Name	Lynne Durham
Gender	Female
Height	5' 10" (1.78 m)
Weight	157 lb (69 kg)
Age	44
Email	lynnedurham AT yahoo DOT com
Location	Benton Harbor, Michigan USA

BACKPACKING EXPERIENCE

I have hiked and car camped all of my life, mostly in the relative flatlands of the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan, but also in areas east of the Continental Divide, such as South Dakota, New England, Kentucky, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, and more. I have been backpacking since 2002. I keep my pack weight to 25% of bodyweight. However, I am always trying to lighten my load further to enhance my comfort and enjoyment as I like to hike big mileage.

Socks I Like
When it comes to socks for outdoor pursuits, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool lover of wool. I use a variety of brands, but the common feature in all of my outdoor socks (including running!) is merino wool content.

NAVIGATE THIS REPORT

Reviewer Bio	Backpacking Experience	Product Information
Summary	Field Conditions/Activities	Final Impressions
This Is Cool	This Could Be Improved

PRODUCT INFORMATION

MANUFACTURER	Flagship Brands, LLC
WEB SITE	http://www.feeturesbrand.com
MSRP	USD13.99
FIBER CONTENT	35% CoolMax® polyester, 28% Merino Wool, 18% acrylic, 17% nylon, 2% Lycra® Spandex.
ACTUAL WEIGHT PER PAIR	2.2 ounces (62 g)
WASHING INSTRUCTIONS	Machine wash warm. Tumble dry. No bleach.
SIZES
As tested	Large (fits US Men's 9-12.5 and US Women's 10-13)
Also available	Small (fits US Women's 4-6) Medium (fits US Men's 5-8.5 and US Women's 6.5-9.5) Extra Large ((fits US Men's 13-16)
COLORS
As tested	Heather Gray
Also available	Charcoal, Khaki

More information about the product may be found in my field report.

Back to top

SUMMARY

During the testing period, the Feetures Outdoor Quarter socks performed admirably. They are comfortable, wick sweat well and dry quickly. The socks held up excellently over the course of the testing period and remain in good shape to this day: there are no overt signs of wear and they have retained their shape very well. The Power Bands feel good, but I can't say they offer extra support.

FIELD ACTIVITIES AND CONDITIONS

During this phase of testing, these socks were subjected to a variety of activities, including:

Backpacking with a packweight of approximately 30 lb (13.6 kg) on the North Country Trail
Trail running on trails at my local nature preserve and on the North Country Trail
Dayhiking on dune trails
Trail maintenance on the North Country Trail
Walking on local streets
Mountain bicycling on forested trails in southwest Michigan

Virtually all of the mileage in the long-term phase of testing was done under dry (no rain, no water crossings) conditions. This was partly due to luck and partly due to circumstance: since I've had to reduce my time outdoors a bit, I make sure I'm taking advantage of the nice days!

During this testing period, the socks have seen approximately 42 miles of outdoor trail usage above and beyond all other usages to which they have been subjected. When added to the mileage of the field testing period, that means the socks have seen about 119 miles of outdoor trail usage total, in addition to all of the other uses they've seen.

Back to top

FINAL IMPRESSIONS

Overall the Feetures Outdoor Quarter socks have performed very well. They show no signs of excessive wear. They have held their shape well. The socks dry quickly and do not create excessive offensive odor when worn for several days. They fit well with all of the different footwear I used during the testing period (a variety of trail runners).

I answered every question I had about the socks during my field testing phase. There remained one question mark: would the socks continue to hold up well?

Despite a total of nearly 120 trail miles -- PLUS all of the road running, bicycling, treadmill running, etc. to which I subjected these socks -- the socks show no undue signs of wear. The stretchy parts remain stretchy. The cushiony parts remain cushiony. The socks have retained their shape. No worn spots are visible. There has been no shrinkage -- even though the socks have been washed at least two dozen times.

Back to top

THIS IS COOL

I love how these socks feel on my feet!
Quick drying
Comfortable over long distances
Do not get excessively stinky with long-term use

THIS COULD BE IMPROVED

I can find no major point of this sock that should be improved

Thank you to Feetures and BackpackGearTest.org for the chance to test the Outdoor Quarter socks.

Read more reviews of Feetures gear
Read more gear reviews by Lynne Durham

Long Term Report

All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson