Wigwam InGenius
Hiker Socks
Long Term Report
March 29, 2007
Thomas
Vickers
39 years old
Male
5 ft 11 in tall (1.8 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
redroach@pobox.com
Southeast Texas, Houston Area |
Tester Background:
I grew up in the piney woods of southeast Texas. Camping was a quick trip into the
mosquito-infested woods behind the house. My style has evolved and over the last 4 or 5
years, I have begun to take a lighter weight approach to hiking gear (I still use sleeping
bags and tents, just lighter versions). While I have flirted with lightweight hiking, I
feel that I am more of a mid-weight hiker now. My philosophy is one of comfort, while
carrying the lightest load possible.
Manufacturer Information:
Manufacturer:Wigwam Mills Inc
Website: Http://www.wigwam.com
Colors available: Gunmetal, Charcoal, Lt. Grey, Navy,
Khaki, Loden
Year Manufactured: 2006Weight:
NA
MSRP: NA |
Information From Tester:
Weight: 3.45 oz (97 g) [per pair]
Color: Charcoal
Size: Large
Tester's regular shoe size: 10.5 US
Tester's hiking boot size: 11.5 US
|
Wigwam InGenius Hiker
Socks Initial Report
Expectations:
The Wigwam Mills website had nice pictures of the socks and lots of information,
but I had only one issue. I could not find sizing information for their socks. While
this was not a horrible problem, I came away wondering about what size sock was going to
be the best for me. It also meant more time searching elsewhere for sizing
information.
Technical Details from the Manufacturer:
Fully integrated Olefin liner
Cushioned sole
3 x 1 mock rib leg
1 x1 mock rib rolled welt top
3 x1 elasticized arch panel
Inner layer- 100% Olefin
outer layer - 65 % Merino wool, 25% stretch nylon, 10% Spandex
Manufacturer's Description:
Ultra-soft merino wool hiking sock with an integrated Olefin liner for the ultimate in
dry-lined comfort.
Tester's Description:
The Wigwam Mills InGenius hiker socks look like a very comfortable pair of grey
socks. The first thing I looked at when I opened the box was the lining. I wanted to
see if the liner was that obvious or if I could even tell if it was there. After visiting
the website I just knew that Wigwam had simply sewn a sock and a liner together in a fit
of marketing genius. After some serious poking and pulling, I realized that I could
not separate or tell the two parts of the socks apart. The integral liner looks and
feels just like the inside of a sock.
Despite the appearance of normal socks, I am truly hoping that these
socks live up to their hype. The joy of not having my liners bunching up inside of
my hiking socks is one that I could only dream of, until the Wigwam Mills InGenius socks
arrived.
TEST PLAN
Test Strategy:
FIT:
1. How well do the InGenius socks fit my feet? Are they loose are they tight?2. How
"tall" are these socks? How far up my calves to they stretch? How tightly do
they fit my calves?
3. How do they fill up my hiking boots? I wear my boots one size larger than my normal
shoes because I use socks and liners. The InGenius claims to be sock and liner in one. Are
they bulky? Do they leave me with too much empty space in my boots?
4. How hard are they to get on? Is the elastic/spandex too tight? Is it too lose? (I
have chicken legs, so some socks don't stay up as well as others.)
Usage:
1. How well padded are the InGenius socks? Will the padding be sufficient to keep
my feet from hurting?
2. Will they keep my feet warm in cooler weather (below 70 F/21 C)? Will they cause my
feet to sweat/overheat in warmer weather (above 70 F/21 C)?
3. I have sweaty feet, so how well do they wick moisture from my feet? Will they
get soaked from my sweaty feet?
4. How long does it take them to dry when wet from sweat? From wearing getting wet from
water (with boots on)?
5. Are they warm enough to sleep in on cool nights? I sometimes need socks on during
this part of the year and I control my comfort by adding/removing socks and liners. The
liners are part of these socks, so I am wondering about temperature control for my feet
during the night.
Durability:
1. How well do these socks hold up to repeat sessions of laundering and usage? (I tend to
wash hiking socks once a week whether they need it or not)
2. How do the InGenius socks handle odor? Will they get odiferous after a single wearing?
Will they get odiferous after numerous outings? Is the odor permanent? Will the odor wash
out? I have serious concerns here because the socks contain built in liners. When my
sock/liner combo gets a bit funky in the field, I normally just change liners. This
isnt an option here.
3. If they are padded socks (I really hope) how well does the padding hold up between
launderings? Will the padding help keep my feet from hurting after several washings?
