Dahlgren Light Hiking Socks
Long Term Report by André Corterier
Personal Biographical Information:
Name: André Corterier
Gender: M
Age: 33
Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight: 80 kg (175 lb)
Email: andreDOTcorterierATfreenetDOTde
Home: Bonn, Germany
DATE: 2005-MAY-13
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 recently rediscovered backpacking and have started out slowly – single-day 15 mile (24 km) jaunts
by myself or even shorter hikes in the company of my little daughter. I am getting started on longer
hikes, as a lightweight packer and hammock-camper. I’ve begun upgrading my old gear and am now shooting for a
dry FSO weight (everything carried From the Skin Out except food, fuel and
water) of about 10 kg (22 lb) for three-season camping. Not quite there yet.
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 (0.2 oz)
Dahlgren listed weight: 2.9 oz
measured weight (size L): 85 g (3.0 oz)
Preliminary Note:
These socks deserve a compliment for being hassle-free. This report is very short - I have had ample time to write
it, but have found that it's all been said. No issues have come up. I like items that I don't notice much - it
indicates to me that they serve their function exactly as they should. These socks have turned out to be that kind
of low-maintenance functional gear that I'm looking for in my equipment.
Product Description:
You may find a detailed description of these socks in my
Initial Report.
Long Term Experience:
I have worn these socks throughout the Long Term testing period, almost exclusively in my Columbia DayPack XCR
hiking shoes. When not worn in those, I've worn the socks in my Asics running shoes.
Temps ranged from about 5 C below freezing (25 F) to about 20 C (about 70 F), precipitation from none through heavy rain.
Altitude was insignificantly above sea level. FSO weight varied between 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) and 12 kg (26.5 lb), activity between brisk uphill
hikes with pack and limping about on crutches. For one trip, I hiked about 16 km (10 mi) with my daughter in a kid
carrier on my back, for an FSO weight (including my daughter's FSI weight) of roughly 35+ kg (80 lb). My hiking was
done on fairly well-maintained trails, my limping about on crutches mostly through city streets.
Fit:
The socks have gone through several additional washing cycles without shrinking appreciably. I still find them nice
to put on and particularly appreciated the fact that they are not divided into a left sock and a right sock as
some hiking socks are. This allowed me to continue testing these (one at a time) during the six weeks in which I
had my left foot in a cast due to a fracture.
Comfort:
These socks continue to provide adequate warmth and cushioning, without being one of those monster socks I
sometimes see advertised. I have a pair of army issue heavyweight wool socks which are not only less comfortable
than these, but also give me the feeling when I put them on that I will definitely be sweating hard in them. This is
not the case with these socks. They feel comfortably substantial without overkill. What I would call "just right".
I have read in a number of places that good socks do more per dollar to make walking a
more pleasurable experience than shoes do - all I can say from experience is that with these socks, in a pair of shoes
that I thought comfortable to begin with, my feet have stopped being a worry in regards to hiking. My knees (and,
truth be told, my thighs) complain enough for me to seek rest before my feet begin having issues.
While I have not hiked in these socks with a monster pack (I've been reducing my packweight), the way my right knee felt
after a "walk" (is it called a "limp" when you're limping, not walking?) with the cast reminded me of how my knees
used to feel after lugging a big pack up a long incline back in my rail-camping days. Still, afterwards the foot in
question was in much better shape than its attachment, which leads me to believe that the cushioning afforded by
these socks is adequate for use with heavy packs, as well. This is backed up by my impression after lugging my
daughter through wooded hills for a few hours.
Using these with a pair of very thin, Coolmax liner socks, has had an interesting result. It seemed, when I took
off both pairs of socks to check on them, that the Dahlgren Lt. Hiking socks seemed just a bit more moist than
they usually do (though I have nothing but memory on which to judge this). The liner socks, in contrast, and
especially my feet, seemed entirely dry. I like this and will try it out come warmer weather. I have at least one
resupply-less trip coming up where the temperatures and precipitation will be very hard to predict. This setup may
be just right under both cold and pretty warm conditions. It seems that way to me.
Odour:
My findings on this "feature" have not changed in any way. These socks continue to be extremely slow in gaining an
odour. While they no longer have that fresh-out-of-the-washing-machine smell after having been worn for a day of
hiking, the difference between one day of hiking and two days of hiking seems to me to be impossible to tell by
smell alone. The longest these socks have gone without washing was four consecutive days of walking much of the day,
in Gore-Tex lined shoes. When I held them up to my nose afterwards, they were quite smelly. Still, nothing like the
kind of reek I used to notice upon entering a tent. I like this. (Of course, in part this may be due to the better
ventilation of my
hammock).
Durability:
I have continued to wash these socks as indicated in my
Field Report.
The trend I observed there has continued - the socks become quite fuzzy with wear, which is somewhat ameliorated by
washing. The fuzziness is particularly pronounced in the areas where sections made of different material mixes
meet each other (compare my description in my
Initial Report.)
I have still found some pilling, but this does not seem to detract from the socks' usefulness. I definitely
have not noticed any bunching up around the little knots formed thereby - they are imperceptible to me when I wear the
socks. The socks continue to hold up well and continue as my main choice for hiking socks in all temperatures other
than "hot".
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