Photo: Michigan deer hunter and tip contributor Kevin Sundholm shares his trick for getting more life out of hand warmers.
Most hunters have used hand warmers at one time or another. I’m talking about the air-activated type in a little bag, not the metal kind that requires the burning of fuel.
The typical scenario goes something like this:
The hunter removes the hot pack from its airtight package, shakes it up, then places the bag in a pocket.
Since many hunters are only hunting 3 or 4 hours a day, they end up throwing the warmer in the garbage when they get home, even though the bags are designed to heat for about 10 hours.
Here’s how you can put your hand or foot warmers on pause.
Keep a ziplock bag in your pocket or backpack and place the still-warm hand warmer in it as soon as you know you’re leaving the deer stand.
Squeeze all the air from the ziplock and quickly seal the hot pack inside it. Keep it in your insulated pocket.
Since the ingredients in hot packs need air to remain activated, the heating process ceases when you seal off the air source, causing it to pause.
Later that afternoon or the next morning, simply remove the hand warmer from the ziplock, shake it well, and it will return to its heating process.
Most hunters are not aware of this money-saving tip, and end up throwing away hand warmers with enough life left to give them another session in the deer stand.
— Editor’s Note by Tim H. Martin
Because it’s mid-July and the heat index is 107 degrees at the time of this tip selection, I will have to wait until this upcoming winter to test Kevin’s tip in hunting conditions. But it makes perfect sense.
Speaking of heat packs, here’s my favorite tip for a super cold day in the stand:
I love to place one heat pack in my neck gaiter and allow it to rest on the back of my neck during the hunt.
Throughout the day, I can shrug my shoulders and move the warmer around, often to the sides of the neck and near my jugular vein. This trick warms the blood supply to the brain and keeps the base of the skull luxuriously toasty.
Next time you are hunting on a miserably frigid day, try this and see if it doesn’t supply you with the most comforting feeling you’ve ever had in the deer stand. It makes me feel good just thinking about it!
— Photo Courtesy of Kevin Sundholm
Read Recent Tip of the Week:• Hands Off the Trail: Start thinking of gloves as more than an accessory to keep your fingers from freezing. They do much more. And be careful not to touch obstacles along the trail.