Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Lorpen Light Hiker Tri-Layer Socks > Owner Review by Nancy Griffith

LORPEN LIGHT HIKER TRI-LAYER SOCKS
BY NANCY GRIFFITH
OWNER REVIEW
March 19, 2009

TESTER INFORMATION

My outdoor experience began in high school with involvement in a local canoeing/camping group called Canoe Trails. The culmination was a 10-day canoe voyage through the Quebec wilds. I've been backpacking since my college days in Pennsylvania. I have completed all of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. Now I usually hike in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Most of my trips are section hikes or loops from a few days to a week. I carry a light to mid-weight load, use a tent, stove and hiking poles.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: Lorpen
Year of Manufacture: 2008
Manufacturer's Website: www.lorpen.com
MSRP: Not available
Listed Weight: Not available
Measured Weight: 58 g (2 oz)
Style Tested: TCXTW
Height: Women's Crew
Size Tested: M
Also offered in S
Color Tested: 363 - Pale Blue/Light Blue
Also offered in Oatmeal/Taupe and Mauve/Pink

Material Composition:
50% CoolMax
25% Tencel
15% Polyamide (aka nylon)
10% Lycra

Features per Lorpen's press release:

Lorpen's Tri Layer Technology features three layers of yarn knit together. The first layer, closest to the skin, is made of Coolmax®, a synthetic fiber that is designed to move moisture from the skin to the outer surface of the membrane, where it is passed on to the next layer. Coolmax also serves as a barrier to the wicked moisture.

The second layer, or middle layer, is made of Tencel®, a natural fiber able to hold significant amounts of moisture once it has passed through the Coolmax layer. Tencel is made of Eucalyptus wood pulp, a natural resource that creates yarns that are soft as silk, as strong as polyester, as cool as linen, and more absorbent than cotton. It also features anti-microbial properties; when moisture is produced it is directly absorbed to the inside of the fiber leaving little moisture available for bacteria to grow.

The third layer, made of Nylon, is highly durable making the sock resilient and long lasting. The nylon fibers are concentrated in the toe, heal and shin where the sock gets the most abrasion.

Lycra info from Lorpen's catalog:
Additional Lycra sections help to keep the sock in place on the foot. This fiber has the best zero-point elasticity and is the only fiber that conserves its characteristics forever.

FIELD USE

Because I prefer lower height socks for backpacking and hiking, I wore these socks primarily for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. I did wear them a couple of times for hiking at lower elevations on some warm autumn days. In total, I probably have worn these socks 20 times and have washed them a similar number of times.

Following are some examples of my uses:

Snowshoeing:

University Falls, Sierra Nevada (California): 5.6 miles (9 km); 3,450 to 4,100 ft (1,052 to 1,250 m); 31 to 37 F (-1 to 3 C); sunny; solid snow conditions

University Falls, Sierra Nevada (California): 2.0 miles (3 km): 4,000 to 4,200 ft (1,220 to 1,280 m); 35 F (2 C); partly cloudy; icy, crusty snow conditions

Echo Lake, Sierra Nevada (California): 5.0 mi (8 km); 7,300 to 8,000 ft (2,225 to 2,438 m); 35 to 45 F (2 to 7 C); deep snow conditions; sunny

Loon Lake, Sierra Nevada (California): 6.5 mi (10.5 km); 6,400 to 6,700 ft (1,950 to 2,040 m); 31 to 45 F (-1 to 7 C); deep snow conditions; sunny

Cross-country Skiing:

Glacier Point Road, Yosemite National Park (California): 11.0 mi (17.7 km); 7,200 to 7.350 ft (2,200 to 2,240 m); 18 to 22 F (-8 to -5 C); groomed snow conditions; sunny to overcast

Spooner Lake, Eastern Sierra Nevada (Nevada): 10 mi (16 km); 7,080 to 7,600 ft (2,158 to 2,316 m); 20 to 35 F (-7 to 2 C); calm overcast to breezy snowstorm conditions

On this trip, the ski rental boots were NOT waterproof, so my socks were completely soaked from the toes to the ball of my foot. I didn't notice this until I took my boots off, so these socks kept my feet warm despite being wet. They were so wet that my feet quickly got cold in camp and I had to change socks and hang these. A few hours later they were still wet but by morning they were completely dry.

Comfort/Fit:
I really like the way the height of these socks works with my snow boots. They are high enough to keep the boots from touching my legs, but they aren't high socks (which I do not like). They have a nice amount of cushion in the heel and ball of the foot regions while also being lighter weight in other regions. For me this makes them a perfect weight sock. They are warm enough to keep my feet warm in winter while not being hot at all for warmer weather activities. The socks always stayed in place and never slipped down during use.

Odor Resistance/Breathability:
The socks breathe well and are odor-resistant. My feet never felt sweaty or hot and the socks never started smelling bad. Even after the day of cross-country skiing when they were soaking wet, they did not have any bad aroma when I took them off nor while they were drying.

Durability:
The socks still look pretty good after all of these uses. There are a few stray threads and some pilling. The blue color seems to have faded and the socks are now mostly a gray color.

SUMMARY

These socks are well-made, provide nice cushion, fit well and are my new favorite socks for snow activities. They are light weight, but my feet have never been cold while wearing them even in the one case when they were soaking wet.

THINGS I LIKE

Height for use with snow boots
Cushion
Warm but light weight

THINGS I DON'T LIKE

Nothing

SIGNATURE

Nancy Griffith

Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Lorpen Light Hiker Tri-Layer Socks > Owner Review by Nancy Griffith