Chemical feet warmers

[nscrbug]

Well I guess I'm in the minority here, because I tried using both hand and toe warmers this past weekend...and my feelings were that they did not work very well. I was wearing Smartwool cycling socks and stuck the toe warmers to the bottom of my socks as instructed (after activating them, of course). Put my shoes on, as well as my Pearl Izumi AmFib shoe covers. I felt the warmth for maybe 30 minutes, tops. Perhaps the Smartwool socks were just too thick to transfer the warmth...I don't know.

As for the hand warmers, I didn't feel them at all. I wore a thin glove liner with a pair of Descente Wombat gloves. I placed the hand warmer between the liner and glove, on the top of my hand. I never felt any warmth whatsoever. On top of that, it was extremely difficult to get the placement of the warmer in the correct position once you have 1 glove on. You almost need to have another person shove the warmers up into your gloves for you, because it's just simply impossible to do once you have 1 gloved hand.

I personally, will not bother with using the warmers again...at least not for cycling purposes.

[indysteel]

One thing my fitter told me (he also happens to be Catrin's) is that the charcoal warmers will not work as well (or at all) if you use them in conjunction with full shoe covers. They need air to work. I use them alone or with toe covers and they work pretty well. Any by well, I mean that I can ride semi-comfortably for a limited amount of time. I've yet to find anything (sort of winter shoes) that keep my feet warm indefinitely.

[OakLeaf]

I can't even think how to get the hand warmers in and still have the use of my hands, so I've never tried them, but the foot warmers are good for four to six hours on a motorcycle. No room for them in my cycling shoes.

[Crankin]

It is a bit tricky to get the hand warmers in, but generally, I put the liners on, pick up one glove and slide the warmer in, while it's off my hand. I kind of hold the glove vertically and drop it in, so it's resting against the top of the glove. Since my outer gloves are a little bigger than usual, when I slip the glove on, I can move the warmer into place a little, but since it's on the top, not my palm, the placement isn't as critical. I do the same with the other hand.
Sometimes the warmers don't work as well, for whatever reason. Some brands work better than others. The cheap ones I have need to be activated for a longer time.
I haven't noticed any difference with my booties. I wore the warmers when I commuted, with the booties in the AM when it was often in the high 30s.

[withm]

I went back to DC for Thanksgiving and had planned to ride on Saturday. I realized I had forgotten to bring my floor pump, so stopped at Citibikes to top off my tires. Saturday was fairly chilly, and VERY windy (30m,ph+), and I recalled that I had not brought my warm gloves, nor toe warmers. So I bought the Cannondale toe warmers, and a pair of "winter" gloves that may have been Specialized, can't remember. I passed on riding in the wind but on Sunday I rode 30 miles at St. Michaels on my way back to Deleware.

One mile into the ride I realized the new gloves needed liners to be of any use at all - the wind just went right through them. I knew I'd never make this ride if my hands did not get warmer fast.

I keep a wadded up plastic grocery bag tucked up under my seat for occasions when I need to buy or carry something home on my bike with no rack. So I tore off a couple of squares of the plastic, wrapped them around my index fingers and put my gloves back on. Presto chango - this turned my ride into an enjoyable outing and my hands, especially my index fingers were comfy cozy for the duration.

The Cannondale toe warmers were way better than the PI ones I've been using for many years, and I'm sorry I did not buy them sooner.

Still I'm anxiously awaiting my new winter shoes....

[Catrin]

Someone contacted me via a PM and told me that the warmest combination she has so far tried has been hiking boots with platform pedals. My new hiking shoes are just that, shoes...something to consider.

I also have to keep in mind that my leg is still healing. It seems to me that my tendons are going to take longer to warm up under the colder temps and wondering if that increases the odds of re-injury before they are fully healed. Something to consider...am starting to wonder if I shouldn't ride in <40 degree temps for now.

[Eden]

That has to have been Lisa....

Chemical toe warmers work great with booties if you put them between the shoe and the bootie, instead of inside your shoe. They get enough 02 there, they still warm your toes and you don't have to cram them inside your shoe. If they aren't the adhesive kind, you might need to use a little tape to hold them on....

Hand warmers do expire. We had a big box of them from Costco. After about 2 years (I think, maybe it was only one) a lot of them got hard and wouldn't activate when opened. Seems the more "fresh" they are the better they work.