Cold weather prerequisite products -- heat patch
Disposable heat patch comes in many shapes and sizes directed at a specific application. They create heat for a given amount of time and then you dispose of them. They are inexpensive and to most are worth every penny.
How does heat patch work? Most disposable warmers work via a chemical reaction with air. Just as with a fire, they have to have air to operate. The ingredients to the reaction are iron, water, cellulose, vermiculite, activated carbon and salt. When the iron in the pouch is exposed to oxygen, it oxidizes. When iron oxidizes, it produces iron oxide, commonly referred to as rust. The reaction creates heat. The salt in the pouch acts as a catalyst for the reaction. Think of a piece of bare metal that gets exposed to saltwater. Carbon, also in the pouch helps disperse the heat, and the vermiculite is used as an insulator for the purpose of retaining the heat. The cellulose is added as filler. With most disposable heat packs, a polypropylene bag that allows air to permeate the ingredients while holding in moisture surrounds all of the ingredients.
If you’ve ever used one of these heat patches before and had a bad experience, you may want to look at how you used it. The number one mistake when using these packs is not giving them time to complete the reaction. All too often, one will take the packs out of the packaging, give them a shake, and then toss them into boots or pockets. It is far better to shake them up a little and then leave them on your dash or table until you’re ready to go into the field.
If you’re using heat patches and want to stop for a while, but don’t want to waste the pack, a technique you can try is cutting off that supply of oxygen. Let’s say you’re hunting and have a warmer that is good for twelve hours. You’ve hunted the morning and want to go out again in the evening, but don’t want to use another warmer. A zip locking-type bag, such as you’d use for a sandwich can be used to slow down the reaction. Simply toss in the heater and squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible. Without air, the reaction slows.
How does heat patch work? Most disposable warmers work via a chemical reaction with air. Just as with a fire, they have to have air to operate. The ingredients to the reaction are iron, water, cellulose, vermiculite, activated carbon and salt. When the iron in the pouch is exposed to oxygen, it oxidizes. When iron oxidizes, it produces iron oxide, commonly referred to as rust. The reaction creates heat. The salt in the pouch acts as a catalyst for the reaction. Think of a piece of bare metal that gets exposed to saltwater. Carbon, also in the pouch helps disperse the heat, and the vermiculite is used as an insulator for the purpose of retaining the heat. The cellulose is added as filler. With most disposable heat packs, a polypropylene bag that allows air to permeate the ingredients while holding in moisture surrounds all of the ingredients.
If you’ve ever used one of these heat patches before and had a bad experience, you may want to look at how you used it. The number one mistake when using these packs is not giving them time to complete the reaction. All too often, one will take the packs out of the packaging, give them a shake, and then toss them into boots or pockets. It is far better to shake them up a little and then leave them on your dash or table until you’re ready to go into the field.
If you’re using heat patches and want to stop for a while, but don’t want to waste the pack, a technique you can try is cutting off that supply of oxygen. Let’s say you’re hunting and have a warmer that is good for twelve hours. You’ve hunted the morning and want to go out again in the evening, but don’t want to use another warmer. A zip locking-type bag, such as you’d use for a sandwich can be used to slow down the reaction. Simply toss in the heater and squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible. Without air, the reaction slows.
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