Handwarmer expire dates.

[robby denning]

I’d hesitated to even take them on hunts when they were expired.

I found some in my drawer that were 10+ years old.

I went for a horse ride Saturday so I gave them a shot.

Worked fine for 2 1/2 hours, still warm when sealed them up in a snack bag, cut off the oxygen and probably be able to use one more time.

Anybody else go way past expiration dates on these? What was your experience?


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[Desk Jockey]

I have, but I will tend to rotate the older ones to uses that aren’t as high stakes as backcountry use. I finally used up an off brand box that expired in 2015. I think they are probably OK as long as the packaging is in decent shape. The ones that were duds were obvious - hard as a rock.

TBH at $6-7 a bag, I treat myself to a new bag for late season hunts Or situations when them not working would be a serious issue.

 

[Danny Hoey]

I bought a costco box a few years ago and am just about to the bottom of it. Mine don't work for shit now, but I think it's because I kept them out in the garage. Maybe they keep better being out of the freezing temps.

 

[robby denning]

I have, but I will tend to rotate the older ones to uses that aren’t as high stakes as backcountry use.

only on Rokslide is this stuff high stakes lol. That’s exactly why I was throwing away the ones that were expired. Thanks for your feedback.

 

[robby denning]

I bought a costco box a few years ago and am just about to the bottom of it. Mine don't work for shit now, but I think it's because I kept them out in the garage. Maybe they keep better being out of the freezing temps.

Not sure.

Any chemists on here know what the reaction is causing the heat and what affects it?

 

[BRTreedogs]

Not sure i threw away a few boxes this year of an off brand in a white box I got on sale.
They didn't really seem to work much at all any more.

 

[manitou1]

They seldom make it to the next season for us. They just don't work after they have sat a while.
I found a whole case of them while looking for items in the basement last week. They are several years old, so I doubt they will heat up.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Didn't know they have expiration dates...I just always chuck the rock hard ones and use the rest...probably why some work better than others...

If its cold I just use my zippo.

 

[Stillkickin]

I find that their performance varies with brand, I’ve had some like the ones you used still work way after the exp date. Other brands no good the next year, not sure if storage conditions matter but makes sense.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Not sure.

Any chemists on here know what the reaction is causing the heat and what affects it?

It’s an iron compound that oxidizes. Exposure to air starts it and cutting off air can slow it down or even stop it but it is a finite process. Once all the iron reacts, they are done. Pin holes in the wrapper will start the process. Those rock hard ones are fully oxidized due to faulty or compromised packaging. I imagine the packing and glue degrades over time and that’s probably why they expire.

 

[Theringworm]

I always buy a 2 pack case of 240 total. Use them until they are gone and then reorder. I have never worried about an expiration date. Never had a problem or a failure. These are for the larger 18 hour ones. I don’t buy the smaller shorter duration ones.

 

[hiker270]

I have used them 2 years after expiration date and they worked fine. Don't know about 10.

 

[rclouse79]

I have some ones from years past. Every once in a while I get a dud, but most of them seem to work.

 

[robby denning]

It’s an iron compound that oxidizes. Exposure to air starts it and cutting off air can slow it down or even stop it but it is a finite process. Once all the iron reacts, they are done. Pin holes in the wrapper will start the process. Those rock hard ones are fully oxidized due to faulty or compromised packaging. I imagine the packing and glue degrades over time and that’s probably why they expire.

I knew there was a WKR out there with the intel.

Thanks for the clarification

So, as long as they’re still soft, I’m gonna use them

 

[Danny Hoey]

I find that they work better if I "pre-heat" them in the truck rather than opening them in the field.

 

[thedutchtouch]

While we are talking hand warmers, the hand and foot and body warmers are all basically the same stuff, the thing that makes them different is the porosity of the packaging. Toe warmers are more porous since they are designed to be inside a shoe in an Oxygen depleted environment so have a more porous bag than the hand warmers. Same reason shaking the hand warmer can get it going again, you're exposing more of the iron to oxygen.

Strange that oxidized iron can help like this but be a real pain in the form we are more used to (rust)

 

[rclouse79]

I noticed that when you put the foot warmers in a pair of rubber winter boots, they don't get enough oxygen to fire up. When you take them out at the end of the day the get hot.

 

[Ens Entium]

It’s an iron compound that oxidizes. Exposure to air starts it and cutting off air can slow it down or even stop it but it is a finite process. Once all the iron reacts, they are done. Pin holes in the wrapper will start the process. Those rock hard ones are fully oxidized due to faulty or compromised packaging. I imagine the packing and glue degrades over time and that’s probably why they expire.

To add to this expiration dates tend to be there to remove liability from a manufacturer rather than guide the consumer when to use their product.

 

[Hectocotylus]

Seem good till they get crunchy then it’s no bueno


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[Desk Jockey]

To add to this expiration dates tend to be there to remove liability from a manufacturer rather than guide the consumer when to use their product.

Don’t disagree.

I think there are an awful lot of products with bullshit expiration dates that don’t really add any value for the consumer. for a few things, I will abide by them. I use expired hand warmers on the regular for a lot of things, but I carry a few as part of my “aw shit“ plan in addition to using them as comfort items. Lighting fires or anything that requires fine motor skills with frozen hands is no bueno IMO, so I keep a few hand warmers in my “emergency” gear. I also Prefer to get fresh ones for trips that are cold and deep in the woods where cold hands would be a real issue. Closer to the house/truck or whatever, I use what I have.