming "look at me, I'm neurologically handicapped." I have a weighted blanket that I find extremely useful, and I'd like something more portable to bring with me to places that sometimes prove overwhelming.

I'm also interested in learning more about this. By the way, can you advise a good place to get a weighted blanket? I tried ordering one from Cozy Calm, but they apparently sold the company and defaulted on my order. :/ Most of the blankets I see for sale online look really tacky (like, for small children) or are full of beans or something. Do you have a recommendation?

I'm sorry to say I know very little about weighted vests, and I'm also interested in hearing more about them. I'm curious, also, if anyone has used compression clothing (like UnderArmour-type workout wear)? I've never worn a weighted vest, but a Lycra/Spandex compression shirt might provide some comforting pressure while being undetectable under a long-sleeve shirt. The drawback is they're warm. Has anyone tried those? Did it work for you?

There are several good sites I looked at when considering my weighted blanket. My mom eventually made mine for me to cut down on cost, but this is the site I almost bought mine from. http://www.thehugshack.com/

Here are a few other sites that look like they have good products.
http://www.sensacalm.com/weighted-blankets/
http://www.mosaicweightedblankets.com/
http://peaceweightedproducts.com/

There's another store called DreamCatcher, whose site is currently under rennovation, but when they come back up, you can look there too. I remember them having some nice blankets.

All of these sites use polyfil plastic beads as filling (not sure if that's what you meant by 'beans' or if you meant literal dried edible beans), this is the standard filling for weighted blankets, although I've heard of a few people using metal weights in their blankets, which doesn't sound comfortable at all!

JimmyBoy, I've never tried compression clothing, and it's a possibility worth considering. My main problem is that I have tactile problems with clothing layers that aren't consistent as far as tightness, cut, etc. I can't stand the feeling of loose clothes over tight ones (I can't eve wear a bra, it drives me too crazy). I'm mostly okay with tight shirts over loose ones though, as long as I get all the wrinkles out, and as long as the top shirt is heavy enough to provide actual pressure instead of just clinging to me, because that's annoying too.

Thanks for the links on blankets -- I'll check those out.

I constantly wore underamor for about a year (training for an ultramarathon) and it just didn't seem enough to me. It was compression but it was just skin-tight, no real deep muscle pressure. But other people may feel differently about it.

Congrats on the new diagnosis Dryope I hope you find it as helpful as I found mine.

Thanks!

Well, I eventually caved and bought this one in a large:

http://www.autismenabled.com/p-27168-fu ... -vest.html

I'll update once it arrives; I'm hopeful that it will prove helpful.

I have this one (http://www.sensorydirect.com/deep-press ... acket.html). I'm also very small so I got the largest children's size and it was still a bit big. I thought it looked silly so I got my grandmother to take it in. (She seems to think it's a reversible biker gillet because it has so many pockets). I can't find one of the weights for it since I took them out but it's otherwise pretty good.

The pressure isn't quite as nice as my neck weight and before I got the weights to sit right they felt a bit odd but it works well. It also doesn't look very obvious. My only gripe about it is that the stooped selling the quilted gillets right before I ordered and my one doesn't quite suit my usual attire.

Unfortunately, it's a bit hot to wear it at the moment.

That one looks pretty good; I had been looking for one that had weights around the upper chest as well as near the bottom, but they don't seem to do them in the US, either that or I wasn't looking hard enough. At any rate, I'm hoping it's not too warm; it gets very hot around here in the summer, so layers can be problematic.

Well, my vest arrived today, and I have to say I'm quite pleased with it. It fits round the chest perfectly; not too loose, so the weights don't just feel like they're hanging and dragging things down, but not so tight as to be snug or uncomfortable. It's shorter than I had anticipated, stopping just above my hips, but I've decided I like it that length, because it puts the weights comfortably around my middle, rather than flopping around near my legs. It's very soft, and has a fake pocket with a zipper near the left shoulder that I can already tell is going to become my next tactile stim There are six weights totalling two pounds, and eight weight pockets lining the bottom inside that I can velcro shut. This is useful for if I ever decide to add more weight to it. Being fleece, it is a little warm for the summer, but wearing it indoors isn't a problem. You can't tell it's weighted either; when my mom first saw it, all she said was, "That's a nice vest." I had to tell her after the fact that it had weights in it. This is nice, because I can wear it out without feeling like people are staring, which is exactly what I was going for. Even my NT sister, who thinks special needs products like mine are "ridiculous" (mostly meaning awkward or dorky), tried it on and proclaimed it "very comforting" and that she "felt insecure taking it off," so I definitely call that a win It feels like a suit of armour, and I definitely feel safer with it on. Overall, I'm very pleased.

Thanks for the update! They're backordered just now, but you've convinced me to get one. Sounds like the child's large was OK for an adult, just a little short.

I'm pretty petite, so I guess I should do some measuring first. Shame I only wear black and this is just in navy though...

Yeah, the colour wasn't my first choice either. I work at Walmart, and we're made to wear those stupid blue mesh vests as part of our uniform. I didn't really like how much the navy blue reminded me of my work, but I try to focus on the differences rather than the similarities. I'm considering going to Hobby Lobby or Michaels and getting a decorative iron-on patch to stick on the shoulder, just to make it more unique and to separate it from my job. I'm 4'11 with a shoulder to hip measurement of about 20 inches and a chest width of 29-30 inches, if that helps any with your measurements. The vest is about 32 inches around the chest, and 18 inches from shoulder to bottom hem.

If you don't mind paying a few extra dollars, you can order it from amazon or fun and function.

http://www.amazon.com/Fun-and-Function- ... ghted+vest

https://funandfunction.com/weighted-fleece-vest.html

Awesome, thanks! Sounds like we are a similar size.

If the color isn't ideal, at least the vest doesn't scream "disability." That's good to know.

Yeah, I was happy with that too. Ordinarily I go around wearing a sweater that reads, "There's a 1 in 150 chance you know someone with Asperger syndrome; support us, don't cure us," but it's a little different telling people you have a disability, compared with showing them that it's severe enough to warrant looking like a dork where other people can see you.

Speaking for myself, I've long given up not looking like a dork. At this point it's just keeping the dork factor as minimal as possible.

But the calmer I feel, the less I care about looks, so the weighted vest is a win-win.