Warm, comfortable socks

[roboboticus]

I know, maybe not the most exciting thread, but now that winter is encroaching I'm once again battling ice-cold feet. I've had a hard time finding socks that are both warm and comfortable. For some reason, a lot of thicker socks feel uncomfortable to me. Maybe it's the extra thickness squeezed into my shoes—I'm not sure.

So does anyone have any recommendations? Material, style, brand, etc.?

[Clovis Man]

Thorlo brand socks are the very best for me, but they're about $12-$14 US a pair. They aren't wool, so no extra warmth.

As for keeping your feet warm -- I grew up in South Texas, and winter "up north" has never been kind to me. When I was stationed in Korea, I was issued a pair of Sorrell "shoepacs" -- leather upper on a rubber foot. They have a thick felt liner, and for the first time in my life, I had warm feet. Depending on how much you're outside, you might consider that instead of thicker socks.

[doublebucklemonk]

Check out SmartWool. They have everything from thin wool dress socks to superthick knee high snowshoeing socks. They are very comfortable. Although they are a little on the pricey side, they are built very well and last me quite a few years.

[Rossmeister]

Smartwool is good, but Woolpower is better on pure warmth from my experience.

http://www.woolpower.us/

Remember that the number one key to battle cold feet is to move them. Maybe a bum tip, but still.

Also, don't be afraid to start using socks in layers. Woolpower's 200 and 600 socks together for example.. will keep you warm all day. Unless you don't move of course. Nothing helps if your feet stay still all day.


Also, try wearing a hat to reduce cold feet. Sounds strange, but it works.

EDIT
Decided to give you a bit more info.

Your feet sweat an enormous amount each day, more than you think. 6 cl per day on average (yeah, that much). You need a material to combat both temperature and the liquid your feet produce. Synthetics and cotton are very poor at drying, but absorb liquids quickly. Makes it very bad to wear against the cold. Maybe the sweat will transport into the sock, but the sock never dries. Keeping you cold and clammy at the same time. Try wearing dress socks inside boots in cold weather. You'll feel as you don't have boots on.

Wool is the ideal material for cold weather use. It's thick and FLUFFY. That means it retains a lot of AIR. Air is what keeps you warm, NOT material. Cold weather clothes are designed to trap air, NOT be warm themselves. That's a myth. Warm clothes are warm because they trap air. It's your body that heats this air and keeps itself warm. The clothes are just assisting in this.

Wool keeps you warm even when wet. It's true. You might've heard it before and shrugged, but believe me, it's true. Once in a military exercise I had soaking wet boots, they were completely submerged for a time. So I was dripping wet, but my feet have NEVER been warmer! Why? Because of superb quality wool socks. Wool absorbs moisture very effectively, and manages to stay airy and fluffy. Wet synthetics/cotton have no room for air. No air = freeze. Some wool types actually increase their isolation when wet! It sounds crazy, but there you go.

However, you need synthetics as well, to keep a sock stretchy, keep it's size and shape after washing etc. Woolpower and Smartwool are both high quality merino wool/synthetic blends. Both are worn on polar expeditions and as a matter of fact, Woolpower garments are issued to Norwegian and Swedish military forces. This is how well it works. I think both brands can be washed at high temperatures, Woolpower can for sure. I always wash mine on wool programs with the appropriate agent though, to make them last for ages.

Big/thick socks are uncomfortable directly on the feet because of the reasons I mentioned above. Thick socks are just too warm! So you sweat more to compensate, you still get wet, still warm, the cycle goes on and you get clammy and even freeze.

This is where layered clothing comes in. The first layer (the thin Woolpower 200 sock for example) has a bit more synthetic material than the other layers. This is so the sock is able to absorb more moisture and direct it AWAY from the foot. If you have a thicker sock outside of that, you still trap loads of air even while wet. This rarely feels wet, though, because the moisture is being led away from the foot. Over time, you will saturate the socks with sweat however, and they'll be useless. This is why you have to keep cold weather clothes clean at all times. This is more important for active outdoor use though, when you're outside for most of the day.

