Heat Holders

I’m sat here catching up on Masterchef with these blue socks on my feet. They are cosy and fluffy and definitely warm.

Heat Holders sent me a pair of their 2.3 tog socks to try out. I’m not sure I’ve ever worn socks with a tog rating before, but I like the idea of a sock that is rated in the same way as a duvet!

Tagged as “the ultimate thermal sock”, it is the extra heavy bulky yarn, long pile cushioning and intense brushing process which all add comfort and warmth. Tog ratings are used to measure the potential warmth of a product; the higher the rating, the warmer the product should be. A high tog rating is achieved by holding as much warm air in the fabric as possible, which is by Heat Holders are brushed on the inside – not just for a fluffy comfy cosy sock but also for a very warm sock.

To put it in context, the 2.3 tog rating compares to the apparent 0.4 tog of an average cotton sock. Much warmer and much more suited to the winter months.

So how do they feel? Well I’ve already alluded to the fact that they are cost and fluffy and warm. Not a “pretty” sock in that they are thick and add bulk to the foot and ankle, but that’s not what these are about. They are definitely comfortable and that is obvious from the second you pull them on, and that brushed pile on the inside is so lovely on my soles.

I have worn these socks a lot since they arrived.  Apart from just slobbing in them in front of the telly, I’ve had them on with shoes and boots to go for walks. With all footwear I found I needed to loosen the laces (quite considerably on trainers) because of the thickness of the socks, and I’d be wary of wearing these with certain pairs of shoes as I wouldn’t want to stretch them.  But with walking shoes and walking boots, both of which I wear with thick socks (or two pairs) anyway, there was no problem. When I took them off I was expecting a mass of blue fluff all over my feet, but while I did have a bit of fluff between my toes it was nowhere near as much as I was expecting, and a lot less the second wear. I guess you get toe fluff with every new pair of socks, and I don’t think there was any more than I normally find. Fluff aside, these socks absolutely kept my feet warm. Happy feet!

They are thick socks – definitely casual wear to pair with boots or shoes for a walk, although I was more than happy wandering around my house in these – I reckon they are warmer than my slippers.

Heat Holders are available from The Sock Shop priced at £6 a pair. They are available in a variety of colours. There is also a long version of the sock, and a wellington boot version, both of which I think I need.