Alpaca wool is absolutely warmer (and softer, and less itchy) than any type of sheep wool.

However, if it's REALLY cold out, socks aren't the answer to warm feet, insulated shoes/boots are.

quote:

Originally posted by MagicHorse:
Your feet will also stay warmer if your shoes/boots are slightly big. The extra "channel" of air between your feet & boots acts as an insulator. Same idea as when birds ruffle their feathers up in the cold, they are trapping the air for warmth.

What keeps your feet warm is mostly the warm blood flowing through them, and what makes them cold is heat escaping through your socks and shoes/boots. If you lace your shoes/boots tight, it reduces blood flow, which reduces how much heat gets to your feet, but doesn't do anything about how much heat escapes (or maybe makes it worse, as you said, by smooshing your socks down and reducing the thickness of the sock-and-air insulation layer), so your feet get colder.

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:
Alpaca wool is absolutely warmer (and softer, and less itchy) than any type of sheep wool.

However, if it's REALLY cold out, socks aren't the answer to warm feet, insulated shoes/boots are.

quote:

Originally posted by MagicHorse:
Your feet will also stay warmer if your shoes/boots are slightly big. The extra "channel" of air between your feet & boots acts as an insulator. Same idea as when birds ruffle their feathers up in the cold, they are trapping the air for warmth.

What keeps your feet warm is mostly the warm blood flowing through them, and what makes them cold is heat escaping through your socks and shoes/boots. If you lace your shoes/boots tight, it reduces blood flow, which reduces how much heat gets to your feet, but doesn't do anything about how much heat escapes (or maybe makes it worse, as you said, by smooshing your socks down and reducing the thickness of the sock-and-air insulation layer), so your feet get colder.

This is exactly my experience. I have cold feet all the time, even in the summertime in my house. My feet use to freeze when hunting in show and ice with the occasional ditch crossing, with waterproof/insulated leather boots. After swithching to "Acrtic Pro" model rubber/neoprene boots by Muck Boot Company, my feet have never been cold since, even when sitting still in freezing temps. The key for me is to wear thin or medium-thin merino socks in the boot. And this model of boot has some kine of lining that "pumps" moisture out of the boot, and damn it actually works. I can go all day sitting and walking miles in the worst conditions deer hunting and when I get home and pull the boots off, the socks are only very slightly damp if at all, and my toes are toasty warm. I also use these boots in the summertime as well around the house and hunting if there is any water involved. My feet do not overheat in these boots in warm weather. The socks and the Muck boot wicking lining pull out all the moisture. So with 43 years of Type 1 diabetes and foot neuropathy, these are the only boots that have worked 100% for me in cold or wet conditions. And most important, the boots are not tight, they are slightly loose, which is why my feet can breathe and circulate blood into the toes. This is the biggest factor of all. Tight boots are bad boots in very cold/wet weather, whether leather or rubber etc. But the looseness of these boots (thin socks) doesn't create hot spots for me because of the good fit of Muck Boots, at least for me.