We get a lot of customers asking us what to do about cold feet while they are outside in winter. Single-use Hot Shots can be life savers while out skiing in the cold, but having a more sophisticated (and less disposable) solution is desirable. 

We've brought in various brands of heated socks over the years, but this year due to popular demand we brought in the highly rated Lenz 4.0 heated socks. These came recommended to us by trusted customers. Alison, who spends a lot of time coaching nordic skiers, decided to give the socks a try.

Out of the box

Out of the box you get one pair of knee-high socks, two lithium rcB 1200 rechargeable packs, a global USB charger (100-240V), a USB charging cable with indicator, and a storage bag. The socks have heating elements along the top of the foot and surrounding the toe box.

The lowdown

The socks themselves seem well made and are stretchy and comfortable. Alison says they feel the same as a normal sock - she can't feel the wires inside, and her feet fit normally inside her ski boots. The battery pack which sits on the outside of the upper calf is slightly bulky but it doesn't bother her, and her pants fit over top just fine.

The battery pack has 3 levels of heat that you adjust by pushing a button. For better control you can download the Lenz app for no charge. This allows you to control the heat for each sock independently (or together) on a scale of 1-9. You can even set intervals for them to be heating and not heating.

The battery will last a whole day on low-medium. The heat seems to kick in pretty quickly too, Alison says. The batteries charge in only a couple of hours. 

In short: pros and cons

Probably the biggest con would be washing the socks, according to Alison. You'll want to wear them all the time outdoors so that means a lot of washing (unless you get a second pair). They need to be hand washed ideally, and hung or laid out to dry. The only other thing she noticed was not really a con, but just strange.. you can't turn the battery pack off. You simply put it into "standby" mode and a light will blink for 12 hours before it turns off. This is not a defect, it is in the manual; it just seems a little odd. 

Pros: they don't feel like you're wearing socks with wires in them. Having the app allows you to control the socks with your phone which is really handy, and the battery life is good. The biggest pro of course is having warm feet in the winter, something that seems a dream for many of us!  Alison now wants heated gloves, vest, and anything else available. 

Recommended?

Yes!