I am a cold sleeper and except in very hot and humid weather, my feet are often cold in my sleeping bag. If my second pair of wool hiking socks are dry I’ll wear them in my bag, but when it’s colder I like to augment my socks with Hot Socks from Integral Designs.
Hot Socks are lined with Primaloft. If your feet are sweaty or wet, they’re great to slip into because the synthetic Primaloft fill will effectively vent the moisture. Down booties don’t vent moisture well, and like down sleeping bags, become increasingly less effective in colder winter-like conditions. See my post on vapor barrier liners and clothing for a detailed explanation of the impact of moisture on down insulation in cold weather.
Drying your feet each night is one of the keys to blister prevention in winter and wet weather and these socks can help you keep your feet healthy in adverse conditions.
Hot Socks are not intended to be camp shoes and should really only be worn in a closed shelter or in your sleeping bag. They do have a reinforced Cordura footpad so you can probably wear them to pee outside at night, but I wouldn’t wander far. They have an outer Pertex shell fabric that is water repellent and a soft back panel of Powerstretch fleece that makes them easy to slide on and off. They weigh a modest 4.8 oz.
Hot socks are not widely available but you can find them at ProliteGear.com for $44.95. That’s where I got mine.
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3 users commented in " Integral Designs Hot Socks "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a Trackback[...] in my bag, but when it’s colder I like to augment my socks with Hot Socks from Integral Designs.] Read more. Posted in Uncategorized [...]
An interesting idea came to me when reading about Hot Socks and the Waldies Aruba.
I’ve used down booties to walk around camp in winter and they are none too stable, my foot sloshing around in them, especially on snow that’s been tramped down during camp chores and now is somewhat slick.
Combining the Hot Socks in the Waldies Aruba might make for better evening footwear in cold weather, a more durable sole, better traction and all around comfort.
Since you have these products, could you give them a try and comment back?
If they work together, how much larger Waldies Aruba would you need to order beyond your normal foot size to accomodate the Hot Socks?
Thanks,
Marty Cooperman
Marty,
They do work together - never thought about that combination! My guess is that you’ll need to get an aruba 2 sizes larger.
-Philip
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