Thorlo Experia
Merino Wool/Silk Socks
Thorlo's new venture into the wild outdoors, and newest
Experia
product.
Andrew Buskov
Initial Report: November 11, 2009
Field Report: January 26, 2010
Long Term Report: March 30, 2010
Tester Biographical
Information:
| Name: |
Andrew Buskov |
| Age: |
34 |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Height: |
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight: |
223 lbs (101 kg) |
| Email: |
Rescue(at)Corridor9(dot)net |
| City, State Zip |
Madisonville, Kentucky
USA |
Backpacking
Background:
I’ve been backpacking for years now,
and have
slowly started
developing my ideal style. I’ve gotten my pack weight down to roughly
25 – 30
lbs (11.3 - 13.6 kg) before water, and am whittling it down every hike.
Day hiking is
nice, but
getting out over multiple nights is really what I enjoy. I like to take
my
time and enjoy the scenery as opposed to hiking hard. I also like being
comfortable and insist on an air mattress. I usually tent or hammock,
but stay in shelters when needed.
 Product
Information:
| Item: |
Experia Merino Wool/Silk Socks
|
| Manufacturer: |
Thorlo
|
| Website |
http://www.thorlo.com
|
| Year of Manufacture: |
2009
|
| MSRP: |
N/A
|
| Listed Weight: |
N/A
|
| Actual Weight: |
1.6 oz (44 g)
|
Product
Overview:
(From Manufacturer's documentation
& Website)
Due to the fact that the Experia Merino
Wool/Silk socks
are not available to the general public yet, not much information could
be obtained regarding them.
From the originator of the activity specific sock, the new Thorlo
Experia Merino Wool/Silk socks are designed to keep the feet warm while
providing an extra level of cushioning. This
makes them ideal for hiking, trail running, camping, fishing, or any
other outdoor activity. By eliminating all but the most essential
padding, the weight and thickness reduction contributes to a more
strategically sculpted and contoured padding area that matches up
better to the ball and heel strike pattern. This allows for more
comfort in all range of boots and shoes. Pairing Merino Wool with Silk
gives the sock a superior softness coupled with warmth.
According to the manufacturer, the sock will be available in
oatmeal, pink, burnt orange, red, blue, charcoal, celery, green, and
brown in February 2010 online and at athletic retailers.
A call to Becky at Thorlo's Consumer Inquiries number (888.THORLOS)
gathered me a bit more information about the socks. They are a
multitude of blended materials: 34% Polyester, 33% Merino Wool, 19%
Nylon, 13% Silk, and 1% Elastic. They come with the standard
unconditional 30 day no risk trial; "This means that within 30 days of
purchasing Thorlos, if you decide that your feet do not feel better in
Thorlos than in your ordinary socks, we will refund the full retail
price of your Thorlos." However, there is no durability warranty as
"the durability of Thorlos depends on the conditions in which you wear
the product, how often you wear it, whether or not you have been
properly fitted with a new pair of shoes, and whether or not you follow
proper care and laundering instructions."
Becky also mentioned that the washing instructions are the same as all
other Thorlo socks. Wash these socks wrong-side-out in warm water with
like colors, adding fabric softener in during the rinse cycle. They may
be tumble dried on a warm setting such as permanent press. The website
mentions that high heat can cause shrinkage. Additional laundering
directions are mentioned in the Thorlo FAQ on their website.
Initial Impressions:
These
socks arrived to me in good condition, and complete. Upon opening the
package I found a new pair of size 10.5-11.5 US socks. They were
wrapped in a simple plastic bag with no display or hang tags. The only
other information found was a press release with a bit of information
about the new socks, and some company history.
I immediately examined the socks upon opening the plastic package
and
found them to be very soft and quite thick around the heel and ball
area. They have different thickness regions throughout the entire sock
along with various elastic sections. I did find a few hanging threads
on both pairs of socks, mainly on the sides where the two different
thicknesses meet. I plan on trimming these and seeing if this becomes
more
of a problem after wear and laundering.
 I found the
fit to be quite heavenly. When I first tried them on I wore
them around my house without shoes for a while. I immediately noticed
the exceptional cushion that was provided to the heel, ball, and toe
areas of my feet. Even on my hard wood flooring, it was comfortable to
walk in these socks and not feel the pounding I usually feel with other
socks, or while walking barefooted. I did notice that they felt a
little
funny around my arch section. Due to the way the material changes, it
feels like I'm standing on a bit of a ledge or uneven floor. It's not
uncomfortable and only feels this way when wearing the socks
without shoes. After a couple of steps though, it's hardly noticeable.
Wearing these with shoes provides an equal level of joy. They are
extremely soft and comforting against the insides of my running shoes.
I felt no hint of tightness or pinching in the typical areas that my
shoes tend to rub. There was an added cushioning that could be felt as
well. It was like I was walking on padded carpeting wherever I was.
This
is definitely nice in contrast to the thin sport socks I wear on an
everyday basis. I also noticed the warmth my feet received throughout
the day while wearing these socks. They weren't too hot, but just felt
more comfortable all around. I do have a rather bad tendency to sweat a
lot in my shoes, but surprisingly I didn't feel as if my socks were wet
or damp. I did notice a bit of odor coming from them after I removed
them for the night. However, that odor had dissipated during the night
and there was barely a hint after the socks were aired out while I
slept.
