Hand Warmers Are a Backpack Essential

Frigid sleet has been falling for hours. Your raingear wet out some time ago. Marching on, you feel your core temperature dropping, hands going numb. It's time to make camp, but hypothermia is close on your heels. What are you going to do about it?

 

Many folks seem to assume the solution is to cook a hot meal, or gather wood and make a fire. Let me stop you there. Even if the wood would catch, you can't hug the flames. You'd be out in the weather while the heat escaped into space and your body continued to cool. Eating hot food may warm your core, but will also cost you time in the elements, fooling with cold water and metal while your hands turn to ice. More minimalist hikers might just pitch their shelters, strip off, and get in their bag. I'd do that too—but I see no need to spend more hours shivering. And what if the insulation is wet?

 

This is where the emergency pair of handwarmers in my kit comes in.

 

A pair of handwarmers costs around $2 and weighs under 2 ounces. Exposed to air, they warm up fast and radiate heat for hours. While they aren't much use while hiking in the rain, as moisture can kill the chemical reaction, they are the single most valuable thing you can carry to warm back up once you get in your shelter. As an external heat source, they can also mitigate the danger of a damp sleep system.

 

In light of these benefits, I'm surprised by how few hikers carry them. Even in summer, I view an emergency pair of handwarmers as a vital part of my kit, and I wouldn't go into a multi-night trip in predictably wet or winter conditions without multiple pairs.

 

Chemical handwarmers do vary in performance. Personally, I'd recommend those from the brand Ignik. Like many handwarmers, they generate about 10 hours of heat, but come in resealable packaging that can pause the chemical reaction, stretching warmth output over a longer period. The brand claims they can be used over as much as 72 hours; I've successfully used them for around 24 hours. For hikers avoiding single-use gear, there are also rechargeable electric handwarmers, at a cost and weight penalty for the item plus added battery power to keep them going.

Shiver less, friends!