So my suggestion to you is to get thin woolen socks, Woolpower 200's or other brand. Make sure the socks wool content is always in majority (more wool than synthetic material, Woolpower 200's are about 50/50 however, because of their intended use as sweat transportation base layer garments). Woolpower 200's can be worn in formal shoes by the way, they're not "thick." If a thin woolen sock is not enough, get a second one that's thicker and wear it over the thinner one. Never wear a thick sock directly on the skin, it always becomes uncomfortable with time.

What I personally use during the winter with -10 celcius weather and below are Woolpower 200's with 600's over. Sometimes 400's and 800's over at extreme temperatures. If my boots are of good quality (breathe right etc), I only use the 200's.

I know quite a bit about socks and I always buy different ones to try out their capabilities. If you have ANY questions, please ask! There are no stupid questions about socks.

By the way, the number after Woolpower socks indicates how many grams of wool per square metre. Only after experience can you use these numbers to decide how warm they are, so basically they just denote thickness.

[SP120K]

I have a couple pair of Timberland socks that are thick and comfy. I believe they aren't all wool but maybe a blend of wool and cotton. I'm not too sure but they are pretty nice. At the local mall there is a Timberland outlet store and they're always buy 1 pr. get the second 1/2 off. I bought them last time I got boots.

[doublebucklemonk]

Smartwool is good, but Woolpower is better on pure warmth from my experience.

http://www.woolpower.us/

Ullfrotte (Woolpower) is fantastic stuff. I love mine and wear it all the time.

[Gerald_G]

I love Smartwool, and also Ultimax brand sox. I also like my Keen sox that are foot specific. Very comfy and warm.

I find buying pricier sox is worth the $$, they last so much longer in my experience than cheaper sox that they end up costing about the same per kilometer and I get super comfy feet for all that walking.

[Rossmeister]

Gerald, I completely agree.

It always feels kind of wrong to pay top dollar for products such as socks, gloves etc, but it does really pay off.

There's a huge amount of variables however, it's very hard for a modern person to choose the right footwear for the right occasion, and especially with all the knowledge and poor service out there. Just like people are talking about in the Aftershave balm topic. People working in shops often have no idea.

I want to go over the topic a bit more, if you gents don't mind.

A basic fact is that you'll always sweat on your feet. There's no combination of footwear that makes you stop sweating. Light footwear might help a bit, but if you're wearing light footwear, you're not freezing anyway, are you?

Wool is always the best choice for warmth, always. It's simply the best material when trapping air is concerned.

Keeping your extremities warm is always the hardest thing to do in the cold. The body will always conserve the blood and keep it closer to vital organs in cold weather. This is why you freeze on your feet, fingers, reproductive organs and your face.

The body works as one factory when it comes to keeping warm. You can't simply put on thicker and thicker and thicker stuff if you expect to keep warm in the long run. Of course thicker gloves and socks help, but if you're staying outside in cold weather for an extended period of time, things become less simple and the body needs to be in equilibrium to stay warm for hours, days, weeks. By the way, the body is almost never "attuned" in a modern lifestyle with so much changing activities. Walking to the car in cold weather, driving to the office, going out for lunch. Dress or casual clothes at work don't always work in all temperatures etc.

Shaving, not the least! Ever shaved right before heading outside into the cold? That's just frostbite begging to happen if you stay outside. As an interesting note, most frostbite damages occur at 0 C/32 F. And that's not even "cold!"

The body functions as a chimney when it comes to heat preservation/loss. The heat in the body rises upward, just like warm air rises over cold. Most heat is lost in the neck/head region, about 40 %. Think about what that means for you and stopping heat loss. A scarf and wool hat will preserve so much heat you will really notice the difference. The hard part is regulating the heat. If you've ever done something stressful of physical with headgear on, you know you sweat a lot and become very hot/wet. Even just wearing a simple cap can help. The key is to stop the warmth in the body escaping freely.

This means a couple of things. Heat (warm air) will always escape from the feet, so it's important to regulate them properly. If you've managed to get the idea of what warmth really is, you'll understand by now that where there's no air, there's no heat (big shocker, right? But it applies to you as well). ALL clothing that fits tightly prevent the generation of warmth. Belts are the number one example. Have you ever been cold around your waist during cold weather? Your belt or tight waistline might be the cause. This isn't a problem at all usually, but we want the "chimney" working without constraint at all times. I myself always use suspenders if I'm outside for long in cold weather. We call these constraints cold bridges. They apply everywhere. From a dented thermos that cools quicker than normal, to tight shoes around feet.