4. Are there any spots on the exterior of these socks that wear or fray due to friction?
5. Is it possible to wear out the liner portion, but not the sock portion? Will the
InGenius socks still be wearable? |
Wigwam InGenius Hiker Socks Field Test Information
January 29, 2007
Putting on the Socks:
One thing that I can say about the InGenius Hiker Socks is that they are easy to
put on. The reason that I bring this up is that no matter how hard I try, putting on an
outer sock over a liner has always been a magic trick for me. There are days when I have
no issues, but often, the liner socks ball up, clump, or otherwise cause a problem that
forces me to take the over-sock off, realign the liner, then put the over-sock back on.
With the InGenius Hikers, this problem doesn't exist. The melding of the two
socks into one handy piece of fabric makes my early morning dressing so much easier.
A concern that I was worried about was whether or not the InGenius Hiker Socks would be
bulky enough to fill up my hiking boots. I wear my boots a size larger than my normal
shoes because of the bulk associated with my typical sock/liner combination. I am
happy to report that the InGenius Hikers do not feel as bulky as a separate sock and
liner, but they do fill up my boots just the right way. Just enough room for
footbeds, feet, and socks without any spare space to cause problems.
Trip type: Overnight (2 day/2 night)
Location: Along the San Jacinto River
Length: 6 miles (10 km) total distance over two days/nights
Pack weight: 18 lb (8 kg)
Temperature: 32 F to 48 F (0 C to 9 C)
Altitude: Sea Level
This weekend trip was my first use of the InGenius Hiker Socks outside of the house.
I covered some rather rough and uneven terrain along the San Jacinto River, which
was a good test of the socks. Despite having to make lots of strange and outlandish
foot placements on this trip, I was happy to find that the socks filled my boots up and
didn't allow my feet to slip when I had to plant and rotate my boots. Another thing that I
noticed on this trip was that when I got the socks on, my boots on, and my pack on, the
padding in the sole area of the sock became apparent. When examining this area by hand, I
didn't' think that these socks were going to offer much padding to my feet. It was a
pleasant surprise to put them on and feel the smooshy padding on the soles. Oh, the
delightful sensations that my feet were enjoying were probably sinful.
These socks also kept my feet warm. I prefer not to wear socks to bed unless
necessary, but as the temperatures dipped below about 40 F (4 C), it is always time to
start putting on the layers. Since I usually sleep in a hammock, keeping my feet warm
tends to be my main concern. As the temperature drops I start by adding liner socks
to my feet. After I get two layers of liner socks on, I then start adding layers of hiking
socks. In a worst case scenario I have been required to wear two layer of liners and
two layers of hiking socks to keep my feet warm. This was all in the 35 F - 26 F (2
C to - 3 C) temperature range. The InGenius Hiker socks take all the effort out of
keeping my feet warm while sleeping. One pair on when the temperatures drop below 40 F (4
C) and they kept my feet (in a sleeping bag) toasty all the way down to 32 F (0 C).
No waking up to keep layering up my feet, just one application of warm and fuzzy hiking
socks. Oh yeah, that was the way to sleep. Best of all, without four layers of
elastic around my ankles, there was no impairment of circulation in my feet (yes this has
happened).
Overall, I was impressed with the way these socks handled my boots and the temperatures.
They kept my feet comfortable while moving and warm when I was sleeping.
Trip type: Dayhike
Location: W.G. Jones State Forest
Length: 3 miles (5 km) total distance
Pack weight: 5 lb (2 kg)
Temperature: 77 F (25 C)
Altitude: Sea Level
One of the wonderful things about winter in Texas is that it gives me a chance to get out
in warmer temperatures. I didn't go far or fast, but I did discover that my feet can
get rather sweaty in the InGenius Hiker Socks. I really can't stand the feeling of
my toes being wet and slippery, but this is what I endured for this short hike. When
I got back to the car, I took my boots and socks off to see just how bad it was on the
inside of the InGenius Hikers. The inner portion of the socks were slippery, but not
soaked. My feet seemed to be the worst off and covered in sweat. The outer
portion of the sock was still dry, so I don't feel like much of the moisture was wicked
away from the interior. I tend to believe that since the hike was so short in length and
duration that there was little or no chance for the moisture to move from the liner
portion to the outer portion. What I really need to do at this point is to take a
longer duration hike in the same temperature range and see if the sweaty feet syndrome
gets better the longer the socks are worn.
