Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on February 4, 2026.
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One thing I really hate when being out in the winter is having cold hands and feet. The rest of my body can deal with cold just fine with layers, but cold appendages, particularly when I’m skiing, are the worst- so much so that I often found myself quitting for the day, not because I was tired or had my fill, but because my hands or feet were far too cold.
So I went for the overkill method of staying warm and acquired a good pair of heated gloves and heated socks to wear while skiing. But I was curious, are these really a game-changer, or are they more of a novelty that only works part of the way?
While I am over-the-moon thrilled with how effective my gloves are, the socks are a different story. Although I’m glad to have both, I want to share some thoughts on each in this one.
Heated Socks Are A Bit Hit-or-Miss
Both heated socks and heated gloves work by having a battery-powered heating element embedded in the material. For heated socks, this often means a battery on the side of a knee-high sock, a cable running down to the sole, and a heating element embedded around the foot (which may vary in placement by brand).
When I first tried my heated socks on their own (Zuoyi brand), I found the heat to be somewhat disappointing. With socks on alone, I could barely tell the difference from room temperature. The heat was on max, but the heat output felt minimal.
It was here that I realized that heat is only good as the material that insulates it, and with a pair of socks, you really don’t have that much. You have to put your socks in something to really trap the heat in!
I tested these with a normal pair of shoes and could feel a bit of heat. Not a lot, but it was there. Much like wearing socks alone, my shoes were probably not the greatest of insulators, and I was losing heat almost as fast as it was warming me up. But put the socks in my plastic ski boots? I could really tell the difference. In fact, in this particular instance, the socks got so warm I feel like they started to burn my skin, and I kept them on the medium setting most of the time as a result.
Although I find the output range of heated gloves to be a lot better, which I’ll discuss below, I could tell that heated socks made a marked difference when placed in something that holds heat in, like ski boots.
In a way, heated socks felt a bit better than nothing, but I could also see how being particular about brands and their heating element setups could also go a long way, too. That said, for my particular socks, I liked how I couldn’t feel the placement of the power cable and heating element, as this is a common complaint in reviews of socks. So comfort and heat can also be a bit of a balance here!
Heated Gloves Are The Best
Heated gloves, on the other hand, are my favorite when it is cold out.
One of the reasons I like heated gloves a bit more than heated socks is that they come with their own insulator. Conventional gloves work, in part at least, by trapping your own body heat in via insulated fabric. So naturally, adding a heating element inside the gloves gives your hands an extra punch to stay warm.
And oh do you get warm!
When out skiing on days below 10 °F, my gloves were toasty. So much so that after a while, I had to turn them down from their highest setting. That’s really toasty. Where my fingers would otherwise start to get a little tingly from the cold, they were quite comfortable after many hours of use- making me an instant fan.
I did find that my first pair, made by Wasoto Heat, was not terribly consistent between gloves, however. My right glove felt like it didn’t get quite as hot as the left, and while it still functioned decently enough, after a few uses, it felt noticeably different. I’d equate it to outputting heat at one tier lower than the other glove, despite being at max output.
One email to the company to ask about this, and they told me that they would happily ship me a replacement glove, but were unfortunately out of stock for the season and could ship me a pair the next year. This was fine, as I emailed them towards the end of the winter season anyway and didn’t need my gloves until the next season anyway. But to my surprise, they shipped me an entire new set when I followed up later in the fall!
Even better? Both gloves work great, and I couldn’t be happier.
So, do you need both? While I really am glad I picked up pairs of both heated gloves and heated socks, for the pairs I have tested, I do have to admit that I find the gloves to be far better at warming than the socks. This may be a function of the socks themselves (potentially their design, battery output, or something else entirely), or perhaps even my own shoes and ski boots and their insulating capabilities (since the socks don’t have a built-in insulating layer the way gloves do).
But, although my gloves may feel warmer than the socks, for both, they are better than nothing, and when it comes to having cold fingers and toes in the winter months, they help get the job done all the same.
Have you tried heating clothing for the wintertime? What do you think about them? Comment to share!
About Jeremy
About the Author: Jeremy is a full-time travel writer based in Pittsburgh and primary author of this site. He has been to 80+ countries on five continents and seeks out new food, adventure activities, and off-the-beaten-path experiences wherever he travels.