Normally you want all footwear to be as tight as possible (so it doesn't slip off!) In cold weather, the perfect fit is simply too tight. A good tip I learned in the army was to always use boots one size too large during winterime to fit an extra pair of wool socks. If you have to squeeze down into your footwear in the cold, you will freeze.

Make no mistake, you can freeze in all temperatures, not just the blistering cold. Exhaustion, low activity, sleepiness etc will all contribute to freezing. I have been shivering in 20 C/68 F weather. I often have cold feet indoors, because I don't like wearing slippers, and I most often wear thin, stretchy dress socks. The floors in my house are not heated, so a bit of cold feet is very normal for me, and I suspect many others.

People are destined to freeze in large open, unheated office or hall areas if they don't dress right.

Back to wool for just a second. Wool is not only for cold weather! A thin wool shirt on a Summer's day? Works like a charm. Remember wool retains air easily, but it's not dense! It doesn't stop air from circulating inside. Expert tests of exercise clothing for warm weather sometimes include high quality wool shirts as well. If you come across this, you'll know why. Wool also traps the smell of sweat. If you use synthetic socks and cotton, they'll smell very bad, very fast. Everyone knows what smelly feet are like. I'm no expert on this, but I think it's something about the enzymes in wool that neutralise odors. So that's a tip for guys with smelly feet too (Woolpower 200's)! You can also wear wool socks in warm weather, but expect to sweat more than usual. This means that the socks dense up faster than normal (because of the liquid sweat) and have to be changed more often.

(Haha I'm understanding now that if you're reading all this, you have an above average interest in the body's heat regulation )

So to the problem at hand, cold feet. Assuming you control the rest of your body's heat loss (you have good clothing besides footwear, maybe a light scarf and a cap at the least which you can use when needed), you need to wear your footwear properly. Tight boots are bad. Dense boots are bad. You need shoes that keep cold air out, and let moisture out. Leather is a good example. It keeps most moisture out when care for it, but still remains open. Leather breathes. Good quality leather boots are always the top choice for outdoor enthusiasts, in all kinds of weather.

You don't have to buy expensive leather boots, but at least make sure your shoes have enough room for thick socks. A thing that also helps is tall footwear. If your shoes/boots are tall, you are in fact heating more of your body. Thus the blood inside is also heated, and the temperature of the circulating blood in your body will increase. My socks in the Winter always reach far up on my leg.

The sole. This is the most critical part of your shoes in cold weather. If your sole is thin, its temperature will plummet and you'll never be warm because the cold creeps through. Thick, rubber soles work the best. Many high quality boots have a sheet of steel encased in the sole to keep the boot firm and stiff. This is not the best solution in the cold, but many hunting boots and advanced military footwear have this (often in combination with a membrane, like Gore-Tex). Leather soles should be banned in cold weather. They are the mark of any gentleman's footwear, but a gentleman with wet/cold feet and a sour mood is no good gentleman! A proper gentleman dresses for the occasion, am I right?

So, make sure your shoes are tall, and have thick rubber soles. Unless you're finding yourself in very cold temperatures from -10 C/14 F and below, your shoes should ideally have a breathing membrane such as Gore-Tex or something else. This is to aid the circulation of air for the feet, and to let the moisture you produce escape. If you wear these membranes in colder weather, you'll freeze even more, but I won't get into that unless you have questions. These temperatures rarely occur inside anyway. But if you DO need footwear tips for very cold and snowy weather, please just ask.

I've talked loads about socks already, so I'll just sum up my "recipe" for cold curing cold feet.

1: Keep the entire body regulated by trapping heat with the appropriate clothing, and make sure you release the heat and moisture when needed. Open jackets when inside, unless you want to keep the colder air you picked up outside.

2: Extremities disturb the body's temperature equilibrium the very most. Make sure you keep your head, fingers and face warm if you tend to freeze a lot.

