If you live in the cold areas or are planning for a trek to the cold mountains, you definitely cannot do without a good pair of insulated boots.
But choosing the right pair of insulated boots is not that easy because various factors will pop up on the way of selection like how many grams of insulation do you need for your boots, on what factors do the grams of insulation depend and so on…
Basically the number of grams of insulation needed for the boots is decided by the purpose of wear, the temperature of the area where you would be wearing them and the kind of material with which the boots are made of like rubber boots are better insulators than leather boots.
Don’t panic, this article will guide you thoroughly towards the selection of the needed grams of insulation for your boots by making you understand the various deciding factors behind it!
Let’s find out how…
Factors deciding the number of grams of insulation in boots:
The various factors that will decide how many grams of insulation do you need are:
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- The material of the boots
- The temperature of the region
- Other features like waterproofing
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Some more factors include:
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- The time you spend in the outside cold
- Your level of activity
- Your active hours
- The amount of heat generated by your feet
- Whether your boots are capable of trapping the inside heat
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Now let us discuss the factors in details:
The material of the boots:
Generally there are 3 kinds of materials with which insulated boots are made of, namely:
Leather:
Boots made of leather can be insulated, but the amount of grams of insulation is less in them.
Moreover, leather being porous in nature, is not a great insulating material because a thin layer of cold air can still pass through the leather.
So, insulated leather boots can be worn only in moderate cold temperatures.
Mesh and nylon:
Mesh and nylon boots are the least famous for insulation.
That said, nylon shoes and boots have a mesh lining in them that allows a considerable amount of air to pass through them.
So, boots made of these materials are not considered insulated boots.
Rubber:
Rubber is considered to be the best material when it comes to insulated boots.
Nearly all the insulated boots are mostly made of rubber because rubber will neither allow air to pass through it nor allow snow and water to affect the inside of boots.
The amount of insulating layer used in rubber boots is also the highest and they are best for the coldest of temperatures.
Snake skin:
Snake skin boots, though not very common and also quite high in cost, yet are considered to be great insulating material. If you have the budget, you should definitely have one snake skin insulated boots in your collection to flaunt your style.
The temperature of the region:
Temperature is a very important deciding factor as to how much insulation you need in your boots.
Lower the temperature, higher will be the amount of insulation needed in the boots to protect against the cold.
In the section below I will detail you as to what exact grams of insulation is required for which temperature condition.
Other features like waterproofing:
Boots that are made of waterproof materials or coating are the best for insulation because being waterproof means neither air nor water and snow can affect the inside of the boots which means your feet will be untouched by the extreme weather conditions.
Also the waterproofing layer will save the inside insulation layer from getting wet by the snow and cold humid air.
How many grams of insulation for what temperature condition?
In the section above, we have learnt about the various factors on which the needed amount of insulation in boots depend.
In this section, we shall learn about the exact grams of insulation required for a particular temperature condition:
1.) 200 grams of insulation:
This is the least amount of insulating material that can be present in an insulated boot. 200 grams of insulation would be enough for the fall season during the day time when your body is very active.
2.) 400 grams of insulation:
400 grams of insulation should be enough for moderate winter days and fall nights with moderate activity of the body.
This amount of insulation should be enough for very cold winter days and moderate winter nights with the temperature varying roughly between 0 to 5 degrees.
4.) 800 grams of insulation:
800 grams of insulation is for temperatures ranging below 0 degrees. Depending on the temperature you can wear it both at night and in the day with minimal body activity.
5.) 1200 grams of insulation:
This amount of insulation is ideal for harsh winters with blowing wind and temperature ranging from -10 to -20 degrees.
6.) 2000 grams of insulation:
For the unbearable winter conditions, with snowfall and temperature dropping below -40 degrees, you should be wearing boots with 2000 grams of insulation.
Who needs how much insulation?
Who should wear 200 grams insulated boots?
Cab drivers or truck drivers who spend most of their time inside the vehicles, but come out just to load and unload objects, should wear 200 grams insulated boots.
Who should wear 400 grams insulated boots?
Construction workers, site visitors, engineers, who work in shifts can wear boots with 400 grams of insulation.
Who should wear 600-800 grams insulated boots?
Road crew workers and line technicians who have to stand without much activity for long periods of time in the outdoors, should wear boots with 800 grams of insulation.
Who should wear 1000-2000 grams insulated boots?
Loggers, hunters, or those who have to walk in the snow in the frosty winters should wear boots with 1000-2000 grams of insulation.
Let’s bid adieu!
Remember the grams of insulation in boots is actually calculated per square meter and most modern boots are made with thinsulate insulation that is using soft synthetic woollen fiber that is unaffected by water or humidity.
