Winter Footwear - Socks

Proper footgear is vital for comfort and to protect your toes from frostbite. 

Socks

• • You must have a good sock plan for winter use

    • Socks are used to insulate feet from cold and protect from blisters

    • Winter boot are often insulated and breath poorly - resulting in sweaty socks

      • This can be reduced by using spray antiperspirant on your feet prior to outing

      • Regardless - Plan to change socks frequently

    • Wet socks in the winter increases your risk of both freezing and non freezing foot injuries

  • US Military Guidelines on Socks and Boots

    • see US Military Guide to Feet 

    • They recommend two layers of socks

      • Thin nylon or polypropylene sock that wicks moisture away from the skin.

      • Wool or wool-blend sock

    • Socks must be changed a minimum of two to three times throughout the day

    • Gaiters help prevent snow from falling inside of boots and melting

    • Soldiers will not sleep with footwear on

  • Wool Mountaineering Socks

    • Smartwool Mountaineer 

    • 74% Merino Wool 8% Nylon 17% Recycled Nylon 1% Elastane

    • Thickest, warmest sock offered by Smartwool

    • Ideally pack 2 pairs per day on snow and one extra if sleeping in the snow

    • If your boots aren't waterproof, you'll want more pairs of dry socks to change into

  • Sock Liners

    • Thin synthetic layer

    • Helps wick moisture away from feet

    • Adds warmth and may protect against blistering

    • Examples:

      • Wigwam

      • Foxsox 

      • Injinji

      • Smartwool 

      • Cabelas 

US Military Guide to Feet

Source: TB MED 508 PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF COLD-WEATHER INJURIES 

Socks

Feet sweat at rest and even more so during physical activity. Layering using two pairs of socks is recommended. The first layer will be a thin nylon or polypropylene sock that wicks moisture away from the skin. The second layer will consist of a wool or wool-blend sock (either NSN 8440-00-153-6717 or 8440-00-543-7778) that can absorb the sweat from the foot. This sock must not be so thick that the boot fits too snugly as this can cause constriction of the blood vessels and increase the risk of cold injury. Boots may need to be sized larger so that a liner and an insulated sock can be worn. 

1. Even with boots that are “breathable,” foot sweat will cause socks to become wet, which increases conductive cooling and cold injury risk. Socks therefore must be changed a minimum of two to three times throughout the day. Having wet feet for prolonged periods (more than 12 hours) increases the risk for trench foot. 

2. Vapor barrier socks are effective in preventing foot perspiration from being absorbed into the boot; these socks also help to maintain warmer feet by reducing evaporative heat loss. The use of vapor barrier socks is a clothing technique that requires practice and experience in order to understand how moisture management works; it also requires drying feet overnight or the skin of the feet will rapidly deteriorate, resulting in blisters, trench foot, and increased risk of infection. Vapor barrier socks can also be used during conditions when boots will be wet due to movements through streams or swamps. In this case, a vapor barrier sock worn over the two layer sock will protect the feet from outside moisture, although sweat accumulation will increase. 

3. Snow can fall inside any boot and melt, creating a cold-wet microenvironment. Gaiters (NSN 8415-01-514-2398) can help prevent this from occurring and also increase insulation by trapping air, helping to keep feet warmer and drier. 

4. Soldiers will not sleep with footwear on, for several reasons. Feet need to be dried out overnight to maintain the skin integrity and prevent nonfreezing cold injuries. Also, feet will continue to sweat if boots are worn while sleeping, and the boots cannot dry completely. Boots can be placed inside the sleeping bag to dry out. Boots must not be placed outside in very cold temperatures because the moisture in them can freeze, and cold injuries can occur when placing feet in cold boots.