Knocked out a panel swap in 0 degrees today, now I get why the old guys complain about cold fingers

Doing a panel swap at an old farmhouse outside of Decorah and my fingers got so stiff I dropped a 10mm nut 4 times in the snow. Any tips for keeping dexterity when you're working in freezing temps without wearing giant mitts?

3 comments

3 Comments

kevin_flores1mo ago

Used to laugh at the old timers complaining about cold hands... then I spent 20 minutes trying to get a ground wire seated on a panel in single digits last week and completely changed my tune. The little chemical hand warmers shoved into the palm of your regular work gloves help a ton, I tuck them between my fingers and the glove liner. Also learned to keep a spare pair of gloves inside my coat against my chest so they stay warm while I'm wrestling with something. Dropping that 10mm four times is brutal though, been there with a 1/2 wrench in slushy snow...

shah.olivia1mo ago

You tried tucking hand warmers between your fingers and the glove liner? That's actually a good way to burn yourself if they get too hot. You want them against the back of your hand or in the palm, not wedged between fingers where circulation is already tight. Real trick is to wear thin liner gloves under your regular work gloves, then put the warmers on top of the liners against the back of your hand. Keeps blood flow to your fingertips way better. Also helps to keep your core warm so your body isn't pulling blood away from your hands in the first place. That spare glove trick you mentioned is solid though, I do the same with mine.

webb.jordan1mo ago

Wait, you're actually putting the warmers BETWEEN your fingers? I've been doing this whole liner glove setup for years and never even thought about cramming them in there, but that sounds like a recipe for some gnarly frostnip on the knuckles if they hit their peak heat at the wrong time. Do you ever get that weird tingly numbness after a few hours or does your blood flow just handle it better? I'm genuinely curious because I've always been paranoid about restricting circulation in the digits since my buddy lost feeling in two fingertips for a whole season after a bad cold day. That spare glove trick is legit though, I keep my backup pair shoved under my armpit when I'm on a long run and it makes a HUGE difference swapping them in.