Heated pogies

[BEubanks]

Sunday, Dec 28, on a Cossatot trip, I used HotSnapZ reusable hand warmers in my pogies. I sewed neoprene pockets inside the pogies to hold the warmers in place. I found they provided good heat for about 45 minutes and diminished but still effective heat for another 30-45 minutes. The one down side is that as the heat diminishes, the warmers go from flexible to solid. So they get less comfortable as they lose heat. I'm sure there are other brands that work similarly. These are sealed so impervious to water. And after the heat is spent, they can be recharged by putting them in boiling water for about 10 minutes.

I like pogies over gloves but find that pogies can't keep my hands as warm when temps get down in the lower 40s. Adding the HotSnapZ will extend the effectiveness of pogies to lower temps. I tried to fit HotSnapZ in my gloves, but was too tight a fit. And with a tight fit they would get pretty uncomfortable, I'm guessing, as they get hard.

Would be nice if one of the pogie makers would design some with a little extra room and a sleeve for this style of hand warmers.

[paddledog]

OR, a backpackers stove with small pot would fit in
any yak.......
Nice idea, can you show pics of pogie mods?......

[BEubanks]

Not sure the photos will be very revealing, but here's a shot. First shows pogie turned inside out. I sewed two overlapping rectangular pieces of thin neoprene to form a pocket to hold the HotSnapZ in position on the back of my hand.

Second shows the open flaps with two small pieces of Velcro added to hold the flaps closed. The first time I used the HotSnapZ I didn't have the Velcro and the warmers came out and were lose in the pogies. Still worked but they would like fall out if I were to have a swim and pull hands from the pogies.

Third shows one of the HotSnapZ partly in the pocket.

Last shows the pocket closed and velcroed over the HotSnapZ.

[BEubanks]

Don't know if any product development will result from it, but I passed along this idea to the folks at Bomber Gear, the maker of my pogies. Just received a reply from one of their customer service reps saying they'd pass it on to the design team. So, perhaps soon we'll be able to buy some pogies/mitts designed to accommodate HotSnapZ or similar warmers.

A better design than my modification would make it possible to replace spent warmers from the outside, i.e., without detaching pogies/mitts from the paddle.

Might also be nice to design some gloves with similar feature--a pocket of some sort on the back of the hand accessible from the outside of the glove while still wearing them!

[Charles1967]

Sorry to but in, but what are some good 'kayaking gloves' you guys might recommend?? I've got pogies, but just needed that little extra layer, plus like the knuckle protection. I tried an NRS set of "paddling gloves" but they were so slick, the paddle would 'spin' in my hands if I didn't hold the paddle real tight and wear out my forearms.

Thanks for any advice.

Charles

[BEubanks]

The gloves I use when it's too cold for pogies are Glacier Gloves brand. They're neo with fleece lining. Have tried some others; these are the best of the ones I've tried.

Look for gloves that are shaped into a partial grip so they don't require as much effort to grip the paddle. And you might try adding paddle wax to make the paddle stickier. I've had trouble in the past with gloves requiring more effort to grip so that my grip wears out before the day's paddling is complete. Not a good feeling.

So, paddle wax helps. Regular grip exercise helps (use racquet or tennis balls or commercial grip exercisers). And oval shaft at point of grip or bent shaft paddle helps.

I may try cannibalizing some old gloves to add a HotSnapZ pocket to the back.