BackpackGearTest
  Guest - Not logged in 

Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Wigwam Ingenius Socks > Thomas Vickers > Test Report by Thomas Vickers

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: 2006

Weight: 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.

Ingenius in packaging

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. 

Exterior and Interior of Ingenius Socks

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 isn’t 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 isn’t 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.




Read more reviews of Wigwam gear
Read more gear reviews by Thomas Vickers

Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Wigwam Ingenius Socks > Thomas Vickers > Test Report by Thomas Vickers



Product tested and reviewed in each Formal Test Report has been provided free of charge by the manufacturer to BackpackGearTest.org. Upon completion of the Test Series the writer is permitted to keep the product. Owner Reviews are based on product owned by the reviewer personally unless otherwise noted.



All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson