Hand Warmers

[oddjob]

Shot a match and my hands were very cold. What do you folks use to keep hands warm? I've looked at the Zippo hand warmers, electric gloves/mittens and the electric hand warmers that look like what football players wear. Any experience here with this type equipment?

thanks

[DolphinFan]

If no gloves, I stick them in my pants.

[AAShooter]

If no gloves, I stick them in my pants.

As long as you don't stick them in mine!

[sealocan]

I've used the Zippo Style hand warmers for a few winters, years back and what I remember was that they did work ( they put out a good amount of heat but without burning you) but I think new modern electric types might be a better choice, unless you're deep in the woods away from any power sources to recharge them.

The negatives of the Zippo type... Every time you use them you have to refill them with the correct amount of liquid lighter fuel, something that's getting harder to find in California, and is no longer available at every drug store like you would think it would be.
The Zippo hand warmers come with a little plastic measuring refiller so I don't think they want you to just eyeball it. Kind of a hassle or a pre-hunting ritual depending on how you look at it.

Once you get them going they burn for up to 5 or 8 hours depending on the size of the hand warmer and how much fluid you put in. You can't just turn them off with a switch like an electric version, you have to get a Ziploc type plastic bag and try to deny them of enough oxygen that it goes out by itself. If you keep it in it's protective cloth that holds in some of its heat it probably will not melt the plastic back while you try and snuff it out.
Lighter fluid has a smell but I only noticed the slightest smell from the hand warmer once it was burning. People say that once they're in the plastic bag and it stopped burning that the fuel remaining will stay inside the unit for next time. But plastic baggies might not be enough to stop the evaporation of chemicals and there goes the fuel was in the hand warmer.
With an electric one you turn it off and later you turn it on and it probably hasn't lost much energy even if it's been unused for a while.
And the last thing that bugged me about the last one I bought is that it seemed like it's little catalytic burner, that burns without flame and is sometimes tough to see if it's even burning when you first light them, didn't seem to last as long and maybe it has something to do with "the catalytic burner has tiny pieces of PLATINUM (yes the rare earth element!)" And maybe they're putting less platinum in it than they u$ed to.
Those eventually wear out and you have to buy new burner tops but depending on how much you use the electric type you might also have to replace the electric ones because certain rechargeable batteries only last so many years or so many full discharges and recharges.

To sum it up.. if you're off grid in the woods the Zippo one might be better but if you have an outlet to plug it into I think I would try the electric ones next time but from some maker that is known to make quality products or at least has high reviews. Because you are holding / have in your pocket something that could potentially overheat or worse.

[bombadillo]

I've pretty much switched over to the electric ones. You can get them cheap at Costco in a two pack, they double as a battery bank which is nice to have a dual purpose, and they get nice and hot quickly. The Zippo style I've kind of gone away from for the obvious fuel issues, potential to cause fire, and generally just not wanting something that I stink like fuel when I'm done using it. I do a lot of ice fishing here in Idaho and I think the electric ones combined with the tear open chemical reaction Little hotties work great. Those are also light enough that when I am ready to get a fresh set going, I just tear two open throw them in my pockets and in 20 minutes I'm good to go

[IronsightsRifleman]

Time to break out my Zippo fueled hand warmer. Thanks for the reminder.

[yacko]

Why not these?

Reusable, just boil for about 10 minutes and last quite a while. I have about 2 dozen.

You could even set one on the grip of the gun to warm it if you laid it on a table.

https://smile.amazon.com/HotSnapZ-Warmers-Reusable-Round-Pocket/dp/B004CV2YXE/ref=sr_1_29?crid=3658T8XLVCH23&keywords=hand+warmers&qid=1667337445&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI1LjY1IiwicXNhIjoiNC44NSIsInFzcCI6IjQuNTQifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=hand+wa%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-29

[broadside]

Why not these?

Reusable, just boil for about 10 minutes and last quite a while. I have about 2 dozen.

You could even set one on the grip of the gun to warm it if you laid it on a table.

Empty magwell is the rule in most competitive environments, so technically not empty if you do that. What I use on my metal guns is a "body" sized warmer and elastic hair ties to hold it on the outside of the grip. Works great and I can grab the thing in the holster to warm up that hand.

[RoundEye]

I've used the electronic warmers as well as the disposable pocket warmers. More importantly the latter can be used on your ammo to help with chrono.

[sealocan]

Can anyone with experience with the electric warmers (for hands, heated insoles for feet or even heated slippers) recommend a brand or type they've been using for a while without any negative issues?

[RoundEye]

Can anyone with experience with the electric warmers (for hands, heated insoles for feet or even heated slippers) recommend a brand or type they've been using for a while without any negative issues?

I've got the Zippo ones, and they get the job done. I like that they can also be used as a power bank so that you can charge other USB devices. The shape conform to the hand well for gripping.

The only con is the price as there are other less expensive options out there, but they may not just conform to your hand as well.

[BrassCase]

I use the electronic ones and they can be used as a battery as well.

[oddjob]

Update....I got electronic heated mittens and used them at a match yesterday. Worked like a champ (so far)!

[1911-CV]

Did you win?

Update....I got electronic heated mittens and used them at a match yesterday. Worked like a champ (so far)!

- Did you win?

[anonymouscuban]

Not sure if anyone else mentioned this but if you keep your core warm, your hands will get less cold. Layer up. Wear long underwear and a thermal layer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk