Heated Socks – Best Winter Gear for Toasty Feet

Have you seen a frozen toe – one that’s so white it looks dead? That’s been the state of my husband’s toes in short order on every winter outing for years. After a 10 day winter trip to Ontario and Quebec I knew we had to find something that would solve the problem. John needs toasty feet on frosty days – and heated socks seems to be the only way to go.

His problem stemmed from working up north and seriously freezing his toes many years ago. It takes next to nothing to freeze them now – and temperatures don’t even have to be that cold.

One of the warming huts at Mont Sainte-Anne
One of the warming huts at Mont Sainte-Anne – We spent a lot of time in warming cabins last winter trying to thaw frozen toes

This post includes some affiliate links. If you make a qualifying purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.

For downhill skiing, he invested in boot heaters a few years ago but they’re not transferable between different types of footwear. I asked cross-country ski shops last year if they had any products and always got a resounding no. I figured we’d have to cough up $450 to have someone customize his cross-country ski boots.

Heated socks make all the difference on frosty days

Then in November, my brother mentioned he’d seen heated socks at an outdoor store. I beetled over and had a look. The salesperson said they primarily carried heated socks for women (a little condescendingly I might add) but they did have a few men’s socks in the system.

The heated socks are manufactured by Lenz in Austria. I’m surprised we have to buy them from overseas considering our cold winters in Canada. But we do. I ordered a pair from MEC at the time, knowing I could return them if there were any problems. Considering they’re $300, that gave me some piece of mind.

The heated socks have been a great success

The night before we head out on an outdoor adventure, John plugs in the rechargeable batteries. From experience now, I’d say he gets about eight hours out of a charge, when it’s on the low setting. There are three settings in total – that can be controlled with BlueTooth technology if desired.

A set of rechargeable batteries for each of the heated socks
A set of rechargeable batteries for each sock

What a difference a pair of socks make

The heated socks work like a charm, especially since the heating coils go under the big toe and cover almost all of the foot bed.

The batteries attach to a small receptacle on the sock. After you attach the batteries, flip over the upper two inches of the sock to keep them in place. The  batteries are very lightweight and don’t interfere at all with movement.

Heating wires go under the big toe and get most of the footpad in these heated socks
Heating wires go under the big toe and get most of the footpad
The battery attaches to the sock just below the knee
The battery attaches to the sock just below the knee
Sock warmers with batteries
Battery stays in place and weighs next to nothing

Despite the high price, this is $300 that is well invested. On a -20°C day, his feet were entirely comfortable. He now talks about using the socks for outdoor hockey and snowshoeing.

According to the Lenz website, the socks are made with merino wool and silk so they feel good next to the skin. They’re quick drying and odourless.

Where to buy heated socks

The biggest problem with these socks is finding a pair. MEC no longer carries them but you can buy them for $210 on Amazon here

If you have suffered from cold feet, and perhaps tried those toes warmers with moderate success, then this is one product that you might find very useful. 

This post is not a sponsored post. I just wanted to share John’s experience with this fantastic product. And maybe someone in Canada can come up with a less expensive version.

Further reading on outdoor winter adventures

It was a real winter wonderland on the Hedonism Trail
Enjoying winter with heated socks

 

My Cart Close (×)

Your cart is empty
Browse Shop