search "solid fuel hand warmer". I think that is what gords is talking about
Thanks, Pulsar! Do you know if they can be smaller than these (12x7cm)?
So far it seems the Peacock mini is the best in terms of high heat and small size.
i had never seen any different sizes, but never really looked into them too much
I am kind of surprised there are none made with a resistance wire (kanthal or nichrome wire) wrapped around a ceramic rod maybe, and a rheostat
Oh, tell me more! It sounds like what they use in vaping equipment? But maybe there is a danger of overheating the cell.
That is exactly what he’s talking about. Here is a link to one on eBay, Chloe. This should point you in the right direction. They work ok but I always preferred the Zippo type warmers. The liquid fuel get a little warmer and I have to admit I like the smell of them. It takes me back to days long ago and makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside with fond memories.
yeah, they use kanthal or nichrome wire in the atomizer coil, but i would think a longer length would not get as hot. i think if you wrapped it around, or had it encased in ceramic it would help evenly spread out the heat. then the rheostat could be used to adjust it to the heat you want
but battery temp could be an issue depending on how hot you wanted it
Thanks Johnny! I admit I don’t really notice the smell when it’s in my pocket, it’s more noticeable to me indoors. But I read it also depends what fuel you use (some smell more than others).
I know you said no long underwear but…
Have you ever tried a polypropylene/polyester type? Wool is not a good idea for skin contact as you’ve noticed because it’s itchy, but the polypro ones (brand name, Under Armuor) are intended for the purpose. They wick the moisture away from your skin and keep you really warm and dry. Even on a cold winter day you’ll sweat a little and if the moisture is held close to your skin it’ll cool you down considerably. Plus like a wet suit these keep a pocket of warm air close to your skin because they’re tight fitting.
My background: I ride a motorcycle to work year round in Massachusetts. Of course I stop when it snows and drive my car again until the roads are clear, but there are a significant number of clear nice days all winter long. I ride down to about 5-10F (–10 to –12C) and am very comfortable going 70 on the highway.
My layers are:
Heavy weight polypropylene top and bottom
Regular work clothes (dress shirt and pants) - cotton is a no no for hiking but okay here
90w heated jacket on top
Windproof ballistic motorcycle jacket and pants
Leather gloves (I fitted offroad hand guards for wind protection)
Of course that’s all extreme for walking, but the same general idea applies. If you’re looking to keep your hands warm, try even layering gloves. There are some very nice lightweight gloves out there that will fit underneath what you wear now. This still keeps the warm pocket of air against your skin and has the benefit of being able to keep one layer on if you have to remove the outer glove to increase dexterity (tying your shoes, getting out your flashlight, etc).
These are some examples of the polypro shirts available here, I’m sure you’ll have access to something similar:
link #1
link #2
glove liners
^ those glove liners are really nice. I have a set of the men’s smartwool ones and they’re fantastic. Don’t let the ‘wool’ in the name put you off. It’s a synthetic blend product and very soft and not itchy.
I ordered this one from amazon yesterday.
http://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Double-Sided-Flashlight-Satisfaction-Guaranteed/dp/B00HGF2HRG/ref=pd_sim_sg_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=02FF7GGDNTNJFHYTFT47
It does have a tiny LED on it! It is also a power bank.
Will update when I get chance to play with it.
I received one of the zippo hand warmers for christmas and gave it its first go as a trial run and i noticed it does not get very hot. Honestly if it does not work better it is no wear near warm enough to even consider carrying and using it. Im wondering if its just because it needs to be “broken in” or if this is a normal thing. If anyone has experience with one of these i would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you everyone.
i tried electric heaters, including heated gloves,they die fast, heating elements in gloves are tiny, and do not get hot.
i noticed a hadwarmer bag that is sold pretty much at any store works a lot batter.
i even went farther, i took 2 t shirts, put one over another, and sewn them together leaving pockets for those bags, then cut the opening on the inside, in all i have 20 pockets, with 20 bags in, it gets so warm, i do not need any warm clothing even in subzero temps. i usually do not use all 20 at the time , it lasts for like 5-6 hours as well, no way anything battery operated would be that hot, last that long and be as light\cheap.
I have used triple LED lights for hand warmers in the past, and this year I’m going to use this flashlight that I found was disappointing for light production max output, but awesome for heat production: https://www.banggood.com/Astrolux-S41-4x-Nichia-219B-XP-G2-A6-1600Lumens-Mini-LED-Flashlight-p-1054876.html
I’m not sure if Nichias are just super-non efficient or what, but this light gets painfully hot the fastest of all I’ve had, and I have had some triple mods that produce a lot more light and a lot less heat. I used this one with the BLF 18650 body and a Samsung 30Q high drain battery, not the shorter body pictured.
I also have the zippo handwarmers. At first it didnt perform too good. The catalytic head was hard to start. After some research i found out other people have made worthy upgrades.
1. Replace the cotton batting inside with carbon felt.
2. Replace the catalyst material with a higher quality type. Specifically platinum catalyst
Now my handwarmers run way hotter and ignite easier. Also did the upgrades to the smaller chinese ones and they burn more more hot because it uses the same size heads.
This gentlemen explains it all.
http://mparam.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/handWarmers.html