Trip type: Overnight (2 day/2 night)
Location: Sam Houston National Forest
Length: 9 miles (14 km) total distance over two days/nights
Pack weight: 15 lb (7 kg)
Temperature: 40 F to 60 F (4 C to 16 C)
Altitude: Sea Level
After my last adventure in the InGenius socks, I was really hoping that I would not have
to deal with the sweaty feet syndrome. Luckily I was out and about in much lower
temperatures and my feet did not overheat this time. Moving steadily makes anyone's
feet sweat, even my lovely toes do, but the lower the temperatures get under 65 F (18 C),
the happier mine are with the InGenius Hiker Socks. They wicked away the moisture
much better at lower temperatures and I feel this is mainly because my feet were less
sweaty to begin with.
I do feel that the socks wick moisture pretty well, but lower temperatures help. On
this little trip, I got the socks wet (water got in the boot) and I was not a happy
camper. Squishy socks suck in the worst way and I still had about two miles till I was at
my destination. My first inclination was to stop, change into a dry pair and keep
going, but instead I stuck with the wet socks. After about 45 minutes of constant
movement, my toes were dry. Yes, I said that correctly. As I rubbed my toes together, they
stuck. No slippery moisture and the liner portion even felt fairly dry. So, after being
soaked pretty well, the interior of the sock felt comfy and dry. When I stopped at my camp
site later in the day, my feet still felt dry, but when the boots came off, the exterior
portion of the sock was wet to the touch. It was wet enough that it would have left an
imprint on a dry surface if I had stepped on one. I couldn't wring water out of it, but
compared to the liner and my feet, the exterior was soaked. This is what I call
wicking. When my socks got wet, so did my feet. In under and hour, the interior of the
sock was dry (or very close to dry) and the exterior was still wet. I was really starting
to like these socks. I really enjoyed the fact that in the morning, my first pair of socks
was completely dry and ready to wear again, so I didn't have to sacrifice my sleeping pair
of InGenius Hikers to my boots that next day.
I also liked wearing my camp shoes around with these socks. I often go sock-less,
but the temptation to keep my feet warm was too much. I put on my clean pair of InGenius
Hikers and wore them with my camp sandals. Wow!! Warm feet. Comfortable feet. I
really do love these socks.
Trip Type: Dayhike
Location: Jones State Forest
Length: 2 miles (3 km) total distance
Pack weight: 8 lb (4 kg)
Temperature: 32 F (0 C)
Altitude: Sea Level
This day was cold. Far colder than I ever wanted to experience here in Texas, but I still
had to get out for awhile. What else is a person supposed to do when they cancel your work
due to weather? This trip was short and agonizing except for the fact that I had on
my InGenius socks. My feet stayed toasty the whole trip. I am really starting
to believe that these are great socks for cold weather. Probably the best socks I
have ever worn when it gets cold.
Trip Type: Dayhike
Location: Sam Houston National Forest
Length: 4 miles (6 km) total distance
Pack weight: 11 lb (5 kg)
Temperature: 64 to 70 F (18 C to 21 C)
Altitude: Sea Level
This was a short and wet trip in the woods after a week of constant rain. The hike started
off rather warm, as did my feet, which is causing me to believe that in temps above 65 F
(18 C), the InGenius Hiker socks are not for me. They are just too darned
warm. Of course my feet did get wet again due to trail conditions and as I found
earlier, it doesn't take long for the liner to wick the moisture off of my feet and into
the outer sock. The last mile or so of the trip was dry and by the time I got back
to the car, my toes were dry and the liner portion of the sock was pretty
darned close to dry as well. Before I could get the socks off, I put my foot down and left
a wet print on the carpet of the truck, which showed me that the outer sock was still wet,
but the moisture had almost all wicked away from my foot. I am starting to feel that
these socks are almost as anti-squishy toes as I am.
Overview:
Right now I am extremely happy with the InGenius Hiker socks in temperatures under 65 F
(18 C). They fit my feet, they fit my boots, and they do a great job of keeping my
feet warm, even when they get wet. They also do a good job of getting my feet dry,
even when the socks are wet. Considering that the socks are made from Merino wool, I
was worried that they were going to be prickly or smelly, but so far I have encountered no
such issues. The socks have never made my feet itch and after two months of use (no
washing yet) they smell far less worse than I would have expected. I have aired them
out after every hike, but not washing socks often leads to nasty foot odors at my house.
I know my original test plan called for weekly laundering, but I have been
afraid that something magical might wash out and I won't find them as comfortable after
laundering. So far, the InGenius Hikers have not developed any permanent stink and
hopefully won't since I plan on washing them soon.
