Ignik  Hand Warmers - Multipack

I was camping in below freezing conditions this week so I brought hand warmers with me. Once I got to camp and the sun went down, I eagerly opened a pair and shook them to activate, per the instructions on the package. Nothing. More shaking, no heat. I waited for an hour, still no heat. My friend shook them, nada. None of the 8 hand warmers in the pack functioned at all when shaken per instructions. Cold hands, grumpy me. Only after I got back from my trip, another backpacker told me to try crushing the warmers in my hand. Low and behold, all the hand warmers that I thought were defective actually produced heat! So they do work, but only if you know the secret activation method, lol.

While the packaging looks great, it did not do a good job of explaining what these really are. Basically, they're just hand warmers with the ability to be put back into the package to retain their heat. And boy does it work. They last a long time even without being put back into the container. And I tested them and they returned to full warmth over 24 hours after I put them back in the pack. And since they do not cost a lot more than regular hand warmers, these are what I will use from now on.

While the warmers worked well for first two months of purchase, the next season, about eight months later, the un-used packs did not work at all and their expiration date was not for another 10 months. the company required a proof of purchase otherwise they would not stand behind their warranty. REI provided the receipt and I was a little disappointed REI did not cover cost because I was 3 weeks beyond the 1 yr purchase date. But I will see if Ignik refunds. Ridiculous to require a proof of purchase. I sent photos of the packs unused and expiration date noted.

I was skeptical that these would perform as advertised given the affordable price, but I was pleasantly surprised! They stayed warm for 12 hours, whether used for 12 hours straight or used in multiple shifts. I just love that they can be "saved" and used again. They do take 10-15 minutes to warm up (as the package says) so plan ahead if you can. They didn't feel super warm when the temp was below freezing and I thought maybe the pair was a dud, but once I was back inside they felt really warm again, so there might be kind of a low temperature limit under which they perform optimally.

I used them for fishing I put them inside my fingerless gloves. They kept my hands fairly warm. I was skeptical about reusing them after a 3/4day of fishing. I put back in the resealable package and did not reopen for a week. I was pleasantly surprised that they reheated and kept warm for another 3/4 of a day fishing. So I put them back in the resealable package to see if I can get them to work again.

I purchased a multi-pack of hand warmers at the Anchorage Alaska REI to take on the Iditarod Trail Invitational. While the product works the packaging is the worst. Unlike their primary competitor that has easy to open packages, especially when your hands are cold, the 1/4" strip to hold onto to undo the zipper closure makes the packaging a challenge to open with cold hands. I'll never buy these again.

I used the entire bag of these when I was out skiing for a week and they never felt hot. I'd recommend using the hot hands or LLBean hand warmers, since they reach warmth quicker and actually keep it for longer. I was worried I didn't give enough air to this brand of hand warmers, so on my second day I left two out on a table, shook them every ten minutes, and even after two hours they weren't any hotter than body temperature. Honestly on my last days skiing, I used them to preheat my gloves and then threw them out.

These get hot, but it took an hour before I even felt them getting warm and another hour before they were so hot it was uncomfortable to handle.

Generated heat, but far less than "HotHands" brand heaters. Also, the amount of chemical "stuff" inside each packet is far more than HotHands, which makes it harder to stuff them in your shoes or gloves. These are loosely advertised as "environmentally responsible" heaters, which is probably why they don't work well.