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

March 5, 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 began in 1999. In Michigan, my wife and I hike/snowshoe 6-8 miles (10 km-13 km) 2-3 times a week in Pontiac Lake Recreation Area with weekend hikes in various southeast Michigan locales. We also hike the Colorado mountains whenever we can. We are moving to Colorado late 2006, so our hiking time and trail variety will increase tremendously.

I'm aiming towards a pack-weight under 12 lb (5 kg) but I fall short. My day pack-weight hovers around 18 lb (8 kg). Overnights find me weighing in over 25 lb (11 kg). I want to lighten-up, but can't decide which toys to leave behind.

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

The last two months of testing the Darn Tough Vermont Socks have been winter months. During two separate trips to Colorado, most of the time there was spent searching for property for my planned 2006 move. On both of those trips, I spent most of every day hiking around various 35-acre parcels, so even though I wasn't hiking marked trails, I was hiking. I did manage to find time to enjoy a couple of good day hikes in the Royal Gorge/Twin Peaks area of southeast CO.

At home, I was able to get in a couple of snowshoe hikes in Pontiac Lake Recreation Area. To extend the wear time of the Darn Tough Vermont Socks, I also wore them around the house, putting the total wear time into the hundreds of hours and the washings up to about a dozen.}

Temperatures ranged from 19 F (-7 C) to 68 F (20 C) with elevations averaging 6000 ft (1800 m) to 7000 ft (2100 m). Terrain was rather rough in Colorado. There were times that I was hiking around on level prairie grasslands, but for the most part, I was scrambling on steep hillsides, avoiding lots of cactus and navigating around very large boulders.

During this long-term testing period, I continued to wear the Darn Tough Vermont Socks on almost a daily basis. I had already concluded that the socks were initially functional and comfortable. Now the challenge was to see if they remained intact over the long haul. They did.

I wore the socks with tennis shoes, moccasins, and of course, my Asolo hiking boots. The socks are not super thick socks, so I had no problem fitting them in all but my tightest shoes. Even though the Darn Tough Vermont socks are not the heaviest weight socks I've seen, they were totally adequate for hiking in the coldest weather that I encountered. Yet, at no time did I get sweaty feet. Whatever excess warmth was nicely wicked away from my feet, saving me from any blistering.

I was particularly impressed with the Darn Tough Vermont Socks' ability to retain their shape and elasticity even after long hours of wearing and numerous washings. No matter what kind of activity I indulged in, the socks stayed put. No sagging down around my ankles, the cuffs stay firmly in place high on my calf. This length also was tremendously welcomed in cold weather.

Even after wearing the socks for several days, there was no strong odor to the socks and they didn't get real stiff with dirt and perspiration either. I wore the same pair for 4 days straight with no odor.

Washing the socks required no special care and the Darn Tough Vermont Socks have no shown any real signs of wear such as pilling, snags or shrinkage. In fact, I saved one pair to compare the test socks against, and it is a challenge to pick the ones I've been using out of a pile if they are thrown together.

Summary - My Overall Opinion

These are great socks! I can't say that the Darn Tough Vermont Socks are the greatest hiking socks in the whole world because I haven't worn all the other socks in the world. But I can say that they are the greatest hiking socks that I have ever owned.

Pros:


1. Comfortable in all respects: good fit, good support, good weight.
2. Stay-put construction is snuggly secure but does not cut-off my blood circulation.
3. Outstanding quality stands up to rigorous washing and wearing without any noticeable effects.

Cons:


1. Only sorry I didn't know about the Darn Tough Vermont Socks before this!

Thank you for the opportunity to test this product!

John R. Waters

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