I do a lot of work outdoors, sometimes in damp ditches and sometimes in the attics of unheated buildings. My feet get pretty cold in the winter, often times they get wet or damp and it’s hard to get them warm again. I’ve tried pretty much everything and often thought that a heated insole would do the trick. I didn’t realize that they existed. But they do!
Thermacell sent me a pair of their Thermacell ProFLEX Heated Insoles to try out this winter and I wanted to go ahead and share some info on them with you. I haven’t had the chance to fully test them out but I can share what I’ve noticed so far and then update you this winter.
Thermacell ProFLEX Heated Insoles
The Thermacell ProFLEX Heated Insoles come in different sizes and have pretty good flexibility. The battery is in the heel and the heater is near the ball of the foot. These heated insoles are made of a Polyurethane foam which lets it have some bend and give when I walk. They fit really great it my work boots.
You can see in the photo below that the heal is nice and thick and the battery sits down inside there so it gives me pretty good padding on my feet as I work. The battery surface is foam as well so it isn’t hard on the foot.
The batteries can be removed and plugged into the included charger for recharging. They come with a wall charger than can also be used in any USB port. It only took a couple hours for mine to be fully charged.
The heater inside doesn’t get hot, it gets warm near your toes. This, combined with your socks and shoes/boots, lets the heat sort of radiate around your feet to keep them at body temperature. This way, they don’t get too hot, start to sweat and then get cold again and freeze.
I could tell right away when they started to heat up. They did feel warmer in my hand and then on my feet so I think they’ll make a big difference this winter.
Thermacell ProFLEX Heated Insoles are water resistant. Not totally water proof, so you wouldn’t want to immerse them directly in water but if my work boots get wet while working, they should be fine. These are made for cold weather so snow, rain and ice have been taken into consideration.
There is an included remote control. The remote control is wireless and has three settings:
- No Heat
- Medium
- High
It is made like a key fob so I can keep it on my keychain and turn the insoles on/off throughout the day as needed. There is a newer version called Thermacell Bluetooth Heated Insoles ProFLEX Heavy Duty. I’m wondering if those might be a little better for my type of work since they are heavy duty and offer the Bluetooth technology to control the insoles by a free app, available for iphone or android? Those are said to have a longer battery life, charge 80% in 80 minutes and long-lasting durability.
Either way, I’m looking forward to trying out the ones I received and seeing how warm they keep my feet and how they hold up to my work.
This item is included on our 2016 Holiday Gift Guide!
Have you ever tried a heated insole? What did you think?
Clay is a dad of 4 living in Kentucky. He is the co-owner/blogger here at Cinnamon Hollow. Clay enjoys DIY home projects, traveling in the Great Smoky Mountains and is an avid University of Kentucky basketball fan. He and Crystal have been married for 1000 years, give or take a few. :0)