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Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Darn Tough Vermont Boot Sock > John Waters > Initial Report
2 November 2005 Contents Tester's Biographical Information Name: John R. Waters Backpacking Background My backpacking experience is limited to the last few years, hiking primarily in Michigan and Colorado. In Michigan, I do day (and night) hikes of 6 miles (10 km) to 8 miles (13 km) with my wife a 2-3 times weekly in Pontiac Lake Recreation area with weekend hikes in various southeast Michigan locales. Our twice-a-year vacations are usually in Colorado where we hike the mountains of in the summer and snowshoe the trails in the winter. Temperatures range from -5 F (-20 C) to 90 F (32 C) and elevations range from 200 ft (60 m) to 13400 ft (4084 m). Terrain includes sandy beaches, hard-pack dirt trails and rock scrambling. I have tended towards the lightest pack possible - under 12 lbs. (5 k), but of course, that is day hiking. I started overnight hiking this summer and am aiming for a light to ultra -weight pack but have a ways to go yet. Product Information (from manufacturer's website) Manufacturer: Cabot Hosiery Mills, Inc., Made in the USA Features: High density cushioning on foot bottom. Custom shrink treated Merino wool. Ribbing above the ankle insures a proper fit. Reinforced heel and toe. Elastic support around the arch. Ring toe construction for a comfortable invisible seam. Lifetime Guarantee: Tough customers deserve a tougher pair of socks. We ski, ride, hike, bike and run in the most unforgiving climate in the lower 48. It is under these conditions that we design, test and manufacture our Darn Tough socks. Our guarantee - "If our All Weather Performance Socks aren't the most comfortable and durable socks you've ever owned, return them for your money back." Product Information (from tester) Color: Lime Arrival Information On this positively balmy November day, I received a package from Cabot Hosiery Mills containing 3 pairs of Darn Tough Vermont socks. Just in time to get in some warm weather testing before the chill damp Michigan winter sets in! The socks are individually packaged, each pair, in it's own light cardboard sleeve with a top cutout for retail display hanging. The packaging has a size chart on one side and the Darn Tough logo and description "The Premium All Weather Performance Sock" on the other. The front gives additional promotional information, while the back of the package contains specific features and the Darn Tough Promise, as well as care instructions. There was an additional promotional sticker affixed to the socks themselves proclaiming "As Featured in Outside Buyer's Guide." First Impressions These are NICE socks! Even though the color is listed as "lime", I would hardly call them "lime". They are more of a heathered sage to forest green (almost black) with blocks of the various shades from toe to heel. A solid dark green/black then takes over through the ankle support area and back to the lighter sage for the calf/cuff. A tiny extreme top edge of the cuff might be construed to be lime green! The knit from toe to the ankle support is high density and very cushiony. The ribbed ankle support is also thicker than the calf/cuff area, which is also a ribbed knit. There is a small orange flat weave mountain graphic on both sides (inner and outer ) of the calf/cuff. An orange "Darn Tough" is knitted across each toe. The inside of the Darn Tough Vermont socks reveals lots of dense knit. The toe stitching is flat and tight. I was surprised to see quite a bit of what looks like very short fringe or leftover yarn running down both sides of each arch support. In one pair of socks, a couple of the strings were over two inches (51 mm) long. Also in every single sock, in the exact same place, there was an elasticized, roughly one inch long (25.40 mm) thread sticking out in the upper mid-foot area. Inspection time is over! Putting the socks on felt great and I'm off to test! Test Plan Having been selected to test the Darn Tough Vermont socks, I plan to wear them as much as possible throughout the testing period. I normally wear heavy weight SmartWool socks or Thorlo socks with a silk liner. I will wear the Darn Tough Vermont socks both with and without a silk liner depending on weather conditions and will report on fit and comfort issues variations. I will be looking to test the Darn Tough Vermont socks primarily for comfort. Do the socks fit appropriately as sized and ordered from the website information? How do the socks feel on my feet? Are they constrictive or merely supportive? Is there enough toe room to allow movement without extra bulk from extra material? Is the cuff high enough on my shin? Is the cuff comfortably snug or do I end up with sock "ridges" on my skin? Can I discern cushioning under my foot or are the socks thin? Do the socks remain in place during activity or do they inch downward into my boots? Is the banded arch support really supportive? Are the socks warm enough in the winter temperatures that I encounter? Are the socks too warm and cause my feet to sweat? Do the socks wick away perspiration and/or water from snowmelt, rain or streams? Do the socks smell rancid after a long day of hiking or snowshoeing? What about 2-3 days of hiking or snowshoeing? Do the Vermont Darn Tough socks require any special washing and drying care? Will the socks dry overnight on the trail? Do the socks sag after hours of use? Do the socks stretch out after washing? Do the socks shrink after washing? Does the elastic remain stable after repeated use and washing/drying? I will also report any other issues that arise during the testing period. Field Conditions This summer/fall marked the beginning of overnight hiking for my wife and me. I am eager to explore the mountains of Colorado and shorelines of Lakes Michigan and Superior farther than I have previously been able to do in day hikes. Tentative plans are for several 2 - 3 day hikes here in Michigan, a possible Christmas vacation trip to Pike's Peak area in Colorado, and a February snowshoe trip to the Sangre de Cristos in southern Colorado, as well as routine local hikes. Since I will start testing in the Michigan fall weather, which is wet and cold, continuing through and ending in the cold and dry temperatures of winter in Colorado, temperatures will most likely range from 10 F to 60 F (-12.21 C to 15.56 C). Rain will probably be encountered at some point and snow is a definite. I will be doing as much snowshoeing as conditions allow! Elevations covered will also offer 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. Thank you for the opportunity to test this product! John R. Waters Read more reviews of Darn Tough Vermont gear Read more gear reviews by John Waters Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Darn Tough Vermont Boot Sock > John Waters > Initial Report | |||