How to keep warm – sheepskin boots

How to keep warm working from home

How to keep warm is a major concern of home workers in these days of rising fuel prices. So we tested some sheepskin boots.

Sheepskin boots – Whooga Women’s Classic Short

*Whooga is no longer in business, but the following review may help you make a good choice if you’re thinking of buying your first pair of sheepskin boots*

Design ****
They are made out of sheepskin and Whooga claim to use a thicker fleece than other manufacturers. Comparing these to the Emu boots I previously had, I’d agree. I know many people think sheepskin boots are ugly, but I don’t agree and I only wear mine at home anyway.
This pair are black, and my partner says they are far more flattering than my previous sand-coloured pair, which he says made me look like the Honey Monster!

Well-made ****
The seams are double-stitched, and the boots are well put-together. The soles, and therefore the boots, are noticeably lighter than those of Emu boots, and the inevitable assumption is that they must be poorer quality, but I’m used to them now and they are fine. Not sure if they’d wear out quicker if you wore them outside, but that’s not relevant from a home working point of view.

Practical *****
That’s one of the best points about wearing sheepskin boots to keep warm in your home office – nothing extraneous to wear, no gadget to plug in and switch on and off, just footwear that keeps your tootsies beautifully warm! And that applies equally when you go to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee or pop outside to fetch the washing in. I’ve stood on tile and concrete floors to cook, and stayed just as warm. Just watch out for grease splashes if you have a light-coloured pair. (Whooga has a handy cleaning guide on their website).

Efficient *****
The Whooga boots website was the first place I read that you should wear sheepskin boots without socks, an idea I would have completely dismissed if I hadn’t worn my Emus for four years. I’m sitting here now in a cool room with no heating and no socks and my feet are as warm as toast.
I never believed either, until I experienced it, the theory that sheepskin can keep your feet warm in winter but not make them unbearably hot and sweaty in warmer weather. But it’s absolutely true! The reason I don’t wear them in summer is because I want a change of footwear to reflect the season.
Whooga is the only manufacturer I’ve come across that supplies a measuring guide. I measured my feet and went up a size from my old Emus, but the boots were a very snugg (sorry!) fit at first and pressed on my big toes. They’ve now stretched a bit and are perfectly comfortable. They need to be a close fit to stop any draughts.

Economical*****
I got my Whooga boots from Amazon Warehouse for a bargain £59.50 plus free delivery. Amazon Warehouse deals in returns and mine were described as ‘like new, but without the original tags and packaging’. No problem, that gets recycled straightaway anyway, and the boots were indeed perfect. Normally they cost £85 plus £4 delivery.
Sheepskin boots this length cost anything up to £165 a pair, depending on how much you covet a label. If, like me, that doesn’t bother you, read the descriptions carefully to make sure you’re getting proper sheepskin and not cheap imitations.
Don’t be put off if you see poor reviews for Whooga boots on the Amazon website – these do not reflect the quality of the boots, purely the fact that Amazon advertises them as Ugg boots by Whooga, which is misleading. So some people think they are buying the ‘Ugg’ label and are understandably disappointed. In fact, ‘ugg‘ describes the type of boot, not the brand, a fact not well-known outside Australia, where the boots originated.

Overall score 4.6 *****

Best for
chilly home workers who wonder how to keep warm when they spend a lot of time sitting down, at the computer or other sedentary activities. I can honestly say that discovering sheepskin boots transformed my home working life in winter – having warm feet really does seem to keep the rest of your body warmer and it certainly makes me much happier, which has got to have a knock-on effect!