Is this true: *thinnest* socks are warmest?

[jt10000]

I saw this in another thread:

The first thing I usually check when someone has cold feet is socks. Is he in VERY thin socks? If not, that should be your first purchase. VERY thin, almost like nylons. Like many things in skiing, counterintuitive.

And I find it hard to believe.* For sure, thick socks that don't fit in a boot being cold makes sense to me. Thick socks that allow the foot to move to much in the boot (thus jamming a bit) being cold makes sense to me.

But is a very thin sock - like "nylons" - really warmer than, say, a fairly thin (low cushion ski sock) or even moderate (medium cushion for skiing) sock, assuming they fit well in the boot. I've been cycling and XC sking i cold weather and don't see this at all in those domains.

How/why can this be?

* - makes sense that if someone has cold feet to check that the socks are not too thick for his boots.

 

[scott43]

Yeah this is a bit of a half truth right? If you have cold feet at home you're not reaching for your thinnest socks. However, as you note, the confines of the boot etc conspire to make thick socks untenable. So they are but not in and of themselves. Like my hockey skates I basically use the thinnest liner sock you can imagine. They aren't warm but because I'm working hard the insulation isn't really needed. Same wth skiing.. If you're plodding along probably your boots aren't that tight and you can use a thicker sock. If you're working hard maybe you don't need thicker socks.

 

[crosscountry]

I have nothing to contribute to answering your question. Only more data point aligned with yours...

Not all my socks are exactly the same thickness. I found no difference in warmth in all my socks. Once or twice, I've forgotten my ski socks and had to ski in my sneaker socks. Even there, I detect no difference in warmth. Discomfort, yes, warmth or lack of? no.

Instead, I have a problem my feet stays cold UNLESS I take off my boots after 1 run, Exactly ONE RUN, and put it back on after 30 seconds! If I don't do that, my feet stays super cold the rest of the day. But after that 30 second break after the first run, my feet don't generally feel cold any more. In that 30 seconds, I could feel blood rushing back into my feet and my feet felt toasty warm, for the rest of the day. No difference whatever socks I use.

 

[Eric@ict]

I use very thin wool socks from smartwool. They are very similar to a dress sock and my feet stay warm. As the season goes on, I do go to a little thicker sock. My feet tend to get a little smaller in the winter do to always being in a shoe and my boots are packing out and need to be replaced.

 

[mike_m]

A ski boot that is not fitted correctly (more than half of all of skiers?) has areas that press improperly on the foot, cutting off circulation, making your feet cold. A thick sock in a properly fitted boot will also cut off circulation, making your feet cold. A properly fitted boot hugs your foot and shin with smooth, even pressure. Ski boots have sufficient internal insulation to keep most skiers comfortable even on quite cold days (boot gloves over them on the coldest days are usually sufficient). A thin wool or wool/synthetic-blend sock with minimal padding is an excellent choice.

 

[cantunamunch]

But is a very thin sock - like "nylons" - really warmer than, say, a fairly thin (low cushion ski sock) or even moderate (medium cushion for skiing) sock, assuming they fit well in the boot. I've been cycling and XC sking i cold weather and don't see this at all in those domains.

How/why can this be?

How can I put this without it turning into a BOA thread? I think it has everything to do with user demands for lateral control.

Hockey, short track, alpine skiing and inline skating all demand lateral control and directional changes far, far, far quicker and more intense than anything cycling or XC skiing do.

And so users ratchet down the closure mechanism, whether it's hockey laces or skate laces/straps or alpine buckles, down for control. Control as a priority, not just plain closure. And thus skating has EZfit neoprene and gel pads to stop lace bite. Cycling and XC simply don't need them.

To sum up, the notion is that it's all about footwear closure.
Need incredible lateral control? Slammed closure and thin socks to keep some sort of blood flow.

Don't really need lateral control? Wear what you like, including thick socks.

 

[Tony Storaro]

I saw this in another thread:

And I find it hard to believe.* For sure, thick socks that don't fit in a boot being cold makes sense to me. Thick socks that allow the foot to move to much in the boot (thus jamming a bit) being cold makes sense to me.

But is a very thin sock - like "nylons" - really warmer than, say, a fairly thin (low cushion ski sock) or even moderate (medium cushion for skiing) sock, assuming they fit well in the boot. I've been cycling and XC sking i cold weather and don't see this at all in those domains.

How/why can this be?

* - makes sense that if someone has cold feet to check that the socks are not too thick for his boots.

