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Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Injinji Midweight Toesock > Owner Review by Kathleen Waters

INJINJI MIDWEIGHT PERFORMANCE TOESOCKS
BY KATHLEEN WATERS
Injinji Logo
APRIL 7, 2011

OWNER REVIEW

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Kathleen Waters
EMAIL: kathy@backpackgeartest.com
AGE: 60
LOCATION: Canon City, Colorado, USA
GENDER: F
HEIGHT: 5' 4" (1.60 m)
WEIGHT: 125 lb (56.70 kg)

Living in Colorado and being self-employed, I have ample opportunities to backpack. There are over 700,000 acres/280,000 hectares of public land bordering my 71-acre/29-hectare "backyard" in addition to all the other gorgeous locations which abound in Colorado. Over the past 15 years, my husband John and I have also had the good fortune to hike/snowshoe glaciers, rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including New Zealand, Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley. My hiking style is comfortable, aiming for lightweight. I use a tent (rainfly if needed). Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) excluding food and water.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: Injinji
Year of Manufacture: 2010
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.injinji.com
MSRP: US$ 16.00
Listed Weight: N/A
Measured Weight: 2.3 oz (66 g)
Sizes Available: S, M, L, XL
Size Reviewed S
Colors Available: Black/Grey & Grey/White
Color Reviewed: Black/Grey

Other details:

Length: Mini-Crew
Cushion Level: Midweight
Fabric Content: 60% CoolMax® 35% Nylon 5% Lycra®

"RECOMENDED FOR: RUNNING / WALKING / CYCLING
TRACK & FIELD / CROSS TRAINING / MULTI - SPORT"
Performance Toesock
Picture Courtesy of Injinji

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

standing socks
These Socks are Made for Walking (sorry Nancy!)
Well, let's see...how to describe the Injinji Performance Midweight Toesocks (hereafter called the "Toesocks")? Hmmm. It is a midweight sock with TOES?

All kidding aside, when I finished inspecting these Toesocks I found nothing too much else obviously out of the ordinary. The Toesocks are mini-crew length which means the cuff falls just about an inch (2.5 cm) over my ankle and end in a 1/2 in (1.5 cm) folded inward and stitched down cuff. They are thicker than my Injinji liners but a bit thinner than other midweight socks I own. The stitching is a tightly woven knit that is soft and smooth except over the top mid-foot area where the material has a patterned texture. A band of multiple horizontal elasticized threads for additional support atop the arch area of the Toesocks measures 1.5 in (4 cm).

Since the Toesocks have individual toe sleeves, they are obviously foot-specific, i.e., there is a proper right foot and a proper left foot. Also, unlike a tube-type sock, there is a definite heel even more so than my other Injinji socks. As can be seen in the picture, these Toesocks can actually stand up on their own. Kinda creepy-looking but cool, too!

On the left outside of each Toesock, the cuff sports a 1.5 in (4 cm) red cloth "Injinji" tag which helps me see immediately which Toesock goes on which foot - labels face outward.

FIELD USE AND PERFORMANCE

Up until February, I had been experiencing an unseasonably warm and dry winter. While the west slope mountains of the Rockies got pounded with snow, the east side (Front Range) experienced record lows in precipitation. We experienced only one snowfall which measured less than 6 inches (15 cm). In order to find snow for our annual family Christmas Snowshoe, we had to drive into the mountains. Even on Mt. Evans, a 14,000+ ft (4300 m) peak, at 10,000 ft (3000 m), there wasn't enough snow! We ended up just hiking in winter boots but I digress.

I spent the last two weeks of February in Estes Park, Colorado where I did short (2-3 hours) dayhikes everyday. Estes Park is the eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, so the terrain is mountainous, heavily forested and begins at an elevation of 7522 ft (2293 m). While it was very sunny, it never hit the freezing mark and the winds were harsh averaging 10-15 mph (16-24 kph) with gusts up to 50 mph (81 kph). Humidity levels were higher than I'm used to in Colorado - about 41-45%.
Performance Toesock
Picture Courtesy of Injinji


To counter the winter conditions of Colorado, I traveled down to Palm City, Florida for three weeks where I immediately was shocked with temperatures ranging from 56-84 F (13-29 C) and humidity levels upwards of 45%. My beach walking time was limited, but I still managed to get out there 3 times for several hours.


