Hand Warmers

[Tom Rankin]

We've had the same issue for three and a half years; Alex needs hand warmers on almost every cold-weather hike. She has not been diagnosed, but I wouldn't be surprised if she has Reynaud's Syndrome. I carry at least 6 packs on every hike in case some of them are duds -- in our experience, 1 out of 3 don't work very well (or at all). We've only used Hotties and Hot Hands, and I've been careful to check expirations dates before buying.

Maddy, thanks for the tip, we'll have to try the LL Bean version.

That may or may not be Raynaud's. (The web link I supplied says 8% of women). It could just be she is petite and therefore gets cold quickly. I'd recommend reading it in its entirety, I have, several times!

 

[peakbagger]

A general note is that all the "duds" were not crunchy and looked in good condition especially the ones I had bought the night before.

 

[daxs]

I also have Raynauds and use warmers on all my hikes. I too have had duds. I always carry an extra set just in case. I thought it was just me with the duds.

 

[paul ron]

I've seen less duds with MyCoal Grabbers than the EMS Hot Hands brand.

I've also started to carry my old lighter fluid fired mini hand warmers again. They are very reliable, can't take em to bed though but you can leave it in your shoes overnight. OH... Be sure not get the platnum wire mesh full of carbon or you will never get it to light. Use your camping stove to light em.

.

 

[OldMan]

I was shopping in LL Bean the other day and bought a package of their handwarmers. When I arrived home and unpacked my bag, the handwarmer package was warm. Seems they must of had a air leak, even though there was no obvious damage to the package.

 

[DougPaul]

It may be worth noting that there are reusable handwarmers containing super-saturated solution of sodium acetate in water. You flex a small metal disk to initiate the heat-producing crystalization of the sodium acetate and put them in hot water to reactivate (dissolve the crystals).

They are a bit heavier than the air-activated ones and may not last as long, but they are reliable and you can reliably assess their state before using them.

I bought 2 from REI--the brand was EZheat. REI isn't listing them right now--the do list a more-expensive Wonder Warmer http://www.rei.com/product/808059/wonder-warmers-medium-hand-warmers-package-of-2 which is currently out of stock. Amazon is listing them: http://www.amazon.com/Ez-Heat-Reusable-Instant-Handwarmer/dp/B000E90A3E

Doug

 

[TrishandAlex]

That may or may not be Raynaud's. (The web link I supplied says 8% of women). It could just be she is petite and therefore gets cold quickly. I'd recommend reading it in its entirety, I have, several times!

I suppose all that matters right now is that her hands get cold to the point of extreme pain very quickly, more so than what I think would be normal (though I'm not a MD and I have no academic expertise in this area). Sage can go for hours without any gloves at all while Alex has to have warmers or else she's in agony...on the same hike. Therefore, I carry a ton of handwarmers. Bottom line is that I carry a slew, 'cause often we open duds. At some point, I'll ask Alex's pedi about the Reynaud's possibility. Haven't yet since an affirmative diagnosis wouldn't affect how I currently care for her.

 

[gaiagirl]

Bean hand warmers

When I last worked at LLBean part-time, we're talking about 2007, I bought boxes and boxes of their own brand hand-warmers, on their end-of-season sale, for which I ended up paying about 5 cents each. I still have a box and a half, and they STILL work!!!!

 

[NewHampshire]

I have been thinking about trying the Hot Snapz reuseable handwarmers They are reuseable by boiling them in hot water after using them. The con is they supposedly have a very short heat time, maybe 1/2 an hour. But I find my hands only get really cold when I stop for somewhat long periods (like stopping to eat lunch), and once I gt moving again my hands usually warm up again. So carrying a few at a time may be all I need.

Brian

 

[Dana]

It may be worth noting that there are reusable handwarmers containing super-saturated solution of sodium acetate in water. You flex a small metal disk to initiate the heat-producing crystalization of the sodium acetate and put them in hot water to reactivate (dissolve the crystals).

They are a bit heavier than the air-activated ones and may not last as long, but they are reliable and you can reliably assess their state before using them.

I have some of those; I use them for hunting when I'm not traveling as far or for as long. Backpacking trips, I still bring the disposable ones.

 

[DougPaul]

I have been thinking about trying the Hot Snapz reuseable handwarmers They are reuseable by boiling them in hot water after using them. The con is they supposedly have a very short heat time, maybe 1/2 an hour. But I find my hands only get really cold when I stop for somewhat long periods (like stopping to eat lunch), and once I gt moving again my hands usually warm up again. So carrying a few at a time may be all I need.

This appears to be another brand of the same type of handwarmer that I referred to in my previous post.

Dana reports some experience using them outdoors. I have never needed handwarmers so I have no experience using them.

