Dahlgren Light Hiking Socks
Initial Report by André Corterier

Personal Biographical Information:

Name: André Corterier
Gender: M
Age: 32
Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight: 80 kg (172 lb)
Standard shoe size: men's 11 (US); 45 (Euro)
Email: andreDOTcorterierATfreenetDOTde
Home: Bonn, Germany
DATE: 2004-11-02

Backpacking Background:

I began backpacking in my late teens using Europe’s "InterRail"-System – weight hardly mattered, as we were on trains a lot. I usually traveled through southern Europe during summer, for about three weeks at a time, moving from campsites (often without tent) to youth hostels etc. I recently rediscovered backpacking and have started out slowly – single-day 15 mile (24 km) jaunts by myself or even shorter hikes (pushing a stroller uphill through the woods). I am getting started on longer hikes, as a lightweight packer. My gear is either old or really new – nothing in between.

ITEM: Dahlgren DriStride Alpaca Light Hiking Socks
Year of manufacture: 2004
Manufacturer: Dahlgren
URL: http://www.dahlgrenfootwear.com/
MSRP: 15.50 USD

Weight Comparisons (per pair) - scale accurate to 5 g (.2 oz)
Dahlgren listed weight: 2.9 oz
measured weight (size L): 85 g (3.0 oz)

Arrival/Packaging:
The Dahlgren socks arrived tucked into a paper hangtag. I received the Dahlgren DriStride Alpaca Light Hiking Socks (what a name) in the requested length (nearly mid-calf, called "Crew", they are also available in a really short "quarter-length" version), size (L) and colour ("sage" - greenish). Excellent.

Product Description:
The manufacturer writes (on its homepage) that the socks are designed for:
"Use with Hiking, Cross Training, and Approach Category footwear in warmer weather"
while describing the suggested climate as "Moderate to Cool":
I found this curious - "Moderate to Cool" is "warmer weather"? But then - if I'm interested in Alpaca socks, I guess it makes sense to presume that I'm looking for really warm socks. So these aren't meant to be quite as warm as I might otherwise have expected. Of course, I expected nothing else, as the manufacturer provided a handy little "Cli-Matrix" on its website, in which I found their various socks along with suggested uses and suitable climates. A nice touch. They also show a picture of the Light Hiking socks which led me to expect socks just like the ones I received. Except for the colour: The online website shows (when mousing over the listed colours), when "sage" is selected, something I would describe as a grey section bordering on a greenish-grey section. In actual fact, the colour turns out to be green bordering on greenish-grey. I like this colour, and the manufacturer's website also lists that "Colors on monitor will not exactly match actual colors". No complaints there. Interestingly, mousing over the picture of the sock prompted a little window (when viewed with IE), which stated: "Picture:Expedition". "Expedition" is another type of sock sold by Dahlgren. But checking the various socks revealed that the mouse-over always produces this statement, while the pictures actually do respond to the socks in question. That is, they show different socks under all the different headings and under "Light Hiking" show socks which look just like the Light Hiking socks I received, which leads me to believe that the pictures are accurate. (Can't be too careful around here.)

The manufacturer lists the ingredients as:
"Toe/Heel Content: 27% Alpaca, 63% Merino Wool, 10% Nylon"
"Arch/Instep Content: 75% Wickspun Acrylic, 25% Nylon"
"Leg Content: 90% Wickspun Acrylic, 10% Nylon"
I could easily see (and feel) the difference between the zones (though not with my feet). I guesstimate that the combined area of heel and toe box constitute about 20% of the sock. If 27% of that is Alpaca, and I have my math right, 5.4% of the sock is Alpaca. This made me wonder, at first, whether all this song and dance about Alpaca was just a gimmick. However, this was before I read the manufacturer's list of "Special Features":
"Suitable for warm weather due to reduced alpaca content in toe and heel; alpaca provides blister resistance; Mid-weight cushion is ideal for close fitting shoes or boots; patented construction uses independent zones to absorb and transfer moisture; Arch Support zones; Anti-bunching flex panel".
If alpaca really provides blister resistance, then it's a perfectly good reason 1) to include Alpaca in a "warmer weather" sock and 2) to include only very little of it.

On the hangtag it states (among other things):
"Alpaca socks become naturally fuzzy when you wear them. After washing, they will return to normal."
I can already state (after wearing them, without shoes, around the house for an evening) that the first part of this statement is true. Maybe that's some of the blister-preventing feature of the alpaca in action? How "normal" they'll get after washing remains to be seen (and reported on in my Field Report). About washing, the hangtag has this to say:
"Turn sock inside out. Wash in cool water. Gentle Cycle. No bleach. Wash with like colors. Tumble dry."
Okay - not novella size, which I was afraid of, given what I thought would come out to a high wool content, using the dryer is an option - that's nice - but cool water, gentle cycle. Hmmm. Not what I'm looking for in a sock for a long trail. I'll be following the washing instructions scrupulously at first, but am not certain that my vigilance won't waiver... We'll see.

Fitting:
The socks seemed a little small when I unpacked them, but they have some stretch. They fit in a way which is nice and snug, without being constricting. My feet were a little cold when I stripped off my other socks to put these on and putting them on immediately felt as though my feet were getting a little bit of welcome warmth. The sort of experience which produces an instant "I like" feeling with me. They fit without showing any folds, and I do not feel the toe seam at all. While the latter fact is welcome, I find it curious: The seam over the toes is clearly visible, and when I turn the sock inside out, clearly felt (by hand). My toes feel the seam only when I exert pressure on the seam from above - this is usually not the case in my shoes. In some socks I have, the seam tends to curve or slide so it is at the front of the toes, where I occasionally make contact with my shoes, or even worse slides below my toes, where they always have contact. So if there has to be a thick seam at the toes, I guess this is the location to put it. So far I am only a little concerned with this and will report how it works out in the Field and Long Term Reports.

Trying Out:
The socks feel good on my feet, as I mentioned. I can feel that they have a bit of a cushion under the sole when walking around in them in the house, but not as much as some socks made for the specific purpose of walking around with them inside without shoes. Inside shoes they feel well - I'll report on how well they wear with exercise in my shoes later.

The Future:
I'll be interested to see whether the fuzziness really goes away with washing. I will be hard pressed to supress my instinctive pulling on fuzz which I see developing anywhere. I tend to get rid of fuzz which I see developing on fleece tops or what have you, which I guess would be a massive disservice to these socks. I will be wearing these socks on all of my near-future hikes (though I will carry warmer ones for backup once it gets colder than "cool"). I may try them out with liner socks underneath in deep snow, but won't hold it against them should this result in cold feet. Mostly, I'll be walking around with them a lot, and may do some running and some other highly aerobic pursuits. As usual, I will be inspecting my feet in the evening and, occasionally, on rest breaks. And this time around you, the reader of the Field and Long Term Reports, will have the benefit of me sharing my findings with you! What luck. I'll report on how much they save my feet from the abuse I subject them to, and how well they take the abuse they themselves become subject to thereby. Do they go back to "normal" after they've been washed? And what's "normal" supposed to mean? All this will be covered in my upcoming reports (although the last point will be limited to "normal" in the context of these socks).
In this region, the test period (November to April) will typically see temps between -5 (maybe -10) C (23, maybe 14 F) and 20 C (70 F). For precipitation we'll have fog and drizzle as well as rain in fall, more drizzle and some snow in winter, actual rain in spring. Fall tends to be windy. I will be taking/wearing the jacket on numerous day hikes and the occasional weekender. All of this won't be far from sea level altitude wise.