Keeping warm and maintaining a stable body temperature is one of the main components of any outdoor activity. It doesn't matter if you are skiing, going on a winter hike or just walking in the park, your body needs to be protected from the cold.

Properly selected clothes for the season and weather retain heat well. But in addition to this, you can also use various accessories for warming. Chemical heaters are used to provide warmth to certain parts of the body - feet, palms, neck, lower back. They are small in size, but provide the body with the necessary warmth.

How does the body lose heat?

In our body, muscles produce heat during movement and intensive training. The more intense the load, the more energy the muscles can produce. Then it is transported with blood to all parts of the body. Remember how in winter, when walking quickly, the whole body warms up, although the load mainly falls only on the legs.

But there are situations when there is not enough heat in the body or it is produced in small quantities. There may be several reasons for this:

  • Reduced activity (winter fishing, hunting, slow walking, tactical training in the military).
  • Lack of fat layer on the human body. It has been proven that it is fat that stores heat, while muscles produce it.
  • General exhaustion of the body or fatigue significantly reduces the amount of heat produced.
  • Incorrectly selected clothes.

All these factors affect general well-being and thermoregulation in general.

Hands and feet are often hypothermic. This is due to the fact that the blood partially cools by the time it reaches the extremities. Plus, the hands often remain exposed, some tasks are inconvenient to perform in gloves. And open areas of the skin, as you know, lose more heat than closed areas.

In order to prevent hypothermia or to warm up quickly, chemical heaters are increasingly used. They allow you to maintain a comfortable temperature of the whole body or individual areas.

Fields of use of compact heaters

The first analog of a chemical heater was used back in the 50s during the war. Based on the chemical reaction between iron powder and common salt, the American soldier was able to get heat and not freeze during combat operations.

Today, salt heaters are widely used in civilian life as well:

  • In tourism for warming hands and feet;
  • Small portable heaters are used during walks;
  • In everyday life, a heating pad was used to warm the back, neck, and lower back;
  • For medical purposes – to warm up the muscles;
  • During training - so that the muscles do not cool down between sets.

Thermopad - one of the leading companies on the market develops models of heating pads that can be used both during active pastime and during reduced activity.

How does a chemical heater work?

The basis of the work of a chemical heater is the reaction of the interaction of certain components, during which heat is released.

The Thermopad company uses several reagents:

  • Crushed iron powder. Reacting with oxygen, it releases a large amount of heat;
  • Sodium chloride, more familiar to everyone as salt. Its main task is to accelerate the interaction of the components, to put it simply, it acts as a catalyst;
  • Charcoal stores and retains heat from the reaction. It also acts as a catalyst;
  • Water – to speed up the reaction;
  • Vermiculite is a clay mineral that, like coal, retains heat.

All ingredients are mixed in certain proportions. The finished mixture is packed in a soft shell made of fleece. This material perfectly retains heat and is pleasant to the touch.

The finished heating pad is packed in a hermetic bag. In this state, without access to oxygen, all components do not interact with each other. But it is only necessary to break the tightness of the outer shell so that air gets into the mixture, as the reaction with the release of heat immediately begins. The average temperature of such a heating pad will be about 37-45 degrees. And the reaction itself will last up to 12 hours, depending on air humidity and ambient temperature.

Types of derived heaters

Depending on the type of reaction, all heaters can be divided into:

  • Disposable. The reaction between the ingredients happens only once, but lasts up to 12 hours. This includes all models of Thermopad heaters;
  • Reusable. They are based on a supersaturated saline solution. Inside such models is an applicator (stick, circle), which starts the chemical reaction. After starting, the heater heats for about two hours, sometimes more. After that, the reaction gradually fades, and the heating pad cools down. To use it again, it is necessary to boil it in water for 10 minutes.

Advantages of chemical heaters

If you compare chemical heaters with other types of heating during outdoor activities, you can highlight a number of advantages:

  • Compactness. Manufacturers offer heaters of various sizes, starting from small pocket ones and ending with heating belts. But each of the models is developed taking into account the fact that it will be used during movement or under basic clothing.
  • Availability. The low price of the components ensures the availability of chemical heaters for different segments of the population.
  • Efficiency. Athletes, hikers, and the military prefer chemical heaters for their gentle warmth and longevity.

Recommendations for using heating pads

Most chemical heaters produce temperatures from 36 to 60 degrees. These are quite comfortable indicators for the human body.

In order to ensure the warming of the whole body, it is important that a person moves, thus the blood will deliver heat to different parts of the body. Otherwise, with reduced activity (for example, during sleep), you can get a low-temperature burn. It is the result of long-term exposure of a heat source to a separate part of the body with reduced activity. In this case, it is necessary to eliminate the source of heat, cool the affected area and seek medical help.

The composition of Thermopad chemical heaters includes components that are safe for the body, but it is still worth following some safety rules:

  • Shelf life – several years. It depends on the conditions and place of storage. It is important to check the terms before use. It is better to dispose of those heaters that have expired. If the terms of use are just coming to an end, then the general characteristics may not correspond to the declared ones. Such a heater will still warm and emit heat: the maximum temperature may be higher, and the duration of heat generation will decrease.
  • The heater does not light up on its own! But if there is an open fire nearby or a concentration of pure oxygen, ignition is possible.
  • By themselves, the components of the heating pads do not pose any danger to the body. But if you open the product, the contents can get on the mucous membrane or respiratory tract. In this case, it is necessary to consult a doctor.
  • Not recommended for use by children under the age of six. This is due to the fact that children can damage the outer shell of the heater on their own.

Chemical heaters have been appreciated by all those who in one way or another face the cold: soldiers, athletes, tourists. Even young mothers buy pocket heaters or chemical insoles for their shoes for walks.

The wholesale company SMG is a direct supplier of chemical heaters from the German manufacturer Thermopad, Base Camp Ukraine.

You can familiarize yourself with the full range and buy a chemical heater in Ukraine in stores.