ZIPPO REFILLABLE HANDWARMER - A LOVE LETTER TO LOW-TECH
Along with the wool socks and baselayers, when cold weather outdoor adventure season comes around I dig for the lighter fluid. This is my love letter to the classic Zippo refillable handwarmer.
The first time I spied a friend with one of these, I was beyond intrigued. Fill it, light it, put it in your pocket? Just a sense of danger, pairs well with flannel, and it makes me feel like my grandpa. Tell me more. I bought one later that night.
While you do fill the body of these handwarmers with lighter fluid and get them started with a flame, there isn't really a fire in your pocket. The top of the handwarmer contains a small catalyst — what looks like a piece of steel wool is actually a platinum infused catalyst that once initiated with a direct flame produces an ongoing chemical reaction with the lighter fluid fuel, producing 12+ hours of heat depending on fluid fill level. It is like a magic trick, with an essence of burnt petroleum if you get your nose too close. Low-tech as can be — once started you put the steel handwarmer body in a drawstring pouch that lets you roughly control the heat output and fuel consumption by opening and closing the top. There is no turning the warmer off once started, at the end of the day you either let it run out of fuel or put it in a very tight ziploc to starve it of oxygen.
The Zippo refillable warmers provide more of a couple-of-hour to all-day solution for cold weather riding, hiking, or outdoor work as opposed to the usual chemical handwarmer, with an actual mass of heat that can help keep your core warm. I've popped these in my pocket for frigid weather chainsaw duties, cold weather standing around, countless winter rides, and have curled up with one in my sleeping bag a few times to stretch that 25º rating from won't-die to comfortable. Your experience may vary, but the only occasion I've noticed a distracting or unpleasant scent from the fuel is dropping it in a shirt pocket working indoors.
Zippo ships the handwarmers with a little marked filler tool to help gauge burn time, but in proper form I lost that almost immediately and have long just filled it straight from the fuel container, gauging fill level with a precisely calibrated hand. Remove the cap with the catalyst, fill the cotton-filled half of the handwarmer with your chosen amount of fuel, and replace the cap all without any fuel directly touching the catalyst. Save it for later in the day or start it right away, the fuel will evaporate on the shelf same as an old school lighter if you wait until next week. These handwarmers can be challenging to light in cold weather when the fluid is not evaporative enough — I find it easiest to light with room temperature fuel, or to warm it up with your body heat first before holding flame to the catalyst. In ideal conditions a couple of seconds of flame on the catalyst gets it started, with it obviously producing heat 30 seconds later and full warmth within minutes. Sometimes I've found I've needed to give the cotton wick inside the handwarmer body a fluff with a toothpick to make sure it isn't pushed down, but generally get the handwarmers started without fuss.
Pictured is the classic 12-hour variety, and Zippo makes a half-sized 6-hour version as well, each generally available for under $20 each, though you may pay more for a camo finish if that's your thing. The hourly ratings from Zippo are conservative to a fault, I've had the 12-hour handwarmer last just over 24-hours on a quick overnighter trip and a generous fill and have heard similar reports about the 6-hour size. The catalyst reportedly works for about 70 uses, though I don't think I've truly gotten that many adventures in before needing a few dollar replacement but likely explained by overfilling and even potential fuel contamination on the catalyst. Whatever the number of ultimate uses per catalyst I've only replaced them twice in ten years of use. I'll take this proven and serviceable low-tech solution over the myriad of throwaway rechargeable battery based warmers out there any day.
Amaze your riding buds. Keep warm. Carry a second on a particularly cold adventure and make a new best friend. Buy once, use it forever, it's the Zippo way.