The 3 Best Sneakers To Keep You Warm This Winter

New Balance 992

The first sneaker on this list is one of my favourite sneakers of all time – in all seriousness, what is there not to like about the New Balance 992? The silhouette of the 992 is timeless and if you opt for the made in US version, you’ll be sure to receive a shoe of the highest quality too. The Made in US version of the New Balance 992 comes with a guarantee that the materials used in the making of the shoe are worth 70% or more than the price of the shoe. In the UK, the New Balance 992 retails for £200; this means that the materials used in the making of these sneakers are worth at least £140. For a consumer, this should provide peace of mind – the knowledge that the materials used on the shoe are worth £140 gives a guarantee that the shoe is of good quality.

Most of the colourways on the New Balance 992 incorporate suede into the design. When it comes to materials, suede is the material that suits the Winter most. Currently, I’m looking at the traditional, grey with white colourway of the New Balance 992. Most of the shoe features suede on the upper and the colourway features neutral tones that accompany winter well – the grey and white would go well with the dull skies and rain that we are so used to (especially in the UK!). In the introduction, we defined a winter sneaker as one that is warm and comfortable. The New Balance 992 ticks both of these boxes. The inside of the shoe is plush and the sock liner is comfortable and provides warmth (box number one is ticked!). New Balance shoes, in general, are known for their comfort and the 992 is no different. In fact, I find the New Balance 992 is more comfortable than many other models released by the company like the 991 or the 2002R. The comfort of the shoe can be attributed to the ABZORB midsole that has become the trademark midsole on New Balance’s flagship sneakers. Many reviewers and users of the shoe say that the New Balance 992 provides comfort for hours on end, even if you are standing or continuously walking. While the 992 is a lifestyle/casual sneaker, the resemblances to a running sneaker can definitely be seen. The benefit of this is that the shoe is good for walking and running.

Overall, the New Balance 992 is a great example of a winter sneaker. The colourways are fairly neutral and they compliment the season of winter as a whole; the shoe is comfortable and warm too. Personally, I have nothing negative to say about the 992 except maybe that the price is high, but in the end, you get more than what you pay for.

Yeezy 500

The Yeezy 500, that is better known as the Yeezy Boot, is the perfect winter sneaker – I mean just look at it. Have you seen a sneaker that is better suited to the winter than the Yeezy 500? Personally, I don’t think I have. While it’s not the best looking sneaker created by Ye, it certainly does the job, especially in the season of winter. The fact that it has been dubbed the Yeezy Boot suggest it is perfect for the winter (because a boot is the shoe that is designed specifically for the winter). The most desirable colourway for the Yeezy 500 is the High Mist Stone colourway; while the Yeezy 500 isn’t available for retail prices as of now, you don’t have a to pay a premium for this shoe when compared to other sneakers that have been released by Yeezy. Similar to the New Balance 992, the Yeezy 500 High Mist Stone features neutral colours that seem to go well with the dull tones of winter. The shoes were released in October of 2021, meaning that they are fairly new in terms of releases, and they retailed for £180 or $220. As of resell prices, I have seen the Yeezy 500 High Mist Stone go for around the £250 or $320 range which is not bad for a sneaker released by Yeezy.

This shoe also ticks both of the boxes that were set out in the introduction- the shoe is both warm and comfortable. The warmth of the shoe comes from the soft inners of the shoe that are designed to make your foot feel and fit snugly. The actual shoe is composed of leather, neoprene and suede (as I stated earlier, suede is the best material for winter sneakers) and the Yeezy 500 is said to resemble the hiking boots of the 1990s. The comfort of the shoe is derived from the adiPRENE midsole – note here that the Yeezy 500 does not feature a midsole of Boost when compared to the Yeezy 350. In my other articles, I have stated that Boost is the best for midsoles, period so it was quite disappointing to see that Adidas and Yeezy did not employ the Yeezy midsole for the Yeezy 500. The only thing that comes to mind as to why they did not use Boost for the midsole is because of the fact that adiPRENE provides more support than Boost does so it may be more appropriate for a boot.

Overall, the Yeezy 500 is a great example of a winter sneaker. The colourway compliments the season of Winter well and it looks appropriate for any weather, snow and rain alike.

Air Force 1

The Air Force 1 has seen a surge in popularity – the sneaker literally goes with anything. The white version of the Air Force 1 should be on the top of everyone’s wish list if you don’t have a pair as of yet. While the Air Force 1 (or G-Fazo’s as dubbed by Chicago rapper, G Herbo) is usually associated with the summer, it is a great winter sneaker too. I don’t need to say anything more about the shoe but I’ll give you a brief description as to why the shoe is a good winter sneaker. The leather upper of the shoe means that wind doesn’t get through the shoe easily – knit materials, that are often used on running sneakers, allow wind to pass through easily. While this is good for breathability, it also means that cold winds pass straight through the upper of the shoe and into the actual shoe. This means that your feet stay cold and the feeling of this is not a good one. The Air Force 1 doesn’t have this problem because of the fact that it features a leather upper that simply deflects winds rather than a letting them pass. There are still small perforations on the upper of the shoe that allow for a bit of breathability (means that your feet don’t suffocate!) but the shoe is good at keeping winds out.

When you pair the leather upper (that keeps winds out) with the insulation in the inner of the shoe, you have a shoe that provides good levels of warmth. Most sneakerheads probably own a pair of Air Force 1s and all of them will testify to the fact that the Air Force 1 is a very, very comfortable shoe. While it doesn’t feature any innovative technology in terms of the midsole, it is still comfortable. After a few wears of the shoe, the Air Force 1s almost mould themselves to your feet and become very comfortable to wear. It almost feels like if the Air Force 1s were made for you to wear after a couple wears of the shoe and the shoes just ‘feel right’.

Overall, the Air Force is a great shoe – not just a good winter sneaker, it does arguably a better job in the Summer. You can’t really go wrong with a pair of Air Force 1s so you might as-well give them a chance if you don’t already have a pair.

Conclusion

That brings this list of winter sneakers to an end. There aren’t many sneakers that are designed specifically for the purpose of being a winter sneaker but the 3 shoes listed above are the best examples of these types of sneakers you can find. There were a few more shoes that could have been on this list but I excluded them because of the fact that they look hideous – I only write about shoes that I would wear myself and I would never wear those (cough… Yeezy Knit RNR BT … cough). I hope you found this list useful and thanks for reading!