Review of Toe Warmers from Hot Hands
Have you noticed those packets of Toe Warmers next to the checkout register at Walgreens? You know the ones I am talking about, right? The packaging is clear with an image of a gold sock radiating out heat.
Well, if you’ve seen them, you may have wondered if they actually work. I know that I have. In fact, my curiosity about the product is what inspired me give them a try on a recent winter camping trip in Wisconsin.
And when I say winter – I’m talking about mid-January.
What follows is a quick review of the product that is written with guys in mind. Not to be misogynistic but most of the people I know who are into cold-weather camping are outdoorsman.
So, here is what happened.
Just prior making the drive up north from Chicago to Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin, I picked up two value packets of Toe Warmers from Walgreens. Each packet contains two warmers, priced at $3.00 each.
After arriving at the campgrounds, I opened one up and placed the Toe Warmers (triangular shaped pads) on the bottom of my soles.
Now to be fair, I need to disclose that I was wearing a pair of Sorel Conquests. That’s important to know because the boots are heavily insulated with 400g of Thinsulate Ultra.
At any rate, once they were securely in place (they come out of the packet with adhesive) I slipped my feet into the boots. Now mind you, I was also wearing a pair of heavy duty wool socks that I picked up from Walmart.
So, what was my experience? Did the product work? Did the Toe Warmers keep my feet warm or was the product a rip off?
Well, all I can tell you is that I spent most of the weekend outdoors with temperatures well below zero. During that time, the Toe Warmers did keep my feet nice and toasty.
They are the hottest during the first 2-hours of use and then gradually begin to lose their heat. The packaging claims they work up to eight hours but that wasn’t my experience. Instead, it was more like six-hours.
That said, I will say that when I was pitching the tent, building a fire, and fishing for Brown Trout, the pads did help to keep my toes from freezing.
And I wasn’t the only person wearing them. I found out two of the guys I was camping with also had them on. Both shared with me that they liked the product a lot. FYI: One of them is a cross-bow hunter who wears them during the fall deer hunting season; an activity that is dictated by Wisconsin’s DNR.
One personal observation I’d like to make is if you use the pads, don’t place them on bare feet. The packaging warns you not to do this because they can potentially burn you. Instead, the pads are to be positioned on the bottom of your boots, in between your soles and sox.
So, are Toe Warmers from HotHands worth the money or are they are rip-off? In my experience, I have to say they worked well. One thing I didn’t like about them was their propensity to bunch up. But I think that could have been prevented had I spent more time pressing the pad’s adhesive material to the bottom of my soles.
You will read other reviews on the web that suggest the warmers aren’t that great because they heat they offer is minimal. That may very well have been the case for some folks. Personally, I think much depends on the type of boot you are wearing.
Have you used Toe Warmers from HotHands? If so, what was your experience? Feel free to share in the comment section below.
