Never worn "sock shoes", but I swear by canvas-top boat shoes. The options for comfortable, supportive footwear are not great when you are dirt poor and have what one person has called "hobbit feet." (To prove a point: I typically need to go up half a size and get a wide for my feet to not feel squeezed along the sides. Further to the point: one person saw my bare feet and asked if I had opposable toes. Yes, my feet are so wide and spread out that my big toe looks like a foot-thumb. And shockingly enough, I don't have flat feet...)
Considering I live in Missouri, where the summers are searing and humid, the winters are bitter and blowly, and spring and fall are pretty much 3 months straight of rain and temperatures that are in need of a heavy-duty mood stabilizer, these shoes never feel hot, never feel cold, are easy enough to keep dry and don't look like I'm wearing technicolor vomit at that (they're a tactful navy blue, which goes well with my usual "black and gray with a touch of heather and white" outfits). And boat shoes in general are super comfy for my mutant feet. It's possible that "sock shoes" are this for runners, only with the typical technicolor vomit treatment that so many people demand.
