J.B. Field's40 Below Arctic Trail Thermal Winter Socks for Hiking, Trekking & Outdoor Activity, 85% Preshrunk Wool

Well worth the money! I live in the mountains and we just got slammed with snow this year. I have a lot of land and needed to walk to shovel snow off several roofs. Standing and walking in waist deep snow in sub-freezing temps my hands, nose, neck and face were cold but not my feet. Even when I was standing in an icy stream clearing a jam once it warmed enough for there to be a stream. Ankle deep in very cold water with these socks and regular gum boot and I was fine for well over an hour.

I reside in New England and walk, weather permitting, every day. The socks keep my feet very warm and comfortable during the winter walks.

As someone with cold feet, these socks proved to be really warm and comfortable.I recommend them and have ordered more.

They are very thick but they have the same problem as other socks. Once you put them on, the bottom gets squished and thins out, and they lose insulation properties. That is the most crucial part of any sock if you want to stay warm. A few years ago I found a couple pairs of thick Fox River socks for $5.Last winter I did an experiment. Long range shooting (sitting for 2+ hrs) exposed to 19 mph wind with temperature of -23F and Windchill of -35F. I had 3 pairs of socks (base layer, middleweight, then this sock) on one foot and cheap Fox River on another foot. Then thermal US Army wool inserts, all that packed into N-1B US Army mukluks. I would say Fox River was either equal or a bit warmer (I am just comparing I have nothing to do with Fox River). And yes my Mukluks were lose so I did not stop circulation and left some air for insulation. I have been doing extreme cold weather adventures like this for 10+ years.Are they warm? Yes. Are they -40F capable? Not even close. Best guess -10F with a couple more layers.But they are still among thickest socks you can find around.

While they do keep my feet as warm as tube socks in snow boots (minus keeping the wind and wet off), my toes are aching at +5 degrees, and nights are dipping to -5, so I'm finding I still need to add enough external heat to keep the aching cold and calf-muscle cramping, defeating the purpose of buying -40 (and previously, -35 of another brand) socks. These are noticeably better than the previous pair of -35 degree socks I first bought from another company, and I do like that I got two pairs of J.B. Field's socks for the price of one pair of the other brand. Of course, if I'm exercising or doing physical labor, my feet are toasty (unless they were cold before I started, then it's always hard to get them warm again without being in truly warm indoors, or propping my feet in front of a space-heater.I purchased these to keep my feet warm without needing to apply external heat while I sat or slept through the morning hours in places and circumstances without fireplaces or electricity. They are going to save me money in the long run, since I don't need to apply heat if the temperature's in the +10s or above, but they aren't doing what I bought them for for temps down to -20. In the event we get down to -30, again, I wouldn't really expect -40 socks to actually keep my toes warm, let alone, down to -40, without some scientifically engineered materials, not wool and plastics, but I did expect these socks to work at least to -10. And I will also add the final bit that I am wearing a wool-based sock lining with these, so even with an added wool layer, I'm still not getting warm feet just above 0 degrees, which is nowhere near -40, right?A heads up: Obviously, if a sock is mainly made of wool, or cotton, and/or polyester/rayon, it's going to be thicker the lower the temperature rating it's for, so no one should be surprised these are, indeed, thick. How thick? I had to remove my insole cushions so my socked feet had room, and they are thick enough, as well, to provide the otherwise missing cushion. :) Make sure you have extra toe-room in the footwear you intend to use them with, before trying to wear these socks in them, and you'll be fine if the temperatures stay above 0, and you will need to burn calories for temps below that, unless you have hot feet naturally, which I don't.

I wear these for sleeping...they are especially nice. I bought them a size big and wear a thin sock underneath as a liner...heaven! The quality of the wool/manufacturing is evident. I want to buy more.

These are huge. I bought the M for women’s US size 5-9. I wear 7 1/2. I cold probably fit 2 feet in these. Unsure if I should try to shrink them. More like a tube sock in that there isn’t much of a shape to them.

This sock has been completely redesigned for 2017. 1) It is charcoal, not nearly black in color. The company says it is because the sock is really a light color that has been dyed black, but they can't get it true black, just grey. WASH first (I didn't), or you feet will turn grey. 2) It is really thicker and warmer than the previous version. It's more like a thick boot sock and a bit hard to get into shoes with. 3) This is no longer made with soft super comfortable merino, it's sort of old school thick and slightly stiff wool. 4) They definitely shrink more than the old sock, so buy one size larger. 5) there is more elastic in the upper, so it clamps the ankles more than the old comfortable version and leaves tracks on the skin by nighttime.These are great sox, the warmest I have found yet. Way better than Smartwool, Minus 33, Wigwam or Icebreaker, which I have regretfully bought. They do not fall apart either. When it's cold out, I run for the new version of these socks even though they are not the most comfortable. I have six pairs of the original ones, and another six pairs of the -30 socks.If you want a less snug fit, get the -30 in this brand. They are excellent too, for sure less warm, but the wool is the really soft wonderful merino.