Comments on: Ask Dethroner: How Do I Keep My Feet Warm?

By: madWAHM

madWAHM — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:18:02 +0000

My biggest problem is my are always freezing while I’m at home – inside the house.

Thanx to those fabulous adhesive toe-warmers, I’m finally getting some relief! I just stick ‘em inside my slippers and then wear socks.

I also use electric heating pads when I sitting.

By: Paris

Paris — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 12:11:17 +0000

The best thing is to give up on wearing sneakers in the winter – they are NOT season-appropriate footwear in Chicago. You want something that is thicker to provide insulation and protection from the wet. There are tons of men’s boots that are not snowboots but will do the job. Depending on your job, think cowboy boots, biker boots, or jodhper/Chelsea boots. The right pair will dress up or down – I live in my Bluntstones all winter!

http://www.blundstone.com/

By: SnarkFish

SnarkFish — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 06:47:24 +0000

while smartwool socks do contain synthetic materials, i think the wording ‘ry something made from the synthetic materials like Coolmax or Smartwool.’ is a bit deceiving. the highest percentage of synthetic material i’ve seen in a smartwool sock is 31%, the rest being merino wool (which is not synthetic)

By: frigg

frigg — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 04:25:32 +0000

Ugh … the lack of a preview button just allowed me to submit a comment with the phrase “a quick poke in the hosiery department” for all the interwebs to see.

My apologies for any future nightmares or incidents of throwing up in your mouth a bit.

By: frigg

frigg — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 04:20:38 +0000

I’m gonna second our esteemed leader on the Smartwool call. I endorse few products by name, but those darned socks earned the Frigg-Seal-of-Approval a few years ago.

Fellow enthusiasts, N.B. I often find my Smarties at TJMaxx, Marshall’s, Ross, etc. Those places are always spotty, but a quick poke in the hosiery department often yields a bag of socks at about a quarter of the regular price.

By: Josh G.

Josh G. — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 02:02:27 +0000

Just commenting to add that wool is an odd fabric in that it becomes a better insulator when wet, so sweating in those wool socks, while not great, might not be such a bad thing.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 20:51:25 +0000

I have a pair of Thorlos (http://www.thorlo.com/ws6/socks.php) wool socks that I wear when its cold. They fit a little tight which makes it easier to put a pair of regular socks over them when it gets colder.

I don’t know about Sorel shoes but I have a pair of their boots and they are the best winter boots I’ve ever used.

Does being from Minnesota give me any street cred here?

By: aron

aron — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 18:33:33 +0000

I should add that wearing inappropriate shoes because you think they look good is something that chicks do. Don’t be silly; you can find some pretty killer boots. I should also mention that nice boots are the F*ck-Me pumps for men.

By: aron

aron — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 18:29:59 +0000

Or you could hit up a company like Sorel, who in addition to their very famous ass-kicking boots make some more shoe like items. Sure they are not the pinnacle of fashion but they are DAMN warm. Mine have defeated the Chicago winter many times. Also, while the shoes I think look a bit dumb, the “Ladies of NYC” (TM) seem to always have something nice to say about my Caribous (which are huge boots). I use them to splash through everything the NYC winter can offer. The downside is that I often splash that crap on other people… yeah sometimes they freak out…. pussies.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 17:40:56 +0000

Oh the link to EMS socks: http://www.ems.com/catalog/product_detail_square.jsp;jsessionid=F0c3IgiBd4kChHoTFrKVUbFd9mpjIiEXNSoqBwpjuO7T8sTJIYVN!1980379014!174391834!7005!8005?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441767789&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302875437&bmUID=1165253815467

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 17:40:25 +0000

Cold, icy feet = unhappy feet
Hot, sweaty feet = unhappy feet

Warm feet = happy feet

The heat packs are good for warming up, but they get way to warm for me unless I’m snowboarding or something. And hello… who wants sweaty feet when the temps dip below zero? When the heat pack gives out, the sweat will freeze – back to cold, icy feet. Or back to the chalet hot tub, I guess!

For everyday living (like going to work or the store, or even shoveling snow), I prefer to layer my socks in the winter. Yes, layering socks makes a difference.

You might wear long underwear to keep warm, yes? Arms, legs… well, your hands and feet are what get cold the fastest in cold blustery weather, so layer up!

A pair of silk or sythetic socks under your regular socks (yes, even under those 1980’s style, red-banded basketball socks you may still be wearing) will do the trick and will help keep your feet warmer than just the single pair of uber-thick wooly legwarmers you’re considering. Still want to wear those wooly ones? Put the liner socks on fiirst to keep your feet from getting all itchy.

EMS carries some liner socks in 100% polypropylene at just ~$5 per pair, CoolMax versions for ~$7.50.