I have also had no issues with blisters while wearing these socks. This is something
else that I really like. One of the reasons that I started wearing liner socks was
to avoid blisters (they went away when I started using liner socks) and I had my fears
about the InGenius combination of sock and liner. Good news is that there have been
no hot spots or blisters at all. I think that the combination of sock/liner removes the
extra friction and movement that can occur between socks and liners and helps my feet stay
blister free.
Wigwam InGenius Hiker Socks Long
Term Report
March 29, 2007
Trip Type: Dayhike
Location: W. G. Jones State Forest
Length: 3 miles (5 km) total distance
Pack weight: 13 lb (6 kg)
Temperature: 29 F (-2 C)
Altitude: Sea Level
Can I say cold? Really cold? I don't normally get out in weather like this but it was cold
and I had the day off from work, so out I went. One reason why I don't normally get
out in weather like this is because my feet get cold, but on this day my feet were
warm. The InGenius socks kept them warm and cozy while the rest of me was getting colder
and colder. It was the first time that I can remember that I actually had to come in
from the cold because I was freezing above my ankles instead of below them. I can
only say that while my nose was freezing, my toes were warm and happy on this day.
Trip type: Geocaching
Location: W. G. Jones State Forest
Length: 1 mile (2 km)
Pack weight: NA
Temperature: 58 F (14 C)
Altitude: Sea Level
This was a quick jaunt through the woods to find a well hidden cache. I went in shorts
because I didn't realize how far off the beaten path this cache was going to be.
After my 100 yard + (90 meter+) bushwhacking trip through the best briars that Texas had
to offer there were no pulls in the InGenius socks. I was mildly surprised. My
legs and arms were covered in scratches and blood, but the socks showed no signs of
damage. I know they snagged at several points because I pulled the briars off of
them, but they obviously held up well to the abuse.
Trip type: Overnight trip (1.5 day/1 night)
Location: Sam Houston National Forest
Length: 7 miles (11 km) total distance over two days/nights
Pack weight: 20 lb (9 kg)
Temperature: 32 F to 40 F ( 0 C to 4 C)
Altitude: Sea Level
I didn't do too much hiking because it was cold and I wanted a fire, but I was happy that
I had the InGenius socks with me. Wandering around camp in my camp shoes doesn't usually
require socks, but on this trip it did. The InGenius socks kept my feet warm in my
boots, in my camp shoes, and in my sleeping bag. As much as I hate wearing socks
when I sleep, the InGenius socks are comfortable and kept my toes very warm on some very
cold nights.
Trip type: Hiking Trip (2.5 day/3 night)
Location: Sam Houston National Forest
Length: 15 miles (24 km) total distance over 2.5 days/
Pack weight: 19 lb (9 kg)
Temperature: 52 F to 75 F (11 C to 24 C)
Altitude: Sea Level
This was my last prolonged outing with these socks. I lived in them for most of 3 days and
3 nights. I used one pair for hiking and day use and the other pair was regulated to
bed duty inside my tent. My feet tended to get slick and sweaty when temperatures
got above 75 F (24 C), but the InGenius socks wicked most of that away quickly. I
really do like the way that these socks handle moisture. I would have thought that
my feet were going to smother as the temperature rose, but this was not the case.
The temperature went up, my feet got sweaty, and the socks pulled that moisture away from
my feet. If I took a break from hiking, the socks dried my feet out pretty well within
twenty or thirty minutes, which I really liked.
Trip type: Day Hike
Location: Along the San Jacinto River and W. G. Jones State
Forest
Length: 9 miles (14 km) total distance
Pack weight: 15 lb (7 kg)
Temperature: 68 to 79 F (20 C to 26)
Altitude: Sea Level
This was my last outing in the InGenius socks. The weather was far warmer
than I wanted, but it did allow me to use the socks in warmer weather. Much to my
surprise, my feet didn't over heat too much. They got hot and sweaty when my pace
was fast, but when I slowed down or rested, the socks wicked the moisture away from my
feet. There was no sauna in my boots that I had expected and feared, so I was pretty
pleased with the performance of these socks.