Look at it from another angle-if you ski in boots with very tight, performance fit, you could only wear thin socks. Dunno about nylons but they should be fairly thin. The insulating agent is in fact the air so the more of it in the boot, the warmer.

 

[Tony Storaro]

How can I put this without it turning into a BOA thread?

Well you already started with turning so...

 

[jt10000]

I'm not asking about thick socks. I'm asking about a fairly thin sock or moderate sock (Smartwool or Darn Tough low cushion) versus something almost like nylons. Not plodding, not racing gates. Are the nylon thin going to be warmer? Like if I switched out fairly thin I use (Smartwool Low Cushion) to almost nylon thin and (presumably) tightened the buckles to get the same feel, would the nylon thin be warmer?

 

[scott43]

. The insulating agent is in fact the air so the more of it in the boot, the warmer.

That's the key statement. Now how much air gets squished out in tight boots and how much blood flow stops...

 

[Tony Storaro]

would the nylon thin be warmer?

Never tried nylons man, sorry...

 

[scott43]

I'm not asking about thick socks. I'm asking about a fairly thin sock or moderate sock (Smartwool or Darn Tough low cushion) versus something almost like nylons. Not plodding, not racing gates. Are the nylon thin going to be warmer? Like if I switched out fairly thin I use (Smartwool Low Cushion) to almost nylon thin and (presumably) tightened the buckles to get the same feel, would the nylon thin be warmer?

If you have the space and don't mind lower control from sloppy boots.

 

[cantunamunch]

I'm asking about a fairly thin sock or moderate sock (Smartwool or Darn Tough low cushion) versus something almost like nylons. Not plodding, not racing gates. Are the nylon thin going to be warmer? Like if I switched out fairly thin I use (Smartwool Low Cushion) to almost nylon thin and (presumably) tightened the buckles to get the same feel, would the nylon thin be warmer?

Let's assume that blood flow is *not* compromised with your 'fairly thin' sock.
Let's assume you're getting all the control you need and you won't be slamming the closure further.

Then my answer is 'no', the nylon thin will not be warmer and if it's actually slippery - not grabbing the liner well - it might not be all you asked for.

FWIW, current aero bicycle socks are about as thin as you can meaningfully get, and not jiggly through their thickness at all. But they're absolutely cr@p at interfacing to ski boot liners.

 

[Paul Lutes]

I'm not asking about thick socks. I'm asking about a fairly thin sock or moderate sock (Smartwool or Darn Tough low cushion) versus something almost like nylons. Not plodding, not racing gates. Are the nylon thin going to be warmer? Like if I switched out fairly thin I use (Smartwool Low Cushion) to almost nylon thin and (presumably) tightened the buckles to get the same feel, would the nylon thin be warmer?

Hypothetically - No.

If you truly tightened your buckles to get the same feel then you presumably removed the (minimal) extra space gained with the thinner stock i.e. you've removed the extra air insulation, so ....... no warmth gain.

 

[Philpug]

A sock is like a base layer for your foot, we want it to wick away perspiration because a dry foot is a warmer than a wet foot and a thicker sock can retain water making the foot wet. With that said, skiing IS a cold weather sport and there needs to be some realistic expectations of what is warm.

 

[motogreg]

I think chasing warmth with a sock is a losing proposition. A warmer liner (Intuition?) or supplemental heat (heated socks or footbeds or even a heated boot) is a surer bet. In my opinion. (backed by experimentation by my wife with reynaud's)

 

[scott43]

My personal experience with skiing, thicker socks help to a point but mostly I do what @crosscountry does, unbuckle occasionally and get more blood flow and it helps a great deal.

 

[Jilly]

I've been trying to convince a friend that thick socks don't cut it. She wears snowboard socks. Says they are warmer. But she has to crank up the battery on her heaters to top to keep warm. So....goes through batteries every year. Great mathematician, but not too much common sense. Thinner sock would let the heat through from the heater.

And I have to agree about thicker socks and sweat.

 

[scott43]

Never tried nylons man, sorry...

That's cuz you've never played American football in December in Canada...

 

[Noodler]

A sock is like a base layer for your foot, we want it to wick away perspiration because a dry foot is a warmer than a wet foot and a thicker sock can retain water making the foot wet. With that said, skiing IS a cold weather sport and there needs to be some realistic expectations of what is warm.

This is the right answer (you beat me to the punch).

I'll add that I turned to compression socks for health reasons and was blown away by how much warmer they actually are. You would think that they would impede blood flow, but they actually improve it (when they're fit correctly). They also help me get a more consistent fit in my boots from day to day.