Tried & Tested – Heated Socks

When winter comes and the temperature plummets, sometimes socks just aren’t going to cut the mustard. Wellies have never been the warmest footwear, but when you’re at the yard in the snow and ice you can tell that they don’t keep the cold out or the warmth in.

If you spend a lot of time outside, having a way of keeping your toes warm can make all the difference to enjoying your outdoor hobby. If you have chill-blains you’ll already know that going from indoor warmth to the outdoor freeze and back again can be extremely painful. Heated socks and insoles are there to help.

Chill-blains are uncomfortable, painful, unsightly, and itchy. Swollen blue/red toes are never fun, so for the last few years I’ve been trying to find a way to make my toes happier when the temperature drops. Below is a quick look at a few ways to keep your feet warm.

Socks

Woollen socks keep in the heat better than most others. Double-socking can also help to trap a layer of air between the material which theoretically should keep your toes toasty.

Personally, it doesn’t seem to matter how many pairs of socks I wear, my toes are always cold. With chill-blains too, it’s the movement from warmth to cold and back again that is a trigger, so wearing extra socks may help, but only to a certain extent.

That said, these thermal socks are warm and come in fun designs:

Insoles

Heated insoles really do make a difference. I’ve now had two pairs from two different suppliers, both of which have been amazing whilst they have lasted. Unfortunately, both pairs have stopped charging after being used twice daily for around a month, and as they’re not cheap, this was quite disappointing. However, both were able to be cut to size and had a remote control to adjust the heat given to your feet. The lower the heat needed the longer they lasted.

This is not one of the manufacturers I purchased from but is a similar item, hopefully that lasts longer than mine did:

The photo is of my old insoles that were fantastic, and still comfortable even after a years wear – although the heating failed, they were still comfortable so I left them in my boots…

Don’t be tempted to buy the very cheap ones that say they charge by USB. It’s totally true, but what they fail to mention is that they have to be plugged in to the USB port to work. As soon as you unplug them the don’t heat. This is not going to help when you’re working at the yard!

Heated Socks

Because the last 2 pairs of insoles failed I decided to see if there was anything else on the market that might do the job. I came across heated socks, and thought that maybe they’d be better as they run off batteries and therefore hay and straw can’t get into the charging point.

These are the ones I have bought. They arrived within 24 hours which was a bonus as the temperature had dropped to minus 4 and my poor toes thought they were in danger of falling off..

They fit well (I’m a size 4UK 37EU) but have plenty of stretch if you have larger feet. The material is pleasant, not scratchy, and they feel well made.

They need 6AA batteries which seems a bit extreme, but if they do the job I’ll not complain.

The only problem I have so far with them is that they can’t be used with my riding boots, the battery pack is far too bulky, so I can’t do my boots up. They fit fine in my Wellington boots though, so are perfect for working around the yard.

They don’t heat up like my insoles did, and my feet don’t feel as warm, but they do work, and at no point did I think about my toes getting frostbite, and notice that they were painful whilst wearing these socks.

So far, so good.

I’ll update soon to let you know how they’re working and if they are worth the outlay.

UPDATE – I’ve found that they work best when the temperature is between 0 and 6 degrees. Once it gets colder they don’t pack enough punch. They obviously must make a difference, but not enough for me. They’re a wonderful addition to your wardrobe for when the weather turns chilly, but not as effective in my experience as heated insoles. They are however quite a bit cheaper!