3: Shoes must be able to fit thick socks, maybe even two layers as I've described in my previous post.

3: Socks should be always be of good quality, and I dare say they should be expensive.

4: The sock next to your skin should be wool, but not too thick. It must also be able to transport moisture away from the feet without staying too dense (thus, a synthetic-wool blend.)

5: NEVER wear cotton socks if you freeze. In very cold temperatures, cotton is outright dangerous. The only good quality of cotton is flexibility and durability.

6: Movement. If you stay still, you'll freeze no matter what. Wiggle your toes, take a walk! During your lunch break, for example. Take your kids/dog for a walk. Anything.

7: Acclimatise yourself. The first cold is always the worst. Why aren't you freezing as much two months later when it's much colder outside? Because you got used to it. Go for an evening stroll with your wife or girlfriend. Rub each other's feet when you get home.

I could probably write tons more, but I feel I have to limit myself at least a bit. If you have any questions, or want me to comment on particular products, please don't hesitate!

[Gerald_G]

Yes - what Rossmeister said....

It's amazing how a proper hat can keep your feet warm, but it does.

People from Norway and Canada have more than a passing interest in staying warm - :-)


(My front yard)

[Rossmeister]

Haha, awesome. Yeah, we really do. When the thread starter said this wasn't the most interesting topic I thought to myself "..why not?"

Nice Cave/Igloo. Who sleeps in it? Last Winter a friend and I decided we wanted to sleep in a snow cave. We went out to a field and had to dig up a huge pile by ourselves, and then we dug the cave out of that. Was awesome

EDIT
I also wanted to illustrate how explorers in extreme weather deal with this issue.

Børge Ousland, a renowned explorer and veteran of polar expeditions has shared some interesting advice on this. I don't know what kind of boots he wears, but what he does inside the boots is this: First he sticks a plastic bag down into the boot. Then comes the thick woolen sock. After that he uses another plastic bag, and finally he wears a thin sock next to the skin.

So:
Boot
Plastic
Thick sock
Plastic
Thin sock

The reason he does this is because he under no circumstance could allow his heat retaining layer to fail. The thick sock that is, that has plastic both on the inside and outside. In extreme temperatures, even soaked wool would freeze and leave less room for air, not to mention the dangerous temperature so close to the skin. I think this advice comes from an expedition where he and his companion had to cross and jump floating sheets of ice. His inner sock would get soaked from sweat, but the sweat would not travel through the plastic to "contaminate" the boot or other sock. He would dry these socks in the tent at night.

Remember that this is for extreme conditions only though. No need to put plastic on your feet in your daily walkabouts :D

[Doc4]

I know, maybe not the most exciting thread, but now that winter is encroaching I'm once again battling ice-cold feet. I've had a hard time finding socks that are both warm and comfortable. For some reason, a lot of thicker socks feel uncomfortable to me. Maybe it's the extra thickness squeezed into my shoes—I'm not sure.

So does anyone have any recommendations? Material, style, brand, etc.?

You don't need really thick socks unless you are aiming at lengthy periods out in seriously cold conditions. If you do not need to plug your car in overnight, it is not seriously cold.

So ... yes, wool is the key ingredient for socks. Check your shoes/boots too. Workboots often are a bad idea as the steel toes draw in the cold, and the super-durable rubber soles get cold fast too. Something like Vibram "gumlite" soles work much better in cold ... both insulating your feet and giving you better traction.

Want to warm up your hands and feet? Wear a hat! (A proper winter hat, not a fedora or baseball cap )

Long underwear is also key, especially on the legs ... that blood warms up in the trunk, and has to go all the way down the legs to get to your feet, so the heat will get drained away to warm the legs first, if needed, leaving less for the feet.

[Defend Tacoma]

Man, this thread is awesome. I was planning on posting a similar thread soon about how to stay warm while working in a where house over the winter. I sent a PM to Ross, and due to the 7000 character limit, he had to send me 3 PM's! I'm digesting the information now, but if I have more questions for him, maybe I'll post them up here so others might benefit as well.

I'm looking into Woolpower Products now, anyone else have some advice on other top tier wool product lines that may be a little more available in the US? I don't mind spending top dollar for top tier, but I'm looking for the best bank for the buck as well!

