Thank you King5News.com for blogging this fab interview with Chris Haffly of Gerbing’s Heated Clothing, the makers of the infamous ‘hot pants’ that Seahawks kicker Josh Brown will be wearing on game day tomorrow against the Green Bay Packers. According to Haffly, these pants may make all the difference in the world to a team more accustomed to playing in the rain instead of the snow:

When did the Seahawks first approach you about the gear?
Actually, we initially talked to them five years ago. However, after five years time, our heating technologies and advances in battery technology allowed us to make better products that were better suited for them.

Are Josh Brown’s hot pants customized? What do the pants look like and how do they operate?
What we did was we customized his existing overpants that he wears on the sidelines. We took those and then we outfitted it with our heating technology to the quads, hamstrings and both calves. There are two lithium small 7 volt batteries that individually control the heating system in each leg. So if he just wants to have one leg warm or both, he can do that. The batteries themselves have individual settings with five levels that he can control. It’s a custom job, but we do sell 12 volt pants that sell in the $199 range. Black is mostly all we sell. They just look like any other pants as the heating elements are concealed. I guess that is kind of our job though. We try to make the heating systems unnoticeable to the user as possible…except for the soothing warmth.

Has Josh used the hot pants before during a game?
Josh had mentioned that the pants are the pants that he has been using for years, which they are, but we just added our heating technology to them for this game. He has not used them for a game before.

What other gear are you providing the team?
We’re doing some heating mitts that are battery operated. We’re also doing Coach Holmgren’s game day jacket.

Did the Seahawks test them out yesterday?
Yes. The stuff was very welcome, considering what the weather forecast could possibly bring them. It’s a nice advantage to keep your hands warm.

Is heated clothing commonly worn by NFL players?
Not for playing football, but there are people who wear heated clothing for hunting, skiing and motorcycling.

What’s your prediction for tomorrow’s game?
Seahawks get off to a “hot” start and hang on with a 23 - 20 victory over the cold and achy Packers.