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Comment by llampx | Hacker News Reader

In my opinion, electric blankets are a superior alternative to hot water bottles. They come in various forms such as throws, pillows and mattress toppers, and can be adjusted for temperature and don't need to be refilled. The only place they don't work is when you're on the move. For that you can nowadays get gloves with active heating that are powered by batteries, or chemical reaction handwarmers.

A good creative writing piece, but somewhat out of touch.

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I would hope that Low Tech Magazine would focus more on "low tech" solutions, such as solutions which don't require electricity.

You got me there.

You gotta heat the bottle; the most efficient method of which is an electric kettle.

But electricity is not required, you can use a regular kettle on a stove or even over a wood fire.

You're not allowed to get a gas stove in California any more.

Good thing we never have electric supply issues.

This isn't true. The requirement is just that new constructions are ready for electric appliances. It doesn't ban natural gas.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/No-more-gas-stoves...

> A draft code update released Thursday by the California Energy Commission would require new single-family homes to be equipped with circuits and panels that would allow them to be powered by all-electric appliances for heating, cooking and drying clothes.

> The new code would not prohibit natural gas infrastructure, a step many environmentalists would like the state to take. But if the draft is ultimately authorized by the commission this year, it would require new homes to be “electric ready,” meaning they’re prepared to be transitioned away from gas appliances if any are used initially.

If you get a cold snap like in Texas last year with rolling blackouts it's the perfect way to store the heat you can produce while your electricity is running. When I camp in late fall, early winter I always use a food safe water bottle at night and reuse the water in the morning for coffee or washing up with the added benefit that with a good bottle the water is at least lurk warm.

I don’t think so. On sunny winter days, you can heat them in the sun, using a solar water heater (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_heating) and let them cool down at night, heating your body.

The low tech version is to paint them black and put them in the focus of a roughly parabolic reflector.

You can build a low tech electricity generator with a water wheel in the stream that runs behind your quaint little low tech log cabin in the woods.

This is one of my favorite YouTube channels. Not quite "low tech" because he has a ton of tools he powers off grid, but he nails the quaint cabin feel with the house he built.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zh29DJI_wE&list=PLEZ2hvCDKU...

The problem is, once the blanket loses power it gets cold pretty quickly.

Whereas you can boil a kettle in under a minute, decant the water, and you can stay warm for hours.

That doesn't sound like a problem unless you're moving about. If you're just sitting at your desk who cares if you need to keep it plugged in?

I think the point is "what if there's no electricity but the gas stove still works"

Your suggested solutions don't work so well for sitting outside.

When Covid made outdoor socializing necessary, we used out hot water bottles at restaurants and at fire pits.

Blankets and gloves aren't as good at keeping nether regions warm on cold surfaces, and anything that needs to be plugged in is a no go. A minor point too but I wouldn't want batteries/electrics around fire.

Our hot water bottles kept us toasty for hours and you could also tell easily when it was running out of power, so to speak.

We've also taken them to winter cabins when you don't know how convenient electrical outlets will be. You can have several of them for when you're on the sofa, to pre-warm the bed, make the dog cozy.

You can't use electric blankets on foam beds as the foam retains too much heat and you could end up cooking yourself.

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