Not too long ago I had the chance to start testing Thermacell’s Proflex heated insoles. My initial impressions article can be found here. These are the heavy-duty, premium offering from Thermacell so if these aren’t sufficient, I don’t think any of their options will be.
Being adequate isn’t a concern here though. If your worries are related to the temperature output, the three settings between 100F and 115F are more than capable. Thermacell states they want settings that keep your feet warm, but not hot enough to start sweating. During some extended jaunts in the snow, I found starting on medium then quickly turning the insoles down to low was plenty effective at keeping my feet warm on the move. If you’re going to be sitting still for an extended time (hunting blind, patrol base) the high setting will eliminate frozen foot syndrome.
The lesser of my two main concerns going into testing was battery life. These are pretty small batteries so it seemed natural to wonder if they would hold up. Thermacell advertises up to 8.5 hours on the low setting. I’ve found this to be pretty accurate. Considering how effective these insoles are at heating, you will often find yourself either using a lower setting than you expected or turning them off for a spell. On on charge I got more than a week of off and on use.
The greater of my two concerns was comfort. The insoles themselves seemed a good middle ground between cushioned and firm, but having a battery under my heel gave me pause. Luckily, this turned out to be a (mostly) unfounded worry. The cushion on the battery ended up being sufficient enough that the battery didn’t even get noticed until near the end of the day. I never got near the level of discomfort I was thinking would hit. Well played Thermacell…
As I covered in my initial impressions article, linking these to my iPhone via the free app was painless. Being able to keep an eye on battery life is a big plus. Changing settings is just a click of a touchscreen away. All told, this aspect of the product was a total breeze.
So, if you find yourself with ice block feet on a regular basis, check out Thermacell’s Proflex insoles. While MSRP on these is $199.99, I was able to find them new online for around $135. I’d say they’re very much worth a look.