In between the Colorado and Florida extremes, I visited family in New Jersey for two weeks where it rained almost every day. The temperatures were pretty constantly about freezing.

Other than the two above listed trips, all of my outdoor activities have been in the mountains of Colorado, mostly south central Colorado in the Fremont, Cooper and Wet mountain ranges.

So, I'd venture to say, I've worn the Toesocks on at least a dozen occasions - day snowshoe or boot hikes and numerous other shorter hikes around our property, down the road to the mail box (5 miles/8 km round trip) and while sneaking treats to my neighbors' horses!

I've worn the Toesocks with all sorts of footwear, shoes, boots and sandals.

Injinji prints instructions on their packaging as to how to put on the Toesocks. Having worn Toesocks, I didn't need to read them. I just followed my usual method of grasping the Toesocks from the top, scrunching it down a bit like any other sock and sliding my foot into it. It's very obvious as to which Toesock belongs on the right or left foot by the length of the toes.

Removing the Toesocks is just as easy. If I am planning on wearing them again before washing, I simply grasp the tips of the five toes and gently pull the off after pushing the tops down to my arches. If I am washing the Toesocks, I pull them off from the tops so as to turn the Toesocks inside out.

Once the socks were on, other than an unusual sense of warmth and comfort, I basically would forget the Toesocks were on my feet. There wasn't any distraction of "there's something-between-my-toes" as I had expected before encountering the Injinji liners.

Unlike some mini-crew socks I've worn, the Injinji Toesocks stayed put. I did not once have the sensation the Toesocks were creeping downward into my boots.

The Injinji Toesocks fit the bill for keeping my ten little piggy toes warm and dry. Yet, even in the Florida heat, I found they didn't make my feet sweat any more than any other sock - thin or thick. And they wicked whatever moisture my feet produced with nary a blister. They performed wonderfully in keeping me from thinking about my feet these past 2 months. That's the test of good footwear for me because if I am thinking about my feet it's because my feet are not happy!

I love wearing hiking sandals on trails whenever it is warm enough to do so, but between the sweating of my feet against the soles of the sandals, the dirt/sand which works its way under my feet and combines with the sweat to make mud, and the prickly vegetation, I didn't often do so. With the addition of the Injinji Midweight Performance Toesocks, I now have a very functional sandal "sock" and I can retire my Injinji liners which I was previously using for that purpose. Yay!

While I'm getting used to the look of the Toesocks, I realize some folks are taken aback when they see them for the first time. They are a great conversation starter and people I meet are generally curious as to how they feel. "GREAT," I always tell them. I am a sock collector and love colorful socks. Perhaps, Injinji could paint on bright toe nail polish to add some fun to these very functional socks?

Though I've worn the Toesocks for 3 days straight on one occasion, I've never been aware of any "stink". I have broken down and machine-washed the Toesocks several times now; turned inside-out in cold water and air-dried. I haven't noticed any external wear on them. The Toesocks haven't shrunk or lost their shape and still stay put when I am wearing them. I can still easily pull them on without difficulty in positioning my toes into the sleeves.

STAR ATTRACTIONS

1.) Very comfortable and warm.
2.) Keeps my toes from getting sweaty and blistering.
3.) Has good padding on the soles with a true "heel" for a good fit
4.) Toesocks are a great conversation starter around camp, on the trail or in town!

MINOR DISTRACTIONS

1.) Only one and it's not a fault of the Toesocks - I prefer to wear a crew sock in the winter so as to be able to tuck my base layer pants into them or to pull them over the base layer. Just my quirkiness. (my next pair will be the crews!)

SUMMARY

The Performance Midweight Toesocks from Injinji were not my first pair of Injinji toesocks. I already had Injinji liners and the Outdoor Series mini-crew trail toesocks. This latest acquisition has just reinforced my belief that I need MORE!

With its comfortable fit, no friction toes, padded sole and great wicking, what's not to like?

I'm so glad I've added the Performance Midweight Toesocks to my sock drawer!

Thank you, Injinji, for making such a quality product!

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1.5 Copyright 2011. All rights reserved.

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