It’s incredibly difficult to accomplish anything with your hands when they feel like ice cubes - frozen solid. And beyond the discomfort, it can be downright dangerous for your extremities to remain too cold for too long. Frostbite is a condition that occurs when skin is exposed to very cold temperatures without adequate protection for too long a time. Frostbite is most likely to affect exposed extremities like fingers, toes, ears, cheeks, and noses. When frostbite sets in, the water molecules in the skin cells become frozen. If the condition is not addressed quickly permanent skin damage may result. Severe cases may result in gangrene leading to amputation.
The best treatment for frostbite is not a treatment at all but rather prevention. Being prepared for survival in severe temperatures means being prepared to stay adequately warm, avoiding the risks and dangers associated with exposure. Foot and hand warmers a great way to ensure you stay warm even in the coldest temperatures.
What Are Foot & Hand Warmers?
Foot and hand warmers are self-contained, self-heating, non-toxic packets that provide up to 12 hours of heat. Most hand a foot warmers are single use and disposable but reusable varieties do exist. The most popular hand warmers are small air-activated packets that immediately begin to heat up when removed from their packaging and exposed to air. Air-activated hand warmers work to produce heat through an exothermic oxidation chemical reaction. These handy on demand heat packs contain iron, water, salt, vermiculite, carbon, and usually cellulose (as a space filler). When the packet is exposed to air, the iron immediately begins to oxidize; the resulting heat is trapped by the vermiculite and redistributed evenly throughout the pack by the carbon.
Hand and foot warmers are popular among outdoor enthusiasts as well as survivalists and rescue organizations. These packets were developed for use inside gloves, pockets, or socks and work best when used in a contained area; improving heat retention. While foot and hand warmers were designed specifically with hands and toes in mind, they have a myriad of other uses as well. In addition to being placed inside socks or gloves they can be placed inside a hat or scarf or the pockets of pants for the same warming effects as on the hands and feet. They can also be used in the foot well of a sleeping bag for a cozy and comfortable sleep in freezing temperatures. Hand warmer packs also have first aid applications; they can be used as a soothing heating pack on strained or tired muscles and can be placed under the armpit or in the groin area to help prevent hypothermia. Hand warmer packets can be slipped inside wet boots overnight to help to dry them more quickly – and you’ll wake up to nice warm boots. While these packets don’t get hot enough to heat a cold drink, they can be used to keep a warm drink warm for a while longer in really cold temperatures. Fuel canisters for you camping stove don’t work very well in freezing temperatures, hand warmers can be placed under the fuel canister to help warm it, allowing it to perform better in severe weather. Hand warmers can be used to keep your water bottle or canteen from freezing and also to warm and melt ice and snow for drinking in a survival situation. Freezing temperatures can cause batteries to drain much faster; applying a hand warmer to the battery compartment can keep the battery warm enough to enhance battery life. Lastly, moisture can have adverse effects on your gear, spent hand and foot warmer packets can be placed inside a bag or pouch with gear items to draw out the moisture and help to dry the gear out more quickly.
Wow what a great company. I have been reading Survival Warehouse Blog for years. When I saw they opened a Survival Store I decided to check it out. Was really… 