A safety boot is a specially developed product designed to give the foot protection, comfort, warmth and support. But we believe you should expect the same from your socks – after all, they’re in direct contact with your skin.
In this blog, we're going to tell you what kind of socks you should consider wearing with safety footwear, and how they can complement your boots to optimise safety and maintain good foot health.
When in safety boots, your work sock should:
PROVIDE WARMTH
Work socks can be very effective in protecting your feet from the cold – but when we say ‘feet,’ we don’t just mean toes. Working outdoors in windy, wintry weather can also cause cold ankles and calves, so a thick and long pair of socks can provide an effective solution and leave you to focus on the job, not the cold.
What to look for:
Socks with a high wool content are great at keeping feet warm, due to wool’s naturally insulating properties. Find out how else to combat the cold in this blog.
REDUCE RUBBING
Your work sock should be durable, but they also need to be soft. This way, you’ll have another line of defence against chaffing or rubbing which can cause blistering – and a lot of discomfort. Also, as soon as your socks get holes in them – it's time for a new pair – as with the below, holes can cause blistering or rubbing!
What to look for:
A sock with no-rub seams will minimise chaffing. No-rub seams are the result of a circular knit, which gives the end of the sock a flatter and less prominent seamline, which means less potential for irritation of the foot. (and the wearer!)
Why not take a look at our ESOK6 navy work socks? (pictured) Their no-rub seams are made for total comfort.
keep feet cool and dry
We’ve covered the cold weather - but what about in the summer? Sweaty feet are more vulnerable to blistering as the skin becomes softer when wet. To keep feet cool, particularly in hot weather, your sock should wick sweat away from the foot.
What to look for:
A sock made with loop pile stitching will wick moisture away effectively, because its small fibre loops act like a towel to absorb sweat and provide air circulation and heat dispersal, keeping feet dry in warmer conditions.
BE DURABLE
The average tradesperson walks up to 12,000 steps per day, so while socks have to be soft on the skin, they need to be tough as well.
What to look for:
For durability and comfort, a sock with a reinforced toe and heel (such as the ESOK8S work sock, pictured) will reduce friction and pressure whilst remaining hard-wearing. After all, we protect our feet with toecaps and protect our boots with scuff caps - why not give our feet the same treatment?
LET’S TALK MATERIAL
The most common materials used in socks are cotton, wool and polyester. Let’s look at the V12 sock range, what they're made of - and why you might chose one over the other.
COTTON: THE VSOK4S FAWN WORK SOCK
A sock with a high cotton content means it's soft, but also dense which makes it a thick, hard-wearing and heavy-duty work sock.
V12's VSOK4S Fawn work sock (pictured) is a great example of how a high cotton content sock can compliment a work boot's durability.
Perfect for wearers who:
- Walk a lot as part of their job
- Are in their boots most or all of the day
WOOL: THE ESOK6 AND ESOK8 WORK SOCK
As well as giving warmth, wool can help feet stay dry as it has natural moisture-wicking properties.
This means a wool sock like our ESOK6 and ESOK8S (pictured) won't absorb or 'hold' as much water, which makes it more comfortable to wear if exposed to moisture.
Perfect for wearers who:
- Work outdoors
- Work around water and want to compliment a water-resistant boot
SYNTHETIC MATERIAL
It’s a popular opinion that socks made of synthetics like polyester aren’t as effective or kind to feet because they’re not natural materials. However, most sock material such as wool and cotton contain a degree of synthetic elements to make them more resilient and less likely to develop holes after wear.
So now you know what you’re looking for in a sock, to take your foot health and comfort to a whole new level, head to our range now.
