I regularly spend hours sitting in hides photographing wildlife - one clue that I've been there is probably one or more of my gloves left behind!!
So instead of buying even more gloves I popped to FocalPoint at the weekend and treated myself to a couple of the Celestron Elements Handwarmers. My decision though was which model to buy as there are several to choose from, each with different features or power. I already own a couple of the earlier Celestron Handwarmer / battery pack / torch combinations, but these didn't really provide enough handwarmth and power to recharge my phone, but for occasional use such as walking the dogs they are excellent - using them as a hand warmer and torch . So I looked at some of the newer models. The Celestron Elements Thermocharge 10 seemed to have what I needed. Easy to hold in the hand and a one push on / off switch, 10,000mAh powerbank and up to 12 hours of warm hands. They also do a Thermocharge 6 with a 6,000mAh powerbank and giving up to 8 hours of warmth. Now I may not need 12 hours of heat, but the advantage of the larger powerbank is that it can charge a mobile phone up to 4 times or even a tablet. As I use the mobile phone or my tablet to view images on whilst out in the field and to control my camera remotely, I can use the battery in the phone / tablet up in a few hours, so I went for the large model.
I took the two Thermocharge 10 out on Sunday, one for each hand. With the temperature just above freezing when I left my car for the 1km walk to the hide, I turned them on and left them in my pockets. My hands were soon toasty warm. As I arrived and pulled out my remote speaker (I sometimes use birdcall in the winter to attract birds closer for photography) I realised that the battery life on it was low. The Thermocharge soon came into it's own as I plugged the speaker into the power output of the Thermocharge and used it to power the speaker. As the Thermocharge are IP65 rated, they are water and dust proof, so can be left outside. They are also drop-tested - so can withstand a bit of heavy use. By alternating pockets, I kept both hands warm with the other Thermocharge.
The Thermocharges were still putting out heat 6 hours later and the power indicator lights said they still had plenty of power in them - two of the four battery indicators were still on.
Although slightly dearer than the 6000 mAh model, the extra cost was well worth it. They come with paracord strap and carabiner, soft carry bag and USB charging cable. It is also possible to link the Thermocharges to one another to give even longer use.
Order your Thermocharge 10 and enter the code WARM5 at checkout for a discount.
If you want a handwarmer and torch with a small powerbank, then the Celestron Elements Firecel+ is a great choice (and make a great stocking filler for Christmas!!)
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Speaking of stocking fillers - my toes were freezing; can they design a Thermocharge to fit in my wellies?