Thanks!

[Basil]

To keep my feet warm I always just put a pair of soccer socks on and a pair of woolen socks. Works for me.

[Rossmeister]

Truthfully, any real wool products will most likely suffice. The difference with expensive products is that they're of finer wool and very seldomly itch. Also, they're often knitted in a special way so they retain even more air than normal wool per pound. So expensive wool products will also function well even in spite of low weight. And low weight is a big plus in my book. You definitely don't want to be constrained when working. The downside of this though is that they might not perform as well in windy conditions. But this is why we have the three-layered concept in cold weather apparel =D

Fleece is a good material. It's warm, but not as warm as wool. However, it transports moisture more effectively. I don't think I ever saw fleece socks though, but I would never buy any either.


And most often the key to staying warm on extremities is keeping the temperature equilibrium.

And Doc4 is right, you usually don't need very thick socks unless it's very cold. However, this is very individual, and from what I understood from Defend Tacoma, he actually does work in a pretty cold environment because a big wind draft and air humidity plays in. Wind is such a killer even if it's only slightly cold.

I usually hate wearing anything on my legs under trousers, because I just get so damn warm if the activity level is turned up. If I'm just going about for a short while, I never wear long unders even in -4 F weather and below. I do it if I have to, that's my personal rule. It might be as a result of this that I prefer dual sock layers even when it's not so cold outside.

[DavyRay]

I am a big fan of Thorlo socks. They have high-wicking polyester springy socks for all occasions, and other socks with wool blends. Truly inspiring. I have worn their socks in sub-zero weather, and in very wet conditions. They always work.

The person who suggested a complete vapor barrier (plastic) is right for extreme conditions. That is not comfortable, but is good survival skill for those really challenging places.

[jumpo64]

I was looking for warm socks just a few weeks ago, as I wear boots that are are not heavily insulated.

I came across these socks on Amazon. I now own 7 pairs. Comfortable and very warm. Just wash them inside out and dry them on low heat. 67% wool, with nylon to assist with keeping shape and durability.

I love them!

[J2010]

I recently purchased the Marcoliani 80%merino/20%nylon over the calf dress socks. They are super nice and warm too! Wish I could afford their cashmere/silk blend line :)

Another wool product I like is a short sleeve t made by icebreaker called the Tech T Lite.

[roboboticus]

Wow, I didn't know I was opening such a floodgate with this question. Thanks for the responses.

Looks like Woolpower 200's can be had for around $16 online, and a few bucks more for the heavier ones. I like how their line is simply a range of thicknesses in a few different shapes. Smartwool, on the other hand, has a thousand different varieties with all kinds of stuff patched into the heels/toes/etc., which makes it hard to know where to start and I suspect I'd find them less comfortable. I've always been fidgety like that.

So Woolpower, Smartwool (I haven't written them off), and Thorlo. I'll start shopping. Thanks again, gentlemen

[roboboticus]

And just two comments of my own. While the logic used to argue against tight-fitting clothes and belts in cold weather seems to make sense, I definitely start tucking my shirt in when it gets cold, and it helps noticeably. I've also noticed the drastic, and pleasant, warming of my feet a bit after eating dinner. Thank you, circulatory system!

[Rossmeister]

$16 for Woolpower is extremely cheap. You'd be hard pressed to find them lower than that.. anywhere.

You're wise to tuck your shirt it. If you don't, cold air has an easy way in. The advice is more for prolonged exposure. If I went outside for days for example, I would wear trousers with supenders (tuck my Woolpower 200 upper into it) and wear jackets and outer jackets over that. But a tight belt does constrain circulation, that's a fact

You bring up a VERY valid point with food. Eating forces the body to expend energy (digestion, muscles etc.). In fact, there's a tip for parents that bring kids out on camping for the first time connected to it. To prevent the kids from being cold in their sleeping bags at night, give them a piece of chocolate before they go to bed. Digestion will kick in and they'll generate heat when going to sleep.

This works in work environment as well. Feeling cold? Nibble on trail mix or a carrot, energy bar or a piece of chocolate. Share with co workers, for example. Laughing and lifted spirits always helps against cold (I swear it works for about everything!).