Electric insoles and gloves

[Powdah]

I suffer from cold toes and hands. I have spent $100's of dollars on gloves, mittens, liners. Cannot keep my fingers warm below 20 degrees.

Do Hotronics electric insoles work for teleing. I see they also make a electric glove / liner. Anyone have any experience with these or something similar?

[James]

I have not used the Hotronics but know several people who do and they like them.

I have used the Black Diamond Heated gloves and mine like almost all of those gloves broke and they gave me my money back and I am glad they did. I don't think they were that warm on the really cold days. If it got below 5 degrees my hands would freeze unless you put them on high and on high the betteries only last a couple hours. Even on high they were not as warm as good down mitten. About the only thing they were good for were the days that it would start out at 10 degrees and get warmer. That way you could turn them on and then turn them off when it got warm. They were much lighter and had more dexterity then a big mitten or bulky guide type glove.

Honestly if your hands get cold with something like the BD mercury mitt then I think your only choice is to start buying lots of hand warmers.

[peteMimmack]

Powdah - I've had Hotronics in my boots for years and don't ski without them now. Pricey, but they get the job done. Secret is to not let your feet get cold, so they don't have to be warmed up. Definitely worth it.

[BillyFromTheHills]

Cold or frozen? Mildly or seriously painful? My feet always get cold, but not dangerously so, esp. if I'm riding lifts. If a big mitt and chemical handwarmers don't help, could be you're in the wrong sport. That sucks, but probably won't stop ypu if you love to be out in the winter. Spring for the bootwarmers if it's that big a problem. Sounds like Pete has had good luck with them. And be well fed (no vegans!) and hydrated. Good luck with finding a solution.

[jasonq]

I don't have any heated gloves, but i love them. My wife has 2 pairs (one BD and one zenier, same heating guts), and she loves them, which means i don't hear about her cold hands every time we go skiing. The batteries last long enough for her. She has the first gen BD glove (2.5 seasons old?) and the zenier's are a year older than that. All going strong. Pricy, but worth it to me. BD makes a mitt too.

check out this company too. I have thought about getting her some of the cycling gloves for XC skiing.

http://www.30seven.eu/index.aspx

[jfb]

What PeteMimmack said. Worth every nickel. Additionally, they do an awful lot to keep my hands warm, too.

[SteveK]

Consider trying these for your hands. Bring something breathable for when they are too warm (ie. sweaty).

Like what was said, it's only insulation - put something cold in it, and it will stay cold. If our hands get cold, we cross 'em in our armpits until they are warm, and then put on the mitts.

[lightskier]

I bought some warmgear gloves for my wife that has Raynauds.
Unfortunatly we cannot rely on them.
Returned them 3-4 times in the first year.
When they work they are great, but just cannot rely on them functioning, or how long.
Really want them to work.

[QuiverQueen]

I suffer from cold toes and hands. I have spent $100's of dollars on gloves, mittens, liners. Cannot keep my fingers warm below 20 degrees.

Do Hotronics electric insoles work for teleing. I see they also make a electric glove / liner. Anyone have any experience with these or something similar?

I have two tele friends using the Hotronics system in their boots, and both are quite happy.

[jfb]

I wore my Hotronics in the BC last weekend. They aren't really very heavy and I'm not a weight weenie so for me, they rock.

[cesare]

I see Hotronics in the occasional customer's existing boots. They all swear by them and don't even ask me to cut them in. I just put them in the sock with the foot and mold the liner around them. The customers take it from there.

[whitehonky]

Hotronic's and Therm-Ic seem to have been the two prominent N. American brands. I don't get cold feet, but my wife and daughter do, so they have them. Daughter uses Hotronic and they seem to work well, but battery pack is a bit bulkier. Wife uses Therm-Ic 1200's and seems plenty of juice. Definitely invest in the LiIon battery models for durability and no memory. They will happily run all day on next to max power. But pricey.

From a durability perspective? The Hotronic wiring is clunkier and you need to be careful undoing it from the boot daily, so as not to just pull the wires from the harness. My wife's Therm-Ic battery pack circuitboard/on/off switch just failed on her and we had to open it up to turn it off. They are 2.5 years old. I emailed Therm-Ic asking if I could buy one battery pack. 12 hours later, they emailed me saying one was in the mail using the address attached to my email. That was great surprise service!

Also look into Sidas now that they are selling their heaters more in the N. American market. Many shops in Whistler selling them and LiIon systems are markedly cheaper than the other two brands. About $225 for a set.

[Valdez Telehead]

Sounds complicated with batteries, wires, etc… I have bad hands from years in hatchery water and along with an annual frost nip on some finger. BD mittens with hand warmers work for me. AS far as boots, run them loose. Tight boots is the number one reason for cold feet. Wool socks, maybe add an extra light layer.

McLean wrote a nice piece recently with some excellent tips….

Toasty Digits