Hand Warmers
Short version: HotHands heat packs for the pockets, toe and insole warmers for the boots, and an insulated hand muff on your waist to hold it all together. These hand warmers include muffs from Higdon, Ducks Unlimited, Browning and Hot Shot, plus a Zippo heated pouch. Heat packs are the consumable, and the muff is the piece you keep for years.
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waterfowl hunting gear · hunting gloves · hunting bibs · hunting jackets · duck hunting waders · duck blinds · blind chairs · duck dog gear
Heat Packs for Hands and Feet
HotHands covers the consumables. The hand warmers come in a 40-pair box and a value pack, the toe warmers in a 40-pair box and a value pack, and the insole foot warmers in 5-pair and 16-pair packs. Toe warmers go over the toes, and insoles go under the whole foot. Buy the 40-pair boxes if you hunt more than a few cold mornings a season, since packs go quickly once the blind gets cold.
Standing still in cold water chills feet through any pair of duck hunting waders. Use toe or insole warmers on the coldest days, and keep a dry pair of socks in your bag.
Hand Muffs for the Blind
A hand muff is an insulated pouch on a waist belt. You keep your hands in it between flights, with a heat pack inside, and pull them out to shoot. The Ducks Unlimited Deluxe Hand Warmer is water-resistant neoprene with a fleece lining, an adjustable waist belt, clips for waders, D-rings and six shell loops. The Browning insulated hand warmer rides on a 60-inch belt with 20 shotshell loops. Higdon's Stuff Muff mounts at the waist with room for a warmer pack, and the Hot Shot HF-3 is an insulated one-size hand warmer in Realtree APX (one listing adds blaze).
Pair a muff with thin hunting gloves so you can still feel the safety, and a pair of hunting bibs so the cold does not come up from below.
Heated Pouches
The Zippo Heated Handwarmer Pouch is the electric option on this shelf. Its listing notes the power source is not included, so plan for that before your first hunt.
Staying Warm in a Blind
Warmers work best as part of a layered system. Start with a wicking base layer, and finish with a windproof shell from our hunting jackets. Sit on something that keeps you off cold ground, from our blind chairs. Bring a thermos, and remember your dog: an insulated kennel cover from our duck dog gear keeps the ride home warmer for both of you.
What Else to Pack for a Cold Blind
Mornings start in the dark, so a hunting headlamp and a spare heat pack ride in the same pocket. Keep extras in your blind bag where they stay dry, and add a shell from our hunting rain gear for sleet days. Wet clothing pulls heat away faster than any warmer can put it back.
Hand Warmers FAQs
How long do disposable hand warmers last?
It depends on the product, and the time is printed on each package. Most hunters open a pair before the walk in so they are warm by shooting light.
What is a hunting hand muff?
An insulated pouch worn on a waist belt. You keep your hands and a heat pack inside it between shots, which keeps your fingers warm without wearing heavy gloves while you shoot.
Toe warmers or insole warmers?
Toe warmers sit over the toes, where feet get cold first. Insoles warm the whole sole. Many waterfowl hunters use toe warmers in waders and insoles in field boots.