Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Darn Tough Vermont Boot Sock > John Waters > Field Report

January 12, 2006

Contents:
Biographical Information
Product Information
Field Conditions/Completed Test Results
Summary

Tester's Biographical Information

Name: John R. Waters
Age: 56
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.7 m)
Weight: 178 lb (81 kg)
Email Address: exec at ring dot com
City, State, Country: White Lake, MI USA

Backpacking Background

My backpacking experience is limited to the last couple of years, hiking primarily in Michigan and Colorado. In Michigan, I do hikes of 6-8 miles (10 km-13 km) 2-3 times a week in Pontiac Lake Recreation area with weekend hikes in various other southeast Michigan locales. Our twice-a-year vacations are usually in Colorado where we hike the mountains in the summer and snowshoe in the winter.

I tend towards the lightest pack possible - under 12 lb (5 kg), but of course, that is day hiking. I am starting overnight hiking this summer and am aiming for a light to ultralight weight pack.

Product Information (from Manufacturer website)
http://www.darntough.com

Manufacturer: Cabot Hosiery Mills, Inc., Made in the USA
Style: 1405
Colors: Forest, Red, Navy, Olive, Lime, and Black
Sizes: Small to Large (see website chart)
Contents: 62% Merino Wool, 34% Nylon, 4% Lycra® Spandex
MSRP: n/a

Features:
For an in depth description, including the Lifetime Guarantee of the Darn Tough Vermont Socks, please refer to my Initial Report

Product Information (from tester)

Color: Lime
Size: Large, fits men's shoe size 9-11.5

Field Conditions/Completed Test Results

Let me first say, that I have really worn these socks a lot! I mean, like daily, for the past two months.

Since I received three pairs of socks to test, I decided to hold one pair back so that I could compare the wear and tear of the test socks to the unworn pair.

I wanted to see how the Darn Tough Vermont socks held up under long-term use, so as to get more wear time in, I not only wore the socks during hikes, but I also wore them at home, out shopping, visiting, whatever. I wore them with tennis shoes, moccasins, and my Asolo boots.

The two pairs of socks that I have worn have been washed weekly for the past 8-10 weeks, both by hand and machine, air-dried as well as machine dried. That's probably far more than the average hiking sock endures.

Locations where tests were conducted included my home and office, other local venues, as well as Pontiac Lake Recreation Area in Waterford where I do training hikes during the week. In two trips to Colorado, the Darn Tough Vermont socks saw more strenuous workouts.

Elevations covered were a nice variety for testing from the sandy lakeshores in Michigan at 177' (54 m) to a high of 14,110 ft (4299 m) at Pike's Peak in Colorado. Terrain ranged from sandy to rocky in Colorado; hard-packed dirt in Pontiac Lake Recreation Area and hardwood floors and blacktop in everyday situations.

This has been an unusually warm winter season thus far, so my expected low temperature of 10 F (-12 C) has not been met. Rather 19 F (-7 C) is as low as it has gotten. Most of my hikes have been in the almost balmy 40-50 F (4-10 C) range.

Summary to date

Thus far in my field testing, I can answer the following questions raised in my initial report:

Do the socks fit appropriately as sized and ordered from the website information?
Absolutely! The socks fit perfectly as ordered from the website size chart. My size 9.5 is on the small side of the range but there is no excess sock to bunch up in my boots.

How do the socks feel on my feet?
Soft and warm is the best way to describe how the Darn Tough socks feel! No itchiness or scratchiness!

Are they constrictive or merely supportive?
Gentle support is how I would explain the arch and calf sections of the socks. There is a discernment of support when pulling on the socks but the snugness is not a distraction while wearing them.

Is there enough toe room to allow movement without extra bulk from extra material?
Plenty of wiggle room to keep my toes from getting crunched but no wrinkles or excess bulk.

Is the cuff high enough on my shin? As you can see from the picture, the cuff rides "just above mid-calf" so there is less chance the sock will slip down since the calf supports the upper lip of the sock. Is the cuff comfortably snug or do I end up with sock "ridges" on my skin? Nary a "ridge" to be found while wearing the Darn Tough Vermont socks! With socks so form-fitting, I was quite surprised and pleased the elastic did not leave their mark on my calves.

Can I discern cushioning under my foot or are the socks thin?
These socks are very cushion-y but not as thick or bulky as other socks that I have worn.

Do the socks remain in place during activity or do they inch downward into my boots?
Even during strenuous hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park at 30%+ grades, I had no trouble with droopy socks while wearing the Darn Tough Vermont socks. At no time, even after a couple of days wearing, did the socks stretch out and sag.

Is the banded arch support really supportive?
During my field tests, I didn't experience any arch fatigue which I'm sure was due, in part, to the banded arch support of these socks. The socks hug and protect my feet nicely. A heavier pack weight or longer treks might exceed the support of these socks, however. Further testing will be key during my long term test period.

Are the socks warm enough in the winter temperatures that I encounter?
For the most part, this winter hasn't been seasonally cold, but I have had a couple of mornings hiking where the temperature was 19 F (-7 C) and the Darn Tough Vermont socks did a good job of keeping my feet warm. I suspect that during long periods of time in freezing temperatures, that would not be the case. I hope that during the long term testing I will have the opportunity to confirm or dispute my suspicions.

Are the socks too warm and cause my feet to sweat?
I have not experienced any sweating or discomfort due to excess insulation.

Do the socks smell rancid after a long day of hiking or snowshoeing? What about 2-3 days of hiking or snowshoeing? Shockingly, the Darn Tough Vermont socks don't smell after SEVERAL days of hiking or snowshoeing. I've worn one pair of socks for up to four days in a row without my wife passing out when I remove my boots! Do the Darn Tough Vermont socks require any special washing and drying care? No special washing and drying care is needed other than the usual instructions to "turn socks inside out when washing" and "no bleach". I've (well, ok, my wife) washed my socks in both warm and cold water, in a washing machine and by hand and dried them in a dryer and by air, all with excellent results. Do the socks stretch out after washing? Do the socks shrink after washing? As you can see from the picture, the Darn Tough Vermont socks have not shrunk or stretched out at all after weeks of wear, washing and drying. Amazingly, the unused pair (the bottom pair in the picture)is almost indistinguishable from the others. Does the elastic remain stable after repeated use and washing/drying? Again, these socks wear like iron! I've not experienced any broken elastic threads or any stretched out cuffs so far in this test.

Continuing Test Plan

The Long Term Testing phase of the Darn Tough Vermont socks will be more of the same activities as in my field testing. Lots of daily wear, weekly washing and drying to test out the longevity of the materials. My usual 2-3 training hikes per week (4-5 miles/6-8 km)and various weekend hikes will continue to challenge the Darn Tough Promise "...If our All Weather Performance Socks aren't the most comfortable and durable socks..." I'm hoping that winter really kicks in here in Michigan and I have the chance to further stress these socks and access their value in colder temperatures and tougher conditions.

I will also report any other issues that arise during the testing period.

Thank you for the opportunity to test this product!

John R. Waters

Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Darn Tough Vermont Boot Sock > John Waters > Field Report