They last longer if you insulate them. The crystalization process releases a fixed amount of energy which will last longer if slow its escape (with insulation).

Doug

 

[Nessmuk]

Has anyone ever used one of these, the kind that burns lighter fluid with the aid of a platinum catalyst? I'm surprised they are still available. Years ago when I first started hunting, my father would put me on a deer watch for hours at a time. Standing or sitting very still on a cold day for that long my feet would freeze, my hands would freeze, and it could become really uncomfortable as I waited in silence staring through the trees looking for movement. The cure was to put one of those handwarmers in an inside chest pocket. It warmed my core blood and kept my entire body, feet and all, quite comfortably warm. One charge of fuel would last all day. But you had to be careful. A friend of mine burned his legs when he put one in a sleeping bag and it overheated.

 

[una_dogger]

I've noticed when buying a bulk package that there are always a couple of duds in the pack. For this reason, I carry multiple hand and toe warmers, just in case!

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Has anyone ever used one of these, the kind that burns lighter fluid with the aid of a platinum catalyst? I'm surprised they are still available. Years ago when I first started hunting, my father would put me on a deer watch for hours at a time. Standing or sitting very still on a cold day for that long my feet would freeze, my hands would freeze, and it could become really uncomfortable as I waited in silence staring through the trees looking for movement. The cure was to put one of those handwarmers in an inside chest pocket. It warmed my core blood and kept my entire body, feet and all, quite comfortably warm. One charge of fuel would last all day. But you had to be careful. A friend of mine burned his legs when he put one in a sleeping bag and it overheated.

Yes, I've used that type, also while deer hunting and sitting for long periods. I've also used a similar sized unit which burned a type of compressed fuel. The fuel was the approximate size/shape of a 3" carpenter's pencil.

 

[TomD]

I've got shoe insoles and a pair of mitts from Heat Factory that hold the small chem heat packs that they make. Haven't used enough of them to judge their reliability, but when I used the insoles with the heat pack in a pair of ski boots, they were really toasty.

www.heatfactory.com

 

[WinterWarlock]

A couple of the Scouts in my troop use the charcoal ones as well...I've never used either, since my hands generally stay pretty warm,but have thought about picking up the charcoal ones for my son and wife, who always have cold hands.

I too have found many many duds lately with the chemical packs...really thought my son was going to have an issue one day when he could barely move his hands, and the packs didn't work at all...

Has anyone ever used one of these, the kind that burns lighter fluid with the aid of a platinum catalyst? I'm surprised they are still available. Years ago when I first started hunting, my father would put me on a deer watch for hours at a time. Standing or sitting very still on a cold day for that long my feet would freeze, my hands would freeze, and it could become really uncomfortable as I waited in silence staring through the trees looking for movement. The cure was to put one of those handwarmers in an inside chest pocket. It warmed my core blood and kept my entire body, feet and all, quite comfortably warm. One charge of fuel would last all day. But you had to be careful. A friend of mine burned his legs when he put one in a sleeping bag and it overheated.

Yes, I've used that type, also while deer hunting and sitting for long periods. I've also used a similar sized unit which burned a type of compressed fuel. The fuel was the approximate size/shape of a 3" carpenter's pencil.

 

[erugs]

I have been thinking about trying the Hot Snapz reuseable handwarmers They are reuseable by boiling them in hot water after using them. The con is they supposedly have a very short heat time, maybe 1/2 an hour. But I find my hands only get really cold when I stop for somewhat long periods (like stopping to eat lunch), and once I gt moving again my hands usually warm up again. So carrying a few at a time may be all I need.

Brian

I don't know if what I tried was from this company - a co-worker heard I was going sailing in November and offered me his reusable ones. It's true that they didn't work for all that long, and I also thought they were heavy. Maybe newer models are lighter? I like the fact that they are reusable.

Is there a product that is battery operated, perhaps using rechargeable batteries, so there would be an on/off switch?

 

[WinterWarlock]

Is there a product that is battery operated, perhaps using rechargeable batteries, so there would be an on/off switch?

I did some research on Amazon.com this morning...only saw one with batteries, and that was only for the ignition, not the power. I would think that anything that would generate enough heat to warm you up would also draw down the batteries pretty quickly, so it may not be practical.



I did buy a couple of the charcoal ones this morning though...I'll let you know how they work.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

For those interested in the solid fuel hand handwarmers, here's what they look like:

The fuel stick in the middle is lit on one end. The metal case is covered with velvet. It's about the same size as the lighter fuel variety.

Both types have a slight odor while burning.

 

[WinterWarlock]

Both types have a slight odor .

That's probably alright, as heavy sweating means I probably do too.