Heated Clothing and lighter fuel hand warmers

gbq57

Member
Call me a wimp but once I sit in the high seat my body seems to shutdown and not generate heat - its the same at home in the office, just the way I'm made i suppose. Needless to say I don't perform at my best when my hands, feet and body are cold. Even on 15 degree mornings this summer I have worn two pairs of trousers 3 shirts and a jacket and not overheated (until the drag back to the vehicle).

Does anyone have any experience of heated clothing (insoles, gloves jackets), does they work - can it possibly deliver enough heat over a couple of hours to justify carrying the batteries.

Or is there any other way to fool my body that i'm still active and to keep burning the sugars - I have plenty of available energy ready to burn.

Ideas please before the winter.

Paul.
 
I've used those chemical hand/foot warmers when kayaking in cold weather before- very toasty!!
 
I use thermal underclothes known as wooly bears (the type worn by divers under hot water heated wet/dry suits but also used by offshore sailors)

They are fantastically warm on even the coldest days.

I was an offshore commercial diver for many years and that's all we wore under a pair of coveralls during time on deck doing the tending etc (even in the middle of winter in force 10 stuff up near the Arctic circle)

I still use the same type of stuff now when I'm working in my workshop during the winter months.

You can get them 1 or 2 piece or all in 1 and in different weight grades.

The downside is that if you have to do some seriously hard work whilst wearing them you will sweat like a pig ! I would think that winter high seats wouldn't be a problem for them whatsoever.

Try a dive shop for more or this link will help

infohttp://www.crewsaver.co.uk/Crewsaver/Crewsaver_Leisure_Products/index.html?catid=29

Regs

Rockin
 
You could also try Xerotherm Artics which come in two pieces and designed for cold water diving have kept me warm even down to 4 degrees in the Forth of Firth. About £150 for a full set I think. They also do a thinner version which coupled with a helly hanson base layer are fairly warm. Maybe a couple of hand warmers in your pocket and a good hat.
 
try a peacock handwarmer, old fashioned powered by ligher fuel, stays very hot for appx 6hrs. have used them on nightshifts during winter. fantastic. if you want a good base layer look at reed thermal clothing in braunton, devon. cant remember web adds.
 
Never quite sure why some folk make suggestions about stuff they have never used.....guess just trying to be helpful but not effective.
Speaking from practical experience (coldest was Poland about 5 years ago driven boar for 6 days. For 3 days it was about minus 50 centigrade! Then it warmed up to around minus 15 !!
Best gloves are 'ragwool' brand (wool outer, thinsulate lining, fingerless mittens with overgloves) BUT.. very bulky ! I now use peacock handwarmers which are very good and much cheaper to run than the crap throaway 'hot bags' . I run two - one on left and one on right and wear thinner fingerless mittens as sold to fishermen . Forget the fancy thermals - Marks & Spencers for the past 3 winters have been selling Merino wool long johns and thermal vests (it's a bit too early to ask if they are doing same this year as they may not have their winter stock in). I'm allergic to wool next to skin - but Merino wool is OK. I also wear a really good goose down gilet . Good mountaineering shops sell them. Mine is Jack Murphy in green. Best winter boots are made by the Canadians. Best socks - various makers but make sure they are true winter weight and loop pile throughout (don't get pure wool as it flattens - wool mixture is best) bridgedale are very good (expensive!!) .
 
Thanks for the tips - no recommendations for battery - so for feet it looks like disposable heating pads - for the hands / pockets I'll take a closer look at the peacock warmers - how do they compare with the charcoal warmers?
 
I'm a bit of a numbers man - it looks like the peacock puts out about 18 watts (based on 25ml fuel over 12 hours) - not too bad - there are not too many batteries i'm prepared to carry that can sustain that for more than an hour or so - I've no idea what the chemical patches generate and i don't know the weight of the charcoal fuel rods to compare. But 18 watts per device will be tough to beat.
 
I found the charcoal rod handwarmers were crap. After a few uses , they sometimes went out and were just not reliable. And you have be careful and keep them really dry. On a cold wet day, sticking damp hands into a pocket holding the charcoal warmer , sometimes resulted in the warmer going out....just whe you really need it! I've used the peacock ones for around 3 years now and still find they run really well.
Tried the battery socks once and they never seemed to generate enough heat.
 
OK thanks all.

I'm going for 10 warmers similar to the peacock ones at about £6.50 each from ebay (shop: Raw Vintage UK) - if they work I've got pockets for at least 6. I'll give them a test and report back here soon.

Thanks again for all your help

Paul.
 
Typhoon make heated neoprene waist belts, they have a rechargable battery that lasts for a couple of hours. The one I have used puts out just enough heat to keep you warmish, however that was diving.

So I would think sat in a high seat it should probably be quite good and you can turn it on and off as and when required, but again pricey.
 
For your feet you could always try a pair of muckboot wellies, I'm a commercial fisherman and have honestly never had cold feet in these and I am out in all weathers, even standing in an icy pond for hours waiting for ducks flighting in winter without moving my feet are toasty warm. Highly recommended and tested until they wore through the soles, I'm on my 2nd pair now and can't fault them.
 
Thermals

I second Deako's opinions on the Buffalo stuff, very warm, usually with a fair bit of ventilation but not waterproof. If you want electric heating, there are some bits of kit available for motorcycling but you'd have to have the battery power.
I used to hunt in Canada and have a Sportchief outfit - it is very warm, waterproof and breathable but I find it too warm for over here unless it happens to be a rare spell of proper Scottish winter.
Whatever you wear will be compressed underneath you, freezing cold damp plywood high seats don't score highly for comfort factor - if you suffer that badly get some Karrimat foam sleeping pad and cut yourself either a pad to sit on (watch it if it's windy as it will blow away) or something bum-shaped to stuff down the back of your trousers! Don't laugh, it's worked wonders for me during years of snowboarding - not only takes the sting out of falling on yer arse but is positively comfy whilst sitting in the snow (as snowboarders do!). Only downside if you have the sit-on type pad is that they sometimes sqeak if you swivel on your backside.
 
I'll second Hairy's verdict on the sportchief, I found some on ebay about 4yrs back, needs maybe a little more upkeep on the waterproofing side of things but it isn't out of reach. Steve.
 
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