Jim,

Diving with them is a great idea. I didnt' go at all this year...
too busy and too broke working on the boat...but maybe
next year. I can imagine those getting hot next to your skin,
escially as you dive down the the pressure increases - pushing
it into you. But with a pouch or hand-towel or something



"JimL" wrote in message
...
Gary,

I used to use one for diving in cold waters. More than likely *much*
larger than what you're referring to. And yes, they really do work
well. I don't know about creative uses, but they certainly work well
when inserted in a wetsuit. You do 'recharge' these in boiling water,
but if I remember correctly, it took at least 20 minutes of boiling to
convert all the crystals back to a liquid. This is probably more
dependent on size. I got mine probably 10 years ago so they have been
out a while.

One thing I do remember is that you do NOT want to leave these
directly against the skin for a prolonged period of time. Mine came in
a neoprene pouch. They do produce a lot of heat and some divers have
been known to get burned by attempting to dive with the bare pack.
However, when you're diving in cold water ( 40 degress +/-), with a
wetsuit instead of a drysuit, you tend to want as much heat as possible.
As a result, some divers would remove them from the neoprene pouch and
place directly against their skin. Not more than once though. :^)

-JimL




Gary Warner wrote:
Ok, after a quick search on the web I find I'm probably *way* behind on
knowing
about these. but anyway....

Was in a mall the other day and being sold at a kiosk was a reusable
heat
pack. Permanently sealed, when you "snap" a metal disk in the pack's
liquid,
the liquid crystallizes and releases heat. The sales-kid (and web
reports)
say the
heat will last for 45 minutes or more. The part that's really great is
you
can
reverse the process by boiling the bags in hot water - ready to be
reused.

Seems to me this could be very handy for those cold boating days or
possibly even in a ditch bag.

Anyone use these and have comments and/or creative uses?


Hmmm, maybe someone could market little *cold* ones shaped like ice
cubes - never know when occasion for a cocktail might arise.

Gary