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Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Darn Tough Vermont Boot Sock > Roger Caffin > Long Term Report
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| Reviewer: | Roger Caffin |
| Age: | 60 |
| Gender: | M |
| Weight: | 63 kg (138 lb) |
| Height: | 168 cm (5' 6") |
| Email address: | r dot [surname] at acm dot org |
| Home: | Sydney, Australia |
I started bushwalking at 14, took up rock climbing at University with the girl who became my wife and walking partner, and later we took up ski touring and canyoning. We prefer long hard trips by ourselves: a week in Australia, two months in Europe/UK. We prefer fast and light in unfrequented trackless country. We are out for at least three months a year. We have reduced our pack weights from 18 - 20 kg (40 - 45 lb) to ~12 kg (26 lb), including food, for week-long trips. I designed and made much of our lightweight gear.
I am also the maintainer of the Australian aus.bushwalking FAQ web site www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/.
| Manufacturer | Darn Tough Vermont |
| Knitting Mill | Cabot Hosiery Mills |
| Style | Hike Trek, Boot Sock, Full Cushion |
| Material | 69% wool, 27% Nylon, 4% Lycra |
| Size | * |
| Weight (measured) | 103 g (3.6 oz) pr, Large |
| MSRP | na |
* I take an 8 - 8.5 size in UK fittings, which made my job of choosing a size rather difficult. The Medium size goes to 8 (UK), while Large starts at 8.5 (UK). The company resolved this by sending two pairs of each size.
I mentioned in the Initial Report that the company web site describes the socks thus: "High density cushioning surrounds the entire foot and shin. 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." I added that the knit seemed very fine, the loops inside very tight, while the sock thickness was generous.
My foot size of 8 - 8.5 (UK) straddles the border between Medium (up to shoe size 8) and Large (shoe size 8.5 upwards) for these socks, so the company sent me two pairs of each size. I chose to wear the Large size, so my wife (with slightly smaller feet) swooped on the Mediums for herself.
Most knitted socks will stretch a fair bit, but these Darn Tough socks are very robust and seem a bit more resistant to stretching than most. My opinion from our testing so far is that the sizing information given by Darn Tough Vermont is quite accurate, and also that it pays to buy on the high side for sizing.
I reported in my Field Report that the socks were going very well. At the time I had used only one of the two pairs on trips, so I decided that I would stay with that one pair for the rest of this Test, to see how they handled the treatment. I should mention here that we (my wife and I) have been going walking pretty well every week since this Test started. Many of these trips have been over very harsh terrain, while other trips have seen us walking in a sandy-bottom creek for hours at a time. My lightweight KT-26s have a mesh upper which lets sand in when I am walking in the water, so the socks were often covered in sand for a good part of the day. All in all, I have to say that this one pair of socks have been given one of the toughest workouts I have even given a pair of socks.
They have survived. In fact, not only have they survived, they have survived very well. On the basis of performance to date, they show every sign that they will continue to handle this sort of treatment for another year or two at least. Of course, extrapolating into the future like this is risky, but in this case I feel quite justified in expecting this.
Some socks have a very slippery outer surface, and this can be extremely dangerous when the slipperiuness lets them slide around inside footwear. I mentioned in my Field Report found it very gratifying that these socks have felt quite secure inside my very light KT-26s. I regard this as very important in rough country; even more important when we are scrambling around in our canyon country as shown here. Both my wife and I were wearing the Darn Toughs that day. I am happy to report that they continue to grip the inside of my KTs and my wife's joggers very reliably (which is just as well!).
I still find the part of the sock above the ankle region too long. However, it works if I fold it down. The folding adds to the warmth of the socks, not that I have needed that during this Test (in the Australian summer), but no matter. The extra length also adds to the weight (and maybe the price), so it would be nice if the company could come up with a design slightly shorter in the ankle.
Outside surfaces, new and used socks Inside surfaces, new and used socks
A worry with anything made of wool is that it will felt up, and what with all the river walking we have been doing I did expect this to happen quickly. In my Field Report I mentioned that this had happened a bit, but not very much. The same comment still applies: some felting has happened, but not an excessive amount. The pictures above show my used and new/unused socks, with the new unused ones at the top (of course). The outside of the socks are at the left; the inside of the socks showing the terry towel loops are to the right. A 'slight' loss of whiteness may be seen at the toes of my used socks. Well, that's what happens with open mesh footwear.
I could go into a detailed analysis of how much felting there is and where it has happened, but it might be easier to just look at the photos. Yes, there is some surface abrasion and scruffiness, but not a lot.There are no detectable wear spots. In the past I have found that some brands using a blend of synthetic and natural fibres have lost the natural fibres in the heel region after a while, leaving a round patch of thin synthetic mesh fiber behind. The thickness change at the edge of such a worn patch leads very quickly to blisters: nothing like that seems to be happening here.
In summary, I think the fabric conditioner and a bit of a stretch after washing may have helped minimise the felting. The socks have remained springy and stretchy. But I also think the fine weave of the terry loops and the knitting over all has helped a lot. Big slack loops and big knitting loops would quickly lose their bulk. The finer weave may be a shade slower to knit and therefore more expensive to implement. Well, maybe so, but it seems worth it.
Wool is meant to smell when wet. OK, so let's just say the smell was never particularly bad. My feet are sometimes worse.
The socks have been washed every week at home in warm water, inside out and with fabric conditioner. They washed just fine, and the fabric conditioner seemed to be quite effective. There was negligible smell left after a warm wash. The springiness remained very prominent. I did find that a quick stretch of the sock in both directions after washing seems to free up the loops a bit, such that the original softness was preserved.
My wife washes our socks. She has reported that my socks are always dirtier than hers, but we know why: her shoes have an effective fabric at the front, while mine have a porous mesh. But she has also reported that mine sometimes still have bits of sand in them after some washing. Apparently it gets in there and is hard to get out. The interesting thing is that the sharp edges of the sand particles don't seem to have done much damage so far - at the end of the 4-month LTR period. Darn Tough.
Purely as an aside I should mention cost. I don't actually know how much these Darn Tough Vermonts cost, but I suspect it may be more than I pay for my lightweight KT-26 shoes (which are about US$25 maybe). An amusing thought, that my socks are dearer than my shoes! But two comments should be made. First, I am not really worried what my socks and shoes cost, as long as they function brilliantly. I have never had a blister in this combination, so who cares about a few dollars? Second, while my KTs have superb grip and are very light, a pair would not last me more than 6 months at the most in our country. These socks look like lasting for a couple of years.
I undertook to evaluate a number of questions; my findings are below.
In summary, it will be obvious that I am very impressed with these socks, and would go so far as to buy some more one day in the distant future when my two 'Test' pairs wear out. Could be a while though.