In all, I was very pleased with the quality of these socks. I
understand that a few loose threads may be expected due to the
construction methods of variable thickness socks. They definitely met
any expectations I had when applying for this test series. I look
forward to wearing these frequently and testing them in out with my
hiking shoes and boots.
I'd like to thank Thorlo and BackpackGearTest.org for allowing me to
participate in testing the Thorlo Experia Merino Wool/Silk socks.
Field Report: January 26, 2010
Field Conditions:
I was able to wear these socks on a number of occasions over the
testing period. My primary use was around town and while exercising,
but I was also able to get an additional 3 days worth of trail use. Due
to the weather all three uses were on
day hikes in 2 different recreational areas in Western
Kentucky.
Elevation here is roughly 400 ft (120 m) with little change in terrain,
some rocky sections, but mostly a lot of mud and muck this time.
Temperatures that I experienced during the outings ranged from 35 - 55 F
(2 - 13 C). All three trips were during overcast skies, but there was
no precipitation at all. In total, I've worn these socks about 12 times
throughout the testing period.
Performance:
Wow! These Thorlo Experia Merino Wool/Silk socks are so comfortable.
They hug my feet in just the right spots and provide that extra bit of
warmth and padding that I've come to love in the past few months, and
have thus become the one pair of socks that I go to the most.
Unfortunately, they spend more time in the dirty laundry than they do
in my sock drawer due to the fact that I'm always wearing them.
I
can feel the difference between these socks and my other specialty
socks starting right from the top. With other socks I've tried, I tend
to lose a bit of circulation in my feet during my exercise periods for
some reason. I wouldn't think that the elastic was cutting off the
blood supply, but I can't explain it any differently. While the elastic
band at the top of these socks does feel snug, I have not lost
circulation during my jogging sessions at all. This is definitely
something that is easily noticeable for me and something that I greatly
appreciate in the socks.
The heel and toe area continue to have
a high loft throughout most of the day providing a wonderful sensation
of floating in my shoes. I honestly do feel that little extra spring in
my step and have noticed how less often my feet tend to hurt at the end
of the day. As I'm getting older, I am starting to feel those aches and
pains more and more so each little slice of relief I can get is
definitely appreciated.
I have noticed one negative thing
though. These socks tend to absorb odor rather easily, hence the reason
they are in the dirty clothes a lot. While I wouldn't have a problem
wearing these multiple days on the trail and dipping them in a stream or
whatever to rinse them a bit, wearing them multiple days around town
just wasn't possible. My feet felt sticky and dirty, and it just wasn't
a feeling that I was comfortable with when I had other socks that I
could wear.
The loose threads remain as they were when I
received them. They haven't gotten any worse which is a good thing, but
they haven't gotten any better either. To me this means that the sewing
is sound and that I don't have to worry about the socks falling apart
on the trail, as I was worried when I saw the dangling threads
after opening the package. I also don't have to worry about the thread
issues becoming worse during wash cycles. A plus due to all the washing
that these have seen. However, I was hoping that the threads might
shrink up a bit during washes.
Other than the odor issue, I have
nothing but praises for the Thorlo Experia Merino Wool/Silk socks. I
look forward to the next testing phase and the opportunity for
additional testing.
Long Term Report: March 30, 2010
Field Conditions:Once
again, during this testing phase I found myself wearing these socks a
lot. I did however find their use tapering off as the season went on.
Most of my use was around town but I did get a couple of hikes in where
they received longer use. Average milage on the dayhikes were in the
neighborhood of 6 mi (9 km). The weather that these were worn in ranged
from 30 -75 F (-1 - 24 C) with mostly clear dry conditions, but they
did receive a good soaking on a few occasions. In total, over the life
of the test, I've probably worn these socks 20 times.Performance:As
the hiking season goes from cold to warm, one of the things that jumps
out in my mind was how toasty my feet continue to get. These socks are
great during colder weather, but I found that I was getting quite hot
during the hikes that I had here recently. The Experia socks really
hold the heat in. While this is great for my fall - spring hikes, I
don't foresee me wearing these in the summer at all.
As with the
rest of the testing phase, I continued to feel exceptionally
comfortable in these socks. The cushion that I felt was still as soft
as the day I received them, and while they took a beating on my feet
and in the washer numerous times, they remained intact and durable. The
concerns that I had about the pulled threads remain unfounded. The
threads are still there, intact, and there continues to be zero holes in
the socks anywhere. The elastic is still stretchy, but still not
too loose. In all, they're very durable socks.
They are getting
more stinky now as my feet tend to sweat more and more. While they
don't retain an odor after a good washing, they are exceptionally
stinky after any extended wear. I even found that wearing them around
the house without shoes will generate a stink that cannot be overcome.
They just seem to soak up odor. While this is not something that I
needed to worry about during the winter season it is definitely
something that will come to mind in the upcoming months.
In
closing, I would definitely recommend these socks to anyone who wants a
comfortable pair of cushioning socks. The Thorlo Experia Merino
Wool/Silk socks will definitely keep their place in my sock drawer for
use in the future.
I'd like to thank Thorlo and BackpackGearTest.org for allowing me to
participate in testing the Thorlo Experia Merino Wool/Silk socks.
Read more reviews of Thorlo gear
Read more gear reviews by Andrew Buskov
|
