Are there battery-heated socks I can wear with ski boots?
Battery Heated Boot Sock (courtesy, Cabela's)
Do you know of any battery-heated socks that I can wear with ski boots? If not, can you recommend the warmest possible socks? I love to ski, but my feet freeze, even with toe warmers.
— Lisa East Greenwich, Rhode Island
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Sure, there are several pairs of battery-heated socks out there. Cabela's sells one called simply the Battery Heated Boot Sock for $20 a pair (www.cabelas.com). They have a little pouch at the top that takes a D-cell battery; the socks run far enough up the calf that ski boots won't interfere with that pouch. You might also look at Cabela's Battery Heated Wader Socks ($22), which have batteries that clip to a belt or go into a pocket, then a wire runs down your pant leg to the socks. That design might give you a little more flexibility in terms of battery placement.
When you say you've tried "toe warmers," do you mean the chemical models? Have you tried the Heat Treat-brand of toe warmers? These consist of little pouches that heat to 100 degrees once exposed to air. Regular price is $82 for 40 pairs (www.grabberwarmers.com), though you can buy smaller boxes, too.
You could make your boots warmer. Replace the stock insoles, for instance, with a pair of Insolator Winter Insoles ($8 at Campmor, www.campmor.com), which add an insulated later beneath your foot to help reduce the cold that's invariably conducted into the boots by your ski bindings. And of course, good socks help a lot. You might try Lange ThermaStat Silk Socks ($30, www.snowshack.com), a very thin ski-specific sock that uses hollow synthetic fibers along with silk to make a warm sock that isn't bulky. You also could buy silk sock liners ($10 at Lands' End, www.landsend.com), and over that wear a pair of SmartWool Ski Socks ($19, www.smartwool.com).
As a last resort, check the fit of your boot. Boots that are too tight can restrict circulation to your feet, making your feet cold. But I think tinkering with your socks will solve the problem.
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Sure, there are several pairs of battery-heated socks out there. Cabela's sells one called simply the Battery Heated Boot Sock for $20 a pair (www.cabelas.com). They have a little pouch at the top that takes a D-cell battery; the socks run far enough up the calf that ski boots won't interfere with that pouch. You might also look at Cabela's Battery Heated Wader Socks ($22), which have batteries that clip to a belt or go into a pocket, then a wire runs down your pant leg to the socks. That design might give you a little more flexibility in terms of battery placement.
