Best Heated Insoles

On frigid winter days, it can be extremely frustrating if your feet are cold. A great way to keep your feet warm is by using heated insoles. They easily slide into whichever shoes or boots you are wearing, to make the great outdoors much more bearable for your feet and toes. There are generally two forms of heated insoles: 1. Battery-powered, and 2. Single-use disposable. For the purpose of this article, we will be focusing on battery-powered, as it is better for the environment as these heated insoles can be used over and over again. 

Heated insoles can be used for winter activities, sporting events, or work during autumn or winter months, or perhaps a chilly spring. If you are ready to warm up those feet, keep reading, and we’ll provide you some helpful tips on choosing the right pair of heated insoles for you.

Battery-powered heated insoles have inbuilt heating elements placed in the front of the insoles. The rechargeable battery that powers it is kept in the heel region of the insole. To control the heating of these insoles most products will have a wireless remote control. For sizing generally many come in a universal size that you are able to trim to fit the size of foot/shoes. There are also size specific insoles as well if you don’t want to do any adjustments yourself.

When buying heated insoles it is important to consider a variety of factors, here are some basics of heated insoles.

Battery-powered vs. Disposable

We mentioned earlier that this article would focus on battery-powered heated insoles. But you may come across disposable (chemically) heated insoles of your search.

If you will only be using a heated insole once (for a long hike perhaps), then disposable heated insoles can be great. They are also convenient for work crews or if you have friends joining you on a hike or camping trip. Disposable heated insoles will generally last up to 9 hours, and will warm to full heat within 15-30 minutes of activation.

Battery-powered electric heated insoles can be used multiple times, and are a long-lasting product. You can also adjust the heat settings on most insoles, something which cannot be done on disposable ones. They will also be more comfortable than single-use disposable insoles, as they are meant for repeated use. If you do wear them a lot they will need to be replaced eventually, just like the majority of insoles

Base-level settings

Heated insoles will most likely have multiple settings to choose from, which allow you to choose a desired level of heating. The heat output will remain constant on whichever setting is chosen. In extremely cold temperatures you may not feel like they are generating as much heat, however, they still are, but here they have two jobs: to heat your foot, and compete with the outside coldness trying to penetrate your footwear.

Heat activation

Battery-powered heated insoles will be activated at the press of a button, usually on a wireless controller. Disposable heated insoles will activate by shaking them. Both types of heated insoles should heat to their manufacturer-recommended temperatures within 15 to 30 minutes.

Size

The majority of heated insoles are one size fits all, and you can usually trim the insole to make it fit to your foot/shoe. You will be able to use scissors to trim them to the desired fit (don’t take too much off!), start taking less off. Some models sell using sizing, so if you want to avoid any DIY trimming, make sure you grab yourself a pair of them.

Quantity

Battery-powered heated insoles will come in a single pair. Disposable ones can often be purchased in bulk (30-40 pairs). If you will be working or traveling outside every day, then it’s likely that reusable battery-powered heated insoles will save you money.

Batteries

Typically battery-powered heated insoles will utilize batteries made of lithium-ion polymer. These batteries are rechargeable and can be charged in a few hours. They last hundreds of charges before they need to be replaced. Unfortunately, most heated insoles encase the battery compartment, meaning that if the batteries die you’ll have to get a new pair of insoles. You can get some heated insoles that have removable batteries.

Charging of batteries: There are wall plug options, and USB options for charging heated insoles. Typically you will find more options with wall plug charging, however USB options offer more advantages, as you can often charge via USB in most cars.

Warranty

Make sure to consider what kind of warranty a heated insole comes with when you are purchasing. Generally, if a brand/product is quality, it will come with a warranty. If a product does not have a warranty/guarantee then it may be best to proceed with caution, not to say that you can’t find a solid product that doesn’t offer a warranty.

Now that we’ve covered the basic of heated insoles, we will venture into some additional features.

Adhesive

It would be annoying to buy insoles that slide around inside your shoes. Many heated insoles come with adhesive strips and covers that help insoles stay in place. If you are using heated insoles for any sort of non-sedentary activity, you’ll likely want them to stay in place and not cause annoyance in your shoes.

Temperature control

People desire different heats, no matter the situation, if you are in your car or house, you probably have a different temperature preference than someone else you are with. Battery-powered Heated insoles give you that control. You can have the temperature on low for 8 hours (or the longest battery life of your particular insole), or you may have it on high for an hour, then low for a few more. It’s great that you can customize the amount of heat that you need or desire.

Heat settings

Disposable heated insoles will only have one temperature setting and begin losing their heat the longer they are used. Electric heated insoles can reach temperatures as high as 178°F. Most will have three temperature settings, which all for different levels of heating depending on user preference.

Blue tooth control

An awesome feature of some newer heated insoles is their ability to be controlled through Bluetooth via your phone. Phone applications will typically be free with the purchase of your heated insole, and you’ll be able to control the heat via this.

Water resistance

If you will be wearing heated insoles in the snow or rain, then you’ll want to get insoles that offer water resistance. You don’t want your insoles to stop working if they get wet, as this can increase your risk of frostbite.

Special Circumstances

There are some heated insoles that you are able to attach to motorcycles or snowmobiles if they have a 12V battery. Look out for these products if you will be using heated insoles for these activities.

Now that we’ve gone over the basics and extra features of heated insoles, let’s have a look at the benefits of having heated insoles.

The perks of having heated insoles are really about comfort, as well as safety.

Heated insoles are very safe to use, they have such a low voltage that any chance of electric shock or burns is extremely low. In fact, heated insoles increase the safety of your feet. If you go out in freezing temperatures you increase the risk of frostbite, especially if you are spending a significant amount of time, if your feet start to sweet and then cool this can increase the risk of frostbite as well with the added moisture. Heated insoles are designed to keep your feet at a consistent temperature to make sure your feet do not suffer any ill effects from cold weather.

Not only are heated insoles safe, but they can provide health benefits as well.

Preventing sickness – Cold feet can redirect blood away from other parts of the body that need it to fight infections elsewhere, for example in the sinuses to prevent pathogens from entering the bloodstream.

Reduce the risk of trench foot – which occurs when your feet are repeatedly exposed to wet and freezing conditions. Trench foot is when cold weather causes the blood vessels in your feet to constrict to help conserve heat, unfortunately this restricts the amount of nutrients and oxygen your blood vessels get and can cause tissue damage. Trench foot can even kill you (so keep those feet warm!).

Having healthy feet is the foundation of health in other parts of the body. If your feet are not healthy it can negatively affect the way we stand, and our posture. Compensating for unhealthy feet can have a domino effect on our knees, hips, and back. 

Any purchase that increases the chance of staying healthy is the best kind of investment you can make. So if you are on the fence about heated insoles, consider not only the added comfort, but the long term health benefits of reducing foot pain, and possibly pain in other areas of your body!

Heated insoles, just like any other product, vary in price. Price doesn’t always correlate with quality, however as a general rule the more you pay the better heated insole you get (not always!). 

Typically heated insoles cost anywhere between $15 and $80. Premium insoles can cost $200. If you are looking at $15 pairs, they are likely disposable and come in packs. In the $30 range, you can get both disposable and budget battery-charged reusable insoles. For a quality heated insole, we recommended that you look to spend $80 or more, this will give you the best chance of purchasing a reusable battery-powered insole with at least two heating elements. If you spend more money you will likely have the added benefit of a remote or Bluetooth compatibility. If you want to save some money but still get a reusable battery charge pair, then you can likely find one for less than $80 with wires and an ankle pack to house the batteries.