rumrunn6

this weekend I remembered that when I bike commuted the winter of 2009-10 I used hand warmers taped to my sock liners because toe warmers just weren't good enough

not because of the adhesive, but because the toe warmers don't work as well. btw the toe warmer adhesive doesn't work as well on silk or poly sock liners as well as it does on wool sock liners

fortunately, the shoes I'm using have a really roomy toe box



just thought I'd share that

digibud

Here's another tip. Your toe warmers, when put in a boot that doesn't breath, will run out of oxygen and stop working. After an hour when your feet start freezing, take a minute to stop and unlace your shoes and get the toes out for a shake and some fresh air. Anyway you can get some fresh air to the toe warmers will help them remain active. Many toe warmers are rated to keep warm for 7 hours so if you only ride for an hour put the packet in a sealed plastic baggie and when it uses up the oxygen it will stop and be available for the next ride.

BobbyG

Good tips...thanks for sharing!

Dahon.Steve

Here's another tip. Get a new high quality winter boot (Sorel) that's two sizes too big! This way your toes don't touch the tip of the boot and your feet will be A LOT warmer!

digibud

The only catch there is 1) When you have size 13 shoes it's hard to get something big enough for two sets of thick socks and 2) Big boots are already pretty heavy. I have a pair of huge boots that are big enough to keep me warm but they're just too much for cycling. I much prefer a "normal" winter boot with a chem pack to wearing a huge boot. Plenty of folks up here were bunny boots when cycling but not me.

But a boot big enough to be roomy is critical, also, to ensure your foot isn't squeezed and blood flow is as good as it can get.

rumrunn6

lol yeah, my size 14 Columbia winter boots are twice as wide as my pedals! :-)

Leebo

Run out of O2? Never has happened to me. Ever. Maybe my O2 is different in MA?

dh024

It's happened to me, but only when it gets really cold out. It's not like they stop working entirely, but the heat output is negligible until "freshened" as the OP suggests.

digibud

If your shoes allow enough air exchange to continue to provide oxygen to the hand warmers (the chem packs like "Grabber" hand warmers) then you'll have no problem but if you put a set into high top winter boots that are well sealed they will indeed shut down if the boots are made of materials that will prevent air flow. The chemical reaction involves iron powder and oxygen. No oxygen? No warmth. We use the 7hour hand warmers and typically go out for between one and two hours. When we get back, if we think of it, we put the hand warmers into a ziplock baggie and seal it. The chem reaction shuts down and the next day we can take out the same packets and use them again with no problem. Many shoes/boots allow enough air to get in so the chem reaction continues in those shoes.