Washing:
I took two approaches for washing these socks. For the field test phase I washed the socks
after every use, then air dried them. At 65 F (18 C) the socks were dry enough on the
inside to wear after about two hours. I also left the socks turned inside out during the
time that they were drying and I found that making sure the interior portion of the sock
was dry was the important part. If the exterior was still damp and the interior dry,
the InGenius socks were comfortable to wear. If the interior was damp, I wasn't that
thrilled about wearing them, but if I kept up a good pace, the heat of my feet caused the
socks to wick and dry on the trail. After repeated washing the socks held their
shape and comfort. The padding held up very well as did the material of the
socks. The elastic has not broken or stretched and I still felt that these socks had
a great deal of hiking left in them.
During the long term phase of the test, I didn't wash the socks. I wanted to see how
well they held their shape and resisted odors. I am very happy to report that the
socks didn't 'stretch' out too much without washing. They did begin to smell a bit, but
compared to synthetic socks that I normally wear, the InGenius socks never reached a level
of stink that was truly revolting. I also found that turning them inside out overnight and
allowing them to air out this way really helped reduce the odor level when they weren't
being washed regularly. The padding in the socks was compacted during this phase of the
test. Washing seemed to 'fluff' it up a bit, but since they weren't being washed, then
there was no fluffing action. This didn't seem to impact the performance of the
InGenius socks, but I do feel that washing regularly is necessary to maintain the support
of the padding. I was also happy that the elastic in the tops of the socks didn't
stretch out during this part of the test. They stayed up on my skinny calves during
the entire test.
When I was done testing, I washed the socks one last time to see if any damage was done
while they were not washed during the long term testing phase. After washing and air
drying, the socks looked and smelled good. They were in the same condition that I
started this part of the test in, despite their abuse at my hands.
Questions answered:
FIT:
1. How well do the InGenius socks fit my feet? Are they loose are
they tight?
The socks fit my feet well. They were tight, but not
constricting. I really enjoyed the fit and felt like they hugged my feet more than
other socks that I have used.
2. How "tall" are these socks? How far up my calves to
they stretch? How tightly do they fit my calves?
The InGenius socks fit my skinny calves rather well. I kept
them pulled about 6 in (15 cm) up my calves on most occasions. The elastic was not
too tight and it held the socks up without any fussing or cussing on my part.
3. How do they fill up my hiking boots? I wear my boots one size
larger than my normal shoes because I use socks and liners. The InGenius claims to be sock
and liner in one. Are they bulky? Do they leave me with too much empty space in my boots?
I was worried that the combined sock/liner concept was going to
leave me with too much extra room in my boots since I buy them large to accommodate
socks. The great news is that while the InGenius socks are less bulky than my other
socks, they do fill out my boots just right. There was no empty space and my feet did not
slide around in my boots.
4. How hard are they to get on? Is the elastic/spandex too tight?
Is it too loose? (I have chicken legs, so some socks don't stay up as well as others.)
They were really easy to get on. The elastic in the tops of
the socks was firm, but not too tight. I didn't come away with deep red ruts around my
calves after wearing the socks. I also liked the fact that the elastic didn't loosen
up or break despite being taken on and off a great deal.
Usage:
1. How well padded are the InGenius socks? Will the padding
be sufficient to keep my feet from hurting?
I need insoles and well padded socks. While the combined
sock/liner concept worried me because of my need for foot padding, I was very happy to
find that the padding in the InGenius socks was more than enough to keep my feet
comfortable. Even when the padding was compressed (combination of wear and not
washing), it was still good enough to keep my picky feet happy.
2. Will they keep my feet warm in cooler weather (below 70 F/21
C)? Will they cause my feet to sweat/overheat in warmer weather (above 70 F/21 C)?
Really need an "AMEN!" on this one. Having worn
these socks several times in temperatures of 32 F (0 C) or lower I can enthusiastically
say that they keep my feet warm. I even wore them with my camp shoes (which leave a lot of
foot/sock exposed) and they still kept me warm. Best of all, they kept my feet warm
when hanging in my hammock. This is usually a big issue in cold weather for me,
but not when the InGenius Hikers were on my feet. Above 70 F (21 C) my feet do get
hot and sweaty in these socks, but much less than I had expected. In fact, these socks
wick moisture away from my feet so well, I can recommend wearing them in weather above 75
F (24 C) as well. The wool is warmer, my feet do sweat, but the liner pulls this
moisture away from my foot very efficiently.
3. I have sweaty feet, so how well do they wick moisture from my
feet? Will they get soaked from my sweaty feet?
On more than one occasion I pulled my boots off to find the outer
sock damp and the liner pretty dry after hiking in warmer weather. So my feet do get
sweaty in these socks and the liner portion does too. The liner also pulls the
moisture away from my feet very effectively leaving feet and liner dry while the outer
layers are damp. I have never gotten sweaty and soaked the whole sock. The
construction and materials lead to an almost magical level of moisture wicking in my
opinion.
