How to choose comfortable warm winter work boots

Winter is coming, making outdoor work more difficult. There are more risk factors to consider when choosing a pair of winter work boots. It is not only necessary to consider injuries such as heavy object impact and sharp object puncture in the workplace, but also to consider anti-skid and warmth in winter.

 

Therefore, when choosing a pair of winter work boots, you'd better consider the following aspects:

 

• Adequate foot protection is a basic requirement

• The material suitable for winter is the quality guarantee of winter work boots

• Thermal performance is an essential requirement

• Comfortable performance makes outdoor work easier

 

Adequate foot protection is a basic requirement

In the workplace, foot injuries are the most common work-related injuries, especially toe injuries. Common toe protections include steel toecap, composite toecap, and alloy toe cap.

1. Steel Toecap: The steel toecap can provide high-strength anti-smashing and anti-puncture protection, but it is also the heaviest. And due to the rapid thermal conductivity of steel, its thermal performance in winter is also the worst. However, if your workplace has high requirements for toe protection, then you need to choose steel-toe boots.

2. Composite Toecap: The composite toecap meets the requirements of the ASTM test safety standards and has a good insulation function, but it is weaker than the steel toecap in anti-smashing and anti-puncture capabilities, which can meet the safety protection needs of general work. Composite toecap can provide good insulation in winter, which is a good choice for winter work boots.

3. Alloy toecap: The weight and safety protection ability of the alloy toecap are between the steel toecap and the composite toecap, but the heat insulation performance is not very good, and the price is usually more expensive.

 

Winter-friendly materials are a guarantee of quality in winter work boots

The low temperature in winter has higher requirements for the materials used in shoes. When looking for a pair of winter work boots, you can consider the following aspects:

1. Waterproof leather upper: Although winter boots are not rain boots, you don't want to feel the cold moisture while working or walking in heavy snow. Therefore, a waterproof upper is an essential requirement for winter boots. On the other hand, because winter boots want to keep the heat in the shoes as much as possible, if the upper is not breathable, it will cause problems such as foot odor or stuffiness. Then the waterproof and breathable leather upper is a good solution to this problem.

2. Antifreeze rubber sole: In the case of low temperature, some common sole materials will change their properties. For example, PVC and TPR materials will harden at temperatures below minus 10 degrees, which will greatly reduce the anti-skid performance. But the rubber material can maintain good flexibility and slip resistance even at low temperatures, and is more suitable for winter boots. Moreover, the rubber sole can greatly resist the influence of low temperature on the temperature inside the shoe, which is the preferred choice in a low-temperature environment. Common rubber soles include PU/rubber, EVA/rubber, or pure rubber.

3. Cold-proof toecap and midsole: As we said earlier, choosing composite toe in winter can find a balance between safety protection and thermal insulation, so composite toe work boots are recommended. Similarly, the safety protection of the sole is also very important. The steel plate midsole also has the same problem of rapid heat conduction. Then, the puncture-resistant, flexible, and thermal insulated Kevlar midsole are worth recommending.

 

Thermal performance is an essential requirement

When working outdoors in the cold, a pair of high-quality thermal insulation safety boots can greatly reduce your body heat loss and help you fight off the cold for winter work. The thermal performance of safety boots is mainly determined by the upper, lining, and sole. As mentioned above, suitable leather upper and the rubber sole can reduce the challenge of external low temperatures to boots, then further thermal performance needs to be improved with a suitable shoe lining.

Common winter boots lining includes: real wool fur, real fur & lamb leather combination, fake wool fur.

1. Real wool lining: The price of the real wool lining is moderate. and the warmth, breathability, and comfort are very good. Generally, the real wool lining is a recommended option.

2. Real fur & lamb leather combination: This kind of lining is made of wool and sheepskin together in the shoes, which can provide high thermal performance, but the price is much more expensive. And the boots are very thick and need to buy larger shoe sizes.

3. Fake wool fur lining: It looks very similar to real wool, but the price is much cheaper, and the performance of warmth and ventilation are also poorer. Therefore, be careful when choosing.

 

Comfort makes outdoor work easier

If a pair of winter work boots is uncomfortable to wear, even if the shoes have the best safety performance and thermal performance, you are not willing to wear them for a long time. A pair of well-fitting insoles is the key to improving the comfort. The insole can be considered from the aspects of support, breathability, shock absorption, and wear resistance. So let's take a look at the comparison of common insoles.

1. EVA insole: EVA insole has excellent support and good elasticity and is used in sports shoes. However, EVA is not breathable.

2. TPR insole: This type of insole feels cool to the touch, has good resilience and shock absorption. Like EVA, TPR is not breathable.

3. Latex insole: Latex insole can deodorize, absorb sweat, and be soft. But its wear resistance is poor.

4. Memory foam insole: It is shockproof, soft, and wear-resistant,  suitable for people who stand for a long time. With the insole surface of air hole structure, it can also have good breathability and is the preferred insole in work boots.

 

One more thing to consider when it comes to comfort: don't forget to wear a pair of comfortable, breathable winter work socks.

 

Finally, to ensure that you can choose a pair of comfortable, safe, and warm winter work boots, you not only need to consider the above points but also pay attention to the measurement of shoe size and ensure that there is enough room for wearing thick socks.

 

If you're looking for an ideal pair of winter work boots, you can visit our online store https://www.safetoeshop.com to check out our Polar winter work boots. With a genuine leather upper, real wool lining, composite toecap, Kevlar midsole plate, rubber outsoles, and memory foam insoles, these boots have the characteristics of premium winter work boots. Below is the link to the product, welcome to click to view more product details.