The reality
Let’s face it : we don’t all manage the cold and the heat the same way. We’ll focus on the cold for now. What regulates our body temperature and where does body heat come from?
Our liver, our brain, our heart and our endocrine glands generate only part of the heat necessary to our body. Our muscles alone supply about 30% of necessary heat. Strenuous exercise can make muscle heat about 40 times higher than what comes from the rest of our body. Knowing that, it becomes obvious that a 15-20 minutes stationary wait for the bus is quite a challenge for your body’s heat generation.
Another thing to know is that your body is smart, so it will protect your vital organs before all other body parts. Your brain (your head) and your heart (your torso) being the most important, you’ll understand why your toes and fingers come last in priority. So how can we help them? Cover your head and zip up your winter coat. As simple as it gets.
For reference, here is a quick guide illustrating variations of how activity influences cold resistance.
LOW : 0°C
Little movement, seated or standing position.
MEDIUM : -15°C
Frequent movement, frequent breaks.
HIGH : -25°C
Constant movement, occasional breaks.
Your feet still get cold? Let’s have a look at some classic mistakes.
Cotton socks
They absorb sweat from your feet without evacuating it, so they stay damp longer. They should be avoided.
Overly tight boots
You fell in love with them, but the store didn’t have your size in stock? Don’t sacrifice your toes just yet, because your crush won’t last more than a few days! Of course, leather boots have some give and wool compacts, but only to a point. Moreover, as all feet are different, one specific model of boot might never fit yours.
Blood flow problems
Blood is the way your body transfers heat. Blood flow problems can result in cold feet, in which case no boot can be warm enough. There can still be hope, though : healthy habits, daily foot massages in the morning of at night, 5-10 minutes of daily foot exercise; these simple things can help you improve your blood flow, among other potential benefits!
Good to know
Some minor problems might happen and should not be considered manufacturing defects.
Zippers
We buy the best zippers available and, when used appropriately, they are resistant. We often get returns due to zippers that get worn off at ankle level, sometimes going up to missing teeth. How to avoid this? First, always make sure your zipper is all the way down before taking your boots off, so that when you’ll put them on again their teeth will be positioned adequately and you won’t apply excessive force on them. This would result in fragile or missing teeth and a defective zipper.
Outsoles
Beware of electric radiators. Outsoles are pre-glued and, at the time of assembly, we use heat to reactivate the glue. It is therefore possible that an intense heat source, too close to your boots, can have the same melting effect on the glue. By then, when you’ll wear them in the cold, the glue will set back with the outsole out of position because of your feet’s movement. With such loose outsoles, snow will easily get in your boots and wet your feet.
Damp feet
You get damp feet? You might have been too warm in your boots, making your feet sweat. Open your boots as wide as possible and let them dry freely for 36 to 48 hours. Make sure they are dry before putting them on again, or else your feet might get cold, and you’ll have to wait two more days. Your boots are warm and made for the outside; if you wear them inside for too long, this inconvenience might happen again.
Still have questions?