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Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Injinji Outdoor Series Socks > Test Report by Tom Callahan
INJINJI OUTDOOR SERIES SOCKS
INITIAL REPORT - November 01, 2009
TESTER INFORMATION
For the past 20 years I have lived off and on in Washington State, backpacking in the Cascade Mountains. I get out regularly on day hikes and multi-day trips and usually try to include a good off trail scramble. During the winter I get out snowshoeing at every opportunity. I also enjoy glacier climbing, summiting prominent peaks like Mt. Rainier (14K ft/4K m) and Mt. Baker (10K ft/3K m). My pack weight will range from 15 - 50 lbs (7 - 23 kg) depending on the season and the length and type of trip. PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Injinji INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
The socks arrived in their retail cardboard hanging packaging. It is a high quality packaging with nice photos and lots of information about the socks' features. This information includes a description of the Duel Welt Band, Arch Support, Anatomical 5 Toe Design and Vector Heal features. Additionally the packaging notes Injinji's exclusive Nuwool material provides natural moisture wicking. All these features are designed to provide "exceptional comfort and performance unlike any other athletic wool sock." The sock material is soft and smooth to the touch. The material is a close knit weave and is of one piece construction. The toes of each sock are sized to match the different sized toes of the wearer. This cut of the toes makes for a left and a right sock. The material of the sock has a good stretch to it, stretching uniformly in all directions and returning to its original shape. There is a little stitching to form the heel and some stitching between the base of the toes. This stitching is tight and compact and provides a very smooth feel, almost as if there is no stitching at all. In the toe area, this contrasts with regular socks where there is usually a noticeable seam the runs across the entire toe end of a sock. The top of these socks have a 3/4 in (2 cm) rolled band. There is a small stitched "injini" logo on the outer edge of the band on each sock. This helps distinguish the left from the right. The weight of the socks, or material thickness, is about what I expected. These are definitely not thin liner socks and I would consider them to fall into the category of a light weight hiking sock. READING THE INSTRUCTIONS
The packaging provides clear instructions to the wearer on how to don the socks for a optimum fit, ensuring the toes are fit properly with no excess material before pulling on the rest of the sock. The package text prepares one for the socks feeling different since they are toe socks. The description even goes so far as to note that it might "take a wearing or 2" for one's toes and feet to adjust to these socks. TRYING IT OUT
This is my first time trying toe socks and they are indeed different. The first time I put them on I did not quite have the toes fitted properly and so there was some excess material in the toe area when I pulled on the rest of the sock. But I was able to work the material around such that I had a smooth fit around and between my toes, as well as across the rest of my foot and heel. The material's nice stretch made this easy to do. I have put the socks on several times now and have the hang of getting the material properly fitted around the toes before putting the sock on the rest of my foot. SUMMARY
The Injinji Outdoor Series socks are very different than other socks I have used due to the toe sock construction. They take a little longer to put on than regular socks, but the stretchy nature of the material makes it easy to get a good fit. The material feels very soft and once properly fitted these socks are very comfortable to wear. I am anxious to check out these socks out in the field with my hiking boots. I will be paying close attention to their fit, cushioning, moisture wicking properties and thermal protection. FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
I used the Injinji socks on three day trips and one overnight trip during this phase of testing. Each day's usage averaged 6-8 hours. Temperatures ranged from 25 to 55 F (-4 to 13 C). The socks were worn at elevations from 500 to 5,000 ft (150 to 1,500 m). Two of the day trips and the overnight were snowshoe outings and I was wearing insulated winter boots. The other day trip was on a bare dirt trail, wearing my hiking boots. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
I have really enjoyed testing these socks. They have felt very comfortable when wearing either my insulated boots or hiking boots. As the product information notes, these socks can take a little getting used to because they are toe socks. When I would first put the socks on, having the sock material between my toes would feel a bit different, not uncomfortable, just different. However it wasn't long (within 1/2 hr) until I would completely forget that I was wearing toe socks. The same was true while out on the trail. The socks were so comfortable and I was so accustomed to them such that I would have to purposely focus on the fact these were toe socks. Whether wearing my insulated boots or hiking boots, the socks provided nice cushioning. This was tested especially born out when I was on the bare dirt trail, which contained quite a bit of roots and rocks. SUMMARY
Overall I have been very pleased with these socks. They have provided a comfortable fit and cushioned my feet well. Having material covering each individual toe has made for a very plush feel. In addition to these aspects of comfort, the socks effectively wicked away sweat which added to their comfort. The socks take a little extra effort to don in order to get the socks seated smoothly. This is especially true when trying to put the socks on in the dark in a tent. Once on, the socks stay securely in place, even during the course of a long day. LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
During long-term testing I used the Injinji toesocks on 2 day trips, an overnight hiking/snowshoe trip and a 4 day backcountry snowshoe trip. Each trip would start out on bare trail and then transition to snow as I gained elevation. I wore my winter boots on the day trips and the 4 day trip. On the overnighter I wore my mountaineering boots. The socks were worn 6-8 hours on each day's use. I was at elevations from 500 to 6,000 ft (150 to 1,800 m) during this phase of testing. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
The socks continued to perform well. They cushioned my feet and I never got any blisters or hot spots, no matter what my footwear or activity. The socks did keep me reasonably warm. On the very cold morning of my overnight, my toes got a bit cold around camp. Despite wiggling of my toes and moving around they would just never warm up. Once I got moving and heading out I thought my toes would quickly warm up, but they didn't. It took over 1/2 hour of steady down hiking and continual toe wiggling to finally warm. Now these are not necessarily designed to be cold weather socks. The Nuwool does provide a good bit of warmth and worked fine when temperatures were above freezing. But these socks do have their limits when it comes to providing warmth. After all these trips the socks still look to be in good shape. The pilling that occurred during Field Testing never got any worse during Long Term Testing. The sock material has held up well in the toes, across the top of the sock and for the most part along the bottom of the sock. I did detect the socks becoming slightly worn in the heel area. The socks have been washed after each outing as per the manufacturer's instructions. And I have been careful to hang dry the socks after washing, except for one time when they went in the dryer during Field Testing. The socks have not retained any odor and have kept their shape and elasticity. They continue to fit well and didn't get stretched out and slip down as can easily happen with socks. The sock material has retained its soft feel, even after all the use and washings. SUMMARY
I have enjoyed testing the Injinji socks. This has been my first experience with toesocks and while they feel a bit different at first, I quickly became accustomed to them. They provided good cushioning, adequate warmth under most conditions, and kept my feet comfortable with their wicking properties. I really liked the Nuwool material with its soft feel. It felt much softer than my other synthetic hiking socks. Read more reviews of Injinji gear Read more gear reviews by Tom Callahan Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Injinji Outdoor Series Socks > Test Report by Tom Callahan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
