The winter season brings to us the images of jackets, coats, hoodies, thermals, woollen caps and of course socks.
Even before technology went further and developed insulated boots, our only saviour for cold feet were warm thick woollen socks!
Thick woollen socks no doubt can cut out the outside cold and keep our feet warm inside boots. You can even survive in Siberia or Antarctica with multiple layers of thick woollen socks.
But when the temperature falls below a certain point, the boots will start to transfer the cold into the pores of the socks and that can be stopped only with insulated boots.
Down this article I will tell you whether good socks are really worth the alternative to insulated boots or not. So, let’s check out…..
Good warm socks Vs Insulated boots
| Features | Warm socks | Insulated boots |
| Warmth | More | Less |
| Comfort | More | Less |
| Weight | Less | More |
| Expenditure | Less | More |
| Waterproof | No | Yes |
| Moisture wicking | Yes | No |
| Quantity needed to block the outside cold | Multiple | One |
| Utility | All seasons | Only in winters |
Which is better? Warm socks or insulated boots?
The above table pretty much shows that woollen socks are a far better choice than insulated boots for the very simple reason that insulated boots weigh much heavier and woollen socks are far more comfortable!
But let’s now look at some features in details to rightly judge between the two:
Which is warmer? Woollen socks or insulated boots?
Of course, an insulated boot will be a lot warmer than woollen socks. But when you want to replace an insulated boot with warm socks, you need to add multiple layers of the socks.
Which is more comfortable? Woollen socks or insulated boots?
When it comes to comfort, obviously woollen socks are way more comfortable than insulated boots for the simple reason that they are weightless, softer and gives snug feel to the feet.
Which is waterproof? Woollen socks or insulated boots?
Woollen socks are not waterproof at all. Whereas, insulated boots are definitely waterproof.
Which is moisture wicking? socks or insulated boots?
To be very true none of them are moisture wicking. For soaking in the moisture from your feet, you need to insert those sock liner with breathable mesh lining.
Which is more economical? socks or insulated boots?
A good pair of thick socks is always more economical than a pair of insulated boots. That’s because insulated boots can only be worn in the winters while you can wear a thick pair of socks along with a sock liner even in the summers to add cushion to the base of the foot or to increase the space inside your loose boots.
Which has more utility? Good socks or insulated boots?
As I have said above, a good pair of socks always will have more utility than a pair of insulated boots because if you try to wear those insulated boots all round the year, it will make your feet sweat profusely and also the heaviness is something that will bother you throughout the day.
Problems with woollen socks:
Woollen socks no doubt will give you the much needed warmth and comfort, but the problem with them is that a single pair of woollen socks isn’t enough to replace the insulated boots.
You need to wear multiple layers of the socks and that can suffocate your feet and tighten the boots leaving no space inside the boots for the free movement of the feet and toes. With this feeling, it’s difficult to walk all round the day.
Also, woollen socks will not wick away the moisture. For that you need to wear a sock liner as well.
Lastly, woollen socks are not waterproof as well and if the boots are not waterproof as well, the snow can melt in the boots and the water will sit in the boots and keep your feet wet.
Problems with insulated boots:
Insulated boots are one stop solution to the chilled winter season. But there are certain problems with them too.
The insulated boots will be much heavier than normal boots and that extra weight is unmanageable while hiking in the snow capped mountains.
Insulated boots trap the air inside the boots there is no circulation of air and hence that makes your feet sweaty and that sweat will make your feet even colder in the winters.
And it’s a wrap!
So, in a nutshell we can tell that it’s entirely your preference whether you would like to invest in an insulated boot for the coldest season of the year. If not, woollen socks are always there for your rescue!
But if you have very sweaty feet and need the insulated boots for just some days, it’s better to get two pairs of woollen socks and add a sock liner to keep your feet warm and dry in the freezing cold.
