Powder guide: material test Heat socks 5.0 toe cap

A sock that not only warms the soles of the feet, but especially the toe area - that is certainly of interest to all frozen skiers' feet among us. The small Vorarlberg company Lenz has made a name for itself in recent years with heatable socks, instead of heatable soles, as is already the case with many suppliers. How does the technology work? Does it really apply to us as freeriders or ski tourers who have high demands in terms of pack size, battery life and the most important thing - really warm feet?

The Lenz family company has set itself the goal of conquering the ski market, mountain biking, equestrian sports and other outdoor and winter sports with heatable socks. Their concept: lithium-ion batteries that are attached to the socks at the push of a button (not a button to turn them on, no real buttons to button them on). The socks are longer than "regular" socks, have a gusset at the top of the knee and three rivet button receivers to which the battery can be pressed. When the battery and sock are one, the extended sock band is folded over and the battery disappears underneath. A small flash remains, which signals: the sock is ready to heat!

I can no longer remember the day when my toes were white, cold and stiff for the first time when I pulled them out of my ski boots in the evening. It started on some glacier (probably some training where you do more standing than skiing...) and has been with me ever since. The cold toe problem. At some point the front part of the sole of the foot can no longer be felt, it doesn't hurt, but half of my power-transmitting sole is no longer really active. I notice that the turns are getting rougher and the fun factor is decreasing. Beginning of the season in Saas Fee at -20°C and wind chill. Skiing mood is huge, feet don't want to join in. Annoying.

That's when I discovered the Heat Socks and I'm curious to test them. Area of ​​application Freeride and Freetour, although I rarely have cold feet for a long time on tour.

The only ski boot used in the test is a Lange XT Freetour boot with SIDAS Winter sole and Intuition Liner.

First impression/features:

The Lenz Heat Sock 5.0. comes in a box, red and black, like the sock itself. Design plain, simple. I'm not holding a style product in my hand here, but something that sets my toes on fire. The sock is hardly heavier than a standard ski sock. Three press studs on the waistband and a sewn-in line to the toe cap. The toe cap is what makes it stand out. It surrounds the toes from above and below and thus creates a (not necessarily noticeable) but warm, i.e. pleasant feeling. The socks are made to measure, ergonomic fit, reinforcements in skier-relevant areas such as ankles and shins, plus they are odorless (and without merino wool).

Test:

Unfortunately, at the beginning of the test period it was frighteningly warm (New Year's Eve, rain) and the heating function of the socks remained switched off. Nevertheless, they are easy to wear. The small batteries are so light that you don't feel them while skiing, they don't pinch and don't get in the way under ski pants.

If you turn it on manually, you have 3 levels of heating. They are set using a button on the battery, which can also be operated through the ski pants after briefly pressing it. The "standard variant" via the manual push of a button proves to be practical when it's so cold that you really need your socks and the cell phone battery (for using the app) gives up the ghost as soon as you take it out of your pocket.

Contactless control via the app is possible without having to look for the button on the lower leg. Once you have connected the batteries to the "Lenz Heat App" (available in all common app stores) via Bluetooth, you can switch them on at the beginning of the day at the push of a button and then control them very conveniently via the app. Here you have the option of setting 9 different heating levels. In addition, a distinction can be made between right and left. For example, if you have major cold damage to your right big toe, you can heat up the right sock more than the left. Interval heating can also be set using the app function. Programs of 20 minutes heating and 20 minutes break are possible at most, for the change warm quick intervals there are also 1 minute intervals. My test shows: saves electricity, but not so much that it's really worth using. You can also display the glowing of the LEDs on the Li-ion batteries here. This may not matter to us as freeriders, but if you also want to use the socks for hunting (?!), you can be sure that you will not “hunt” any game with them.

I spent a long time looking for a button or instructions to switch off the socks completely. They cannot be set to OFF mode manually. If the LED flashes on level II, you are on standby. If the batteries are no longer connected to the socks via snap fasteners, they automatically switch to OFF mode after 12 hours.

Topic power consumption/battery life:
After use, the batteries are removed from the ski socks and attached to a battery charging unit with the same button strip. This is small and handy, takes about 2 hours to fully charge under 230V household electricity, using a second battery in the bus (with 12V) takes much longer, but it also works. I usually let the socks run manually at the push of a button on level 1 during the day, the batteries last for a whole day, with economical use it sometimes went for 3 days. According to the manufacturer, the runtime should be at least 14 hours at level 1.

After (weeks) of use, I wash the socks at 30°C in the washing machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Afterwards they look like new, no lint or worn spots after 20 days of use and one wash.

Speaking of which - sustainability: the materials used in the socks comply with Ecotec certification and the batteries (incl. charging technology) are CE certified. The Lenz company is not trying to save the world with their company, "but to set positive impulses through their products." Examples are resource-saving production, non-toxic dyeing processes and plastic-free packaging (the "Think About" Every Day sock series from Lenzproducts.com) .

Conclusion:

Who pays almost 250€ for socks? I! Because the Lenz Heat socks 5.0 with lithium pack let me ski in a relaxed manner and guarantee warm feet, regardless of whether it's -20°C or I'm waiting a lot for my fellow skiers :) and that's why I get cold. This winter shows us once again that rain and temperatures from 0°C to 3000m in January are nothing unusual anymore.

So is it worth it? Investing in the future warmth of your feet when it gets warmer every winter anyway? Yes, is my answer. Are the inner shoes not completely dry because you've been on a road trip for a week with insufficient auxiliary heating or the line to the lift because the powder day in the morning is colder than expected... My most meaningful new acquisition this winter!