Chemical Handwarmers -- A Cautionary Tale

Hi all --

Been busy so I haven't posted in a while, but I wanted to share an experience I had the other day.

I was outside painting winter landscapes during a balmy, 28F afternoon with some friends (it's sort of a polar bear club for creative people -- one can only stay cooped up in the studio for so long!) and after a couple of hours of standing at our easels, one painter complained of cold feet.

Thinking to be helpful, I got out a couple of chemical handwarmers from my personal kit to put in their snow boots...only to find that the warmers didn't work, despite the expiration date being 2014. At first I thought they were just slow to warm up, but no. They were absolutely dead. Kaput.

Fortunately, we were not far from the car and they were able to warm up...but I kept thinking to myself, how many times have I thought I could rely on those handwarmers in an emergency situation?

Moral of the story: Chemical handwarmers are NOT a failsafe item for your winter kit. If you do choose to have them, buy new ones every season, have back-ups, and check them regularly! If they are soft, they are likely still good. If stiff and gritty, forget it. They can go "off" despite their expiration date.



Off to get a hot cup of coffee,

Meadowlark

Unfortunately I've had handwarmers not work within the expiration period on numerous occasions. After many years of buying them I've found that they're only good for about six months or so even though they are marked for a year.

I have a big box of them, maybe I should test a few out. Not that I really rely on them for much. To me they're more comfort item than a necessity.

I carry some of these around in my backpack, and they do go bad. Like you said, if they are "stiff", they have had it.

I need to refresh my supply of them in by EDC and in the gear trunk in the truck. I've used them many of times in very cold weather.

Believe it or not I was going through old gear in the garage last week and found a bunch of Grabber Mycoal mini heaters with an expiration date of 3 Dec 1997. I opened two of them and them and both worked. I guess that speaks to the quality of packaging, then vs now.

I had some Hothand hand and foot warmers with me on my deer hunting trip this fall. Was sitting up in a frigid river bottom stand when they fizzled out at sunrise (the coldest time of day) after only 90 minutes. We had a big box of them near their expiration date. Lesson learned.

I've noticed handwarmers are hit and miss and the date is pretty irrelevant. Some old ones fire right up and some new ones do nothing. They're nice to have but I've learned not to rely on them.

Really?

I've found they're pretty much hit and miss. I've had brand new ones fail to work. Overall I've never been impressed with them, and refuse to buy them.

Sadly my wife bought me a case one year for Xmas while living in Detroit. I think the case is still unopened (don't tell her!!!)

Never thought of chemical warmers as something to rely on -- they're just a luxury alternative to a heating pad. Nice at a Redskins game. I keep some in my car in the winter mostly for acquaintances on winter outings who don't have good gloves.

Experience tracks others -- ones I've had last a couple to a few years past the expiration date.

For reliable warmth I put much more faith in the down booties, mittens/gloves, Smartwool socks/Lowa boots/Gore-Tex gaiters/Marmot pants, sleeping bag, etc. warm and waterproof clothes that I keep in the car fall-winter-early spring.

And matches, firesteel, blah, blah.


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Cold feet, wear a hat. Mittens will help as well to keep other extremities warm as well.

Goretex Socks and some MoD Issue Extreme Cold Weather Socks also.

http://www.strikeforcesupplies.co.uk/index.php?method=stock&id=20152&from=79

Chemical hand warmers have always struck me as being too heavy to carry around for what they do compared to the weight of an aspirin.

Good point, AFLM. They're pretty bulky for what they do (give you a short burst of tepid warmth). Nice to have in some situations but not critical, not reliable enough to depend on and kind of heavy.

Back to the old days of handwarmers filled with lighter fluid, and those lousy sticks that disintegrated into powder after a year in storage. The lighter fluid ones are the bomb. They still make and sell them, and one in each coat pocket can really make a difference out in the duck blind, or ice fishing hole, or waiting for the train up on the platform while the snow is blowing sideways.

I gotta get me some more. I can never seem to keep them around for long.

I used to use those for ice fishing, and still have an old one buried out in the garage. They are a little stinky for deer hunting, but I'm going to get some fluid and fire it up for winter hiking etc. It's been dipping below 0 Fahrenheit here for much of the last two weeks, with more cold and wind predicted.

Funny you should mention that... I always end up giving mine away to someone who DIDN'T bring a proper coat or gloves.. I hardly ever use them myself these days.

I have a whole new appreciation for good socks. I have a several pair of Wigwam in a couple different systles and I don't think I'll ever go back to those white Hanes socks...

Waterproof pants.. I have a super lightweight set and a heavier set for colder days... Which reminds me.. I need to get the kiddo's out to the Tubing hills!

I had a pretty favorable experience with these at some late fall campouts with my son's Boy Scout Troop. The first one, the temps dropped down to 30 or below, which I know is not very cold for late fall/early winter camping, but for my son and I, who aren't big on cold weather camping, the handwarmers we had put in our sleeping bags sure helped get us through the night, so much so that I bought the bigger hand and body warmers in a 3-pack for the next campout. Those along with the addition of fleece sleeping bag liners really made a huge difference at that campout. As these have expiration dates, they are probably another example of something you should check before you leave the comfort of your home. As others mentioned, maybe these aren't something you should rely on for emergencies, but based on my recent experience I'll continue tossing a few in the pack for those colder nights. If weight and space permit, tossing in more than you expect to use for yourself and others could also be a backup for the time that one goes bad or doesn't work quite like it is supposed to.