UNIHAND hand warmers for hunting

The cold arrives while you wait

A hunt is hard work for an hour and stillness for the rest of the morning. You climb or walk in, often before dawn, and then sit without moving so you do not give yourself away. The National Weather Service names early morning as typically the coldest part of the day, and that is when most hunters are in place.

Sitting still makes little heat. Your hands rest on a cold rail, a bow or a stock, and they cool slowly enough that you notice only when they stop working well. A warmer gives them a place to go between glassing and the moment you need them.

Low for the long sit

Low is the setting built for this. It holds 95-⁠107.5 °F with an up-to figure of 20 hours on one unit, the longest of our three levels. That mild, steady heat in a muff or a deep jacket pocket keeps your hands ready without making them sweat.

Sweat is worth avoiding. NIOSH advises people working in the cold to wear several loose layers and carry extra gloves and socks, and damp gloves are one reason why. If your hands get damp, swap the gloves and let the warmer dry your skin rather than the wet fabric.

Keep your other hand in mind too. If you hold a bow or binoculars, the hand that stays out of the muff cools fastest, so pass the warmer between hands every so often.

The second unit as your reserve

You carry two warmers, so use them as two shifts. Run one on Low through the morning and keep the other switched off in an inner pocket, close to your body where its battery stays warm. When the first fades, switch to the second. Charge both indoors the night before, so the reserve is full when you reach for it.

On a bitter morning you can also join them back to back for a few minutes. Together they heat all the way around one palm-sized warmer, enough to bring stiff fingers back before you raise the rifle or draw. Then split them and go back to Low.

Light and color in a blind

The lights on each unit glow when it runs, and in a dark blind a glow can show. Keep the warmer in a pocket or a muff rather than on the shelf in front of you. Our mitten photos show the glow coming through knit, so a closed pocket is the surest place.

Dark Green, Black, Bronze and Blue Grey are the shells hunters tend to choose. They sit quietly next to dark or camouflage clothing and do not catch the eye when you set one down.

Cold signs to watch on a long day

Hunters are among the people CDC names as frequent victims of hypothermia, because they stay outdoors for long periods. Hypothermia can come on above 40 °F if you are chilled by rain, sweat or cold water, and it clouds your judgment, so you may not notice it in yourself.

Shivering, exhaustion, confusion, slurred speech and drowsiness are among the signs CDC lists. If your body temperature drops below 95 °F, get medical help at once. A hand warmer is no protection against any of this. Dry layers, food, a warm drink and a way back to shelter are. Tell someone where you will be and when you plan to return, so help knows where to look. Our article on keeping hands warm outdoors covers those signs in more detail.

The pairs on this page are part of the UNIHAND colors, and the four colors above were picked for hunting. Compare them side by side.