Heat Packs

[Steven]

I just recieved some fish I bought from an internet source and it came with heat packs to keep the fish warm. My question is, is there any way I can keep these heat packs so I wouldnt have to buy any if I ever had to ship fish? How long do heat packs last before they are done if ever?

Thanks

Steven

[OrionGirl]

Most heat packs are for a specific life span--ie, 24 hours, 60 hours. After that, it depends on the type of heat pack on if it can be 'renewed'. Often times, the heat pack functions through a chemical reaction that once completed, can't be 're-set'. In some, boiling the pack will accomplish this, but the reaction is not as reliable the second or third time around.

Heat packs are pretty cheap though, so I would just buy new ones. My experience with the ones you can boil and re-use isn't very promising. They tended to stay warm for a much shorted time period.

[ChilDawg]

When I used them to treat my cross country injuries, we just pitched those heat packs afterward, since it was really of no use to me to have something unreliable used for treatment of aches and pains.

If I couldn't trust them to soothe my back pain after re-charging, I definitely wouldn't trust them to ship fish. Just my two cents.