4. How long does it take them to dry when wet from sweat? From
wearing getting wet from water (with boots on)?
Most of the time the socks have been damp from sweat, it was only
the outer layer. The outer layer tended to dry within forty five minutes or so on these
days. On the occasions when the socks got wet from water getting in my boots I could
keep moving and the inner layer would be dry within twenty minutes from body heat while
the outer would still be damp. When washing or rinsing the socks (soaking them completely)
they were dry enough to wear within a couple of hours. The material was not bone
dry, but the socks were comfortable and dry enough to wear without complaint.
5. Are they warm enough to sleep in on cool nights? I sometimes
need socks on during this part of the year and I control my comfort by
adding/removing socks and liners. The liners are part of these socks, so I am wondering
about temperature control for my feet during the night.
When I hang in my hammock during cool weather, warm feet are a
problem. My feet are directly over the hammock entrance and this makes them cold and
hard to keep warm. During the night I add and remove layers of socks to combat this
problem. Using the InGenius socks though, seems to have solved my sleeping with
cold feet issues. One pair of socks kept me warm and comfortable all night. My feet
never got too hot nor too cold. I have never slept in my hammock in cold weather
with just one pair of socks on till I started using the InGenius Hikers.
Durability:
1. How well do these socks hold up to repeat sessions of laundering
and usage?
My answer is "Great!" For part of my test I washed them
after every use. I want to share one little note here. I never dried them in a
mechanical dryer. I only air dried these socks during the test period. Sometimes indoors
and sometimes outdoors. They have held up great to periods of what seemed like
constant washing and periods of almost never being washed.
2. How do the InGenius socks handle odor? Will they get odiferous
after a single wearing? Will they get odiferous after numerous outings? Is the odor
permanent? Will the odor wash out? I have serious concerns here because the socks contain
built in liners. When my sock/liner combo gets a bit funky in the field, I normally just
change liners. This isnt an option here.
These socks didn't get funky and I tried. They got wet and were
walked dry. I went weeks without laundering them while wearing them. I used them and
did everything thing I could dream of to make them stinky. If they did pick up some
funk, I was able to air them out and make them good again over night. Odor just
didn't seem to stick to the InGenius socks very well and I am usually a master of making
socks stink. I don't know if it was the construction techniques or the fabric used,
but after four months of testing I can report that there are no permanent odors attached
to these socks.
3. If they are padded socks (I really hope) how well does the
padding hold up between launderings? Will the padding help keep my feet from hurting after
several washings?
There is a layer of padding located along the bottom of the socks.
From feeling it I didn't think it was a very noticeable, but once I got the socks
on my feet I knew that there was more than enough padding. Washing and drying had a
beneficial effect on the padding. This process allowed the padding to "fluff"
back up after it had been compressed from wear. Even when the socks weren't washed
and the padding was compressed to some degree, it still provided support to my poor tired
feet.
4. Are there any spots on the exterior of these socks that wear or
fray due to friction?
Despite plenty of opportunities to snag or wear out, I could not
find any areas of wear on the socks after four months. They filled in my boots and
didn't seem to allow my feet to slip around causing hot spots or friction.
5. Is it possible to wear out the liner portion, but not the sock
portion? Will the InGenius socks still be wearable?
I have to answer "No" to this question. I have not
seen any damage either on the interior or exterior of these socks. I do not think
that it is possible to wear out one portion of the InGenius Hikers without damaging or
wearing out the accompanying portion.
Final thoughts:
I spent a great deal of time in the InGenius Hiker socks. Most of it was
far colder than I normally used to, and I saw it as a great opportunity to test these
socks. My only wish was that I would have had more of a chance to spend more time
with these socks in temperatures above 75 F (24 C). From what I have seen, the
InGenius Hikers would do just fine, but I would like to put that to a prolonged test.
These socks were a big surprise to me. Wool has always equated to itchy in my book, but
not with these socks. Wool has also meant 'cold weather only' but I have had great
success with the InGenius Hikers in warmer temperatures. They wick moisture like no
other socks I have ever used and they do not develop a "dead animal" smell
despite constant wear. Washing them did not destroy any of the great qualities that
I have grown to love about these socks. I can honestly say that after ten years of
wearing the same sock/liner combination when I hike, I will now be changing. I like
and trust the InGenius Hikers that much.
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