Myosmith

Has anyone tried Hot Hands or similar chemical warm packs for their gloves or boots when riding in sub-freezing weather? I thought about it last year but went with warmer gloves and socks instead. Last evening my fingers got pretty cold despite good gloves and I was thinking I should have worn my snowmobiling mittens, but I'm not a fan of the lack of dexterity when I'm wearing them. I was wondering if putting some Hot Hands on the back of each hand between my wool liners and my outter gloves would help my cold fingers. Has anybody tried it?

sauze

I've used them before and on longer rides they can be helpful , especially with cold toes / fingers. Good gloves / mitts work better but sometimes one needs some extra warmth.

rumrunn6

used them for feet of course. I tape them to the top of my sock liner at the toe tips. then over that goes a thicker sock. I have used them in late fall too with just a single sock. I used both toe warmers and hand warmers in my shoes. Did you know these can be resused? Just put them in an airtight baggie and you can use them again the next day.

chemical handwarmers in your gloves gets trickier but I have done that. the toe warmers are thinner and would fit better.

they should make "finger warmers"

aruban

Thanks for the re use tip! They last for a few hours and my commute is only one hour. Good to know that I can re use them by putting it in a sealed bag.

rumrunn6

I position my toe warmers on top of my toes contrary to the instructions because I think if they are under my toes they will get mashed by my activity.

Plimogz

I usually take some with me for emergencies when I set out on a long ride that takes me off the beaten path a pretty good distance if the temperature is under like -15°C. Otherwise I'd always rather rely on more/better layers and maybe a pair of spare wool socks. In fact I was thinking that I should find some extra thin wool gloves which could fit under my usual gloves, just for a little added warmth when the conditions call for it.

sknhgy 

I keep some in my seatbag for emergencies. I also like to use them with regular running shoes. Much lighter than wearing boots.

shelbyfv

I use both the hand and toe warmers. The toe warmers have an adhesive side that sticks to your socks. I wear them under my toes, they don't bother me there and they work. The hand warmers of course don't really warm your fingers but the warmth in the gloves seems to alleviate some of the sting. I drop them in the glove and then slide my hand in. They are easy to remove as the day warms and aren't as bulky as another pair of gloves.

erig007

Never used a handwarmer nor toe warmer yet even well below freezing temps.
When i get cold fingers i just find a hill to climb and my fingers are warm again or increase the pace but it takes much more time to warm up.
I also use an easyseat sheepskin cover that i attach with a shoelace on my gloves. It has the advantages of mitts without the loss of dexterity, the advantages of pogies without the loss of mobility.
I also have added reflective tape inside the outer gloves on the back of my hand and fingertips

hubcap

Never used them for the hands. I just use progressively warmer gloves or mittens as needed. I have tried chem warmers for my toes without much success. I concluded that they run out of oxygen in my boots and stop working. My winter cycling footwear are Specialized boots that have reasonably well sealed leather uppers that don't particularly breath at all.

downtube42

Somebody gave me a case of chem hand warmers last year, so I've been using them up. Inside the glove on the back of my hand works well. Because I have so many I've been using them for my feet and I like the results. I put them on top of my foot just behind my toes. When the case runs out I will buy more.

ephin

Hands were never my problem - cold feet were. Tried various socks, liners, and shoes. Toe covers, overshoes, and winter shoes. None really did the trick in below 20 temps over an hour. Invested in some hotronics electric footbeds. Didn't work as well as I'd hoped - especially for the money - but they made riding bearable. Like someone above, I received some chemical toe warmers and gave them a try (they were added to one of my online purchases). They work better than anything else I've tried. I've stuck with them since. Wish I'd tried them before the hotronics purchase.

lopek77

I tried to use chemical warmers for my feet and hands in the past, but nothing really worked well to keep me warm. The lowest I rode was 13F. Add wind chill and it's just way to cold for these little chemical things to keep you warm. I'm sure that they are helpful for some people in warmer temps, but good winter clothes is what you need.
I did my research in the last couple years on winter clothing/materials... I still feel stupid and either way too hot or just plain freezing when riding during winter... Winter riding is still fun, but it's much, much tougher.

MadCityCyclist

Your neighbors over in Wisconsin use them quite a bit, especially after the temps drop under 20 degrees.

WorldPax

I have been using them and they work pretty well for a shorter commute. They seem to start out nice, but then seem to fade about half way through my 10 mile ride. Definitely better than not having them, my feet still get cold, but not as cold. Hot-hands brand are better than the Coleman ones. The hot-hands seem to last a little longer and the Coleman ones are more bulky.

jsilvia

I use the Chem. Foot warmers, I also have th P.I. Booties. This combo works well for me in rides up to 30 miles in temps. in the high 20s and low 30s

digibud

I use them almost daily....pretty much every ride. I doubt I'll see any temps above 20F for a month or two and ride to about -20F pretty often. I much prefer using thin gloves so I can manipulate things so I toss a 7hr hand warmer in each pogie when it's cold enough to call for it and I put one in each toe of my boot. I could wear huge winter boots as I did one winter commuting (mukluks, actually) but I don't much care for that. They aren't cheap so I also appreciate the tip about putting them in a plastic baggie to stop the O2 from reacting. I find the toe heaters to be worthless and use 7hr hand heaters for everything. Sometime ago I read a series of reviews that tested these products and Grabber (a common one here in Alaska) came out way on top and that's the only brand I use. I don't use these when temps are in the high 20's but that's cause I'm able to dress for temps to the -20F's....but yeah...chem heat packs are really, really helpful.

KLW2

They tend to starve for oxygen after a bit in my boots...then cold and wet.

Carbonfiberboy 

Yes, that's the problem. They run on oxygen, so a really sealed environment isn't good. Optimum for them is like regular cycling shoes and booties. But that won't work below freezing.

chipg5

I use chemical warmers (Grabbers) in my shoes/boots when it's about 35 or colder. With my cycling boots, I wear a light wool sock, a heavy wool sock and a chemical hand warmer between the two at my toes -- they're smaller than the feet warmers and my problem with cold is really only my toes. They work great, I've ridden down to around zero, including a century ride starting at about 8 and getting up to only 25 or so. For hands I don't use them because I make sure to be wearing temperature appropriate gloves -- pearl izumi lobster gloves for when it's below about 25 or so.

pyze-guy

I like the toasty toes foot warmers. They are designed to work best in a shoe/boot with minimal oxygen. I find they work best when attached to the insole rather than a sock.

rumrunn6

definitely a difference between brands. the better ones indeed better. if you just need something for those occasional one time uses then the cheaper ones should be OK. if you are inclined to commute with them and want to reuse them by storing them in a plastic bag then go for the better ones. by the way you can definitely get 1-3 ihr uses out of a single toes or hand warmer bu taking them off and storing them airtight ina plastic bag at your desk, then just take them out and give them air for a couple minutes before your ride home at night!

LesMcLuffLots

I've used them in the past. I would tape them to the outside of the shoe on top of the toe box. Then put my shoe cover over top. They were effective.

arsprod 

I have a pair of Burton Dryride mittens that have a pocket/vent that holds warmer. When it's really cold I can put a chemical warmer in there and it seems to get enough air to stay active. If it gets warmer the pocket doubles as a vent

howeeee

I use the foot warmers, but they dont make them very good anymore, maybe people got burned so they made them not as warm.