I work at an animal sanctuary at the outskirts of San Diego. It's been cold. Snow on the ground cold. My regular cotton socks don't cut it, even with toe warmers! And with a wool allergy, I'm hesitant to try wool socks. I finally (!!) after many years of wearing Coalatree products, decided to try their socks. Yeah, I'm an eejit. Dunno why I didn't try these before. Maybe because the first sentence says "hiking socks?" These are not that. I wear these all day in steel-toed work boots at an animal sanctuary, and then the next day while walking around as a docent volunteer (same boots) at my local (world famous) zoo. Working socks. Not hiking socks. They keep my feet warm, dry, and they are oh-so-comfortable. I'm now color coded (green for the sanctuary, red for the zoo), and a couple of pair so I don't have to do laundry every week (more eco friendly, no?). (And yes, when I'm out at the sanctuary, I'm wearing a Baseline Midlayer under my eco-down jacket. This combo truly keeps me warm!