OWNER REVIEW

FILSON HEAVYWEIGHT MERINO WOOL SOCKS

 

Product: Filson Heavyweight Merino Wool Socks
Reviewer: Richard Lyon (backpacking profile at end of review)
Date: August 26, 2005

Manufacturer: C. C. Filson Co.
URL: www.filson.com
Year of Manufacture: 1995
Year of Purchase: 1995
Length (listed and measured): 12 inches (32 cm) from the heel to the top of the sock
Weight per pair, as measured (not listed on manufacturer's site): 7.0 oz (198 g) for size XL
Color: Gray
Fabric: 84% virgin Merino wool/15% nylon/1% Lycra® spandex
MSRP: USD 24.50
Sizes Available: Unisex Medium (fits men's US sizes 6-9), Large (9-12), Extra Large (12-16)
Similar Products: Filson also sells Lightweight (75% wool content) and Midweight (80% wool content) Merino Wool Socks.  Some of these are available in colors other than gray.  Each weight including the Heavyweights is available in over-the-calf length (18 in, 48 cm from heel to top of the sock) as well as standard length.
Warranty: "Filson guarantees its products will perform to your satisfaction."

Fabric and Design: From Filson's website: "Only comfortable, wickable 100% Merino wool touches your foot. Then, to reduce wear and make socks last longer, we added nylon -- but only in the socks' outer surface -- especially in the heel and toe. A special knitting technique makes this possible." 

(Note: Many hiking socks that are primarily synthetic have some wool and many natural wool socks (including the Heavyweights) have some synthetic.  I use the term synthetic in this review to refer to any sock with less than 75% natural wool content.)

As with all Filson products, function trumps flash; these socks have an altogether ordinary appearance.  They are available only in pale gray.  A Lycra band at the top of the sock has a lighter gray color, and on newer purchases I can detect a slightly lighter shade on the toes and heels.  "Filson" is printed in plain green type just below the toe line.  This bit of advertising is of course visible only when the socks aren't inside my boots, and I like this feature as it makes it easier to pick the Filsons out of the sock drawer.

Why I Use Them: Ten years ago I bought my first pair of Heavyweights because they were the bulkiest wool or wicking synthetic sock I could find.  I have a long, narrow foot (US size 12-B) and favor thick socks, even at the expense of unnecessary insulation, to reduce movement inside my boots.  This concern has increased as fewer bootmakers offer a narrow width boot off the shelf.  (My thanks to Danner for continuing to look after me in this regard.)  That's still an important reason why I keep using these socks.  A decade's favorable experience is another.  I've since purchased five or six additional pairs of the Heavyweights in either standard or over-the-calf lengths.

When and Where I Use Them:  For me, these are strictly athletic socks.  In my temperate home climate I find the Heavyweights too warm for casual use, even in winter.  From my first pair ten years ago through this writing the Heavyweights have been my socks of choice for snowshoeing and backcountry and in-bounds telemark skiing and for year-round hiking whenever I expect to carry 30 pounds (12.5 kg) or heavier loads.  (That's most of my backpacking, as for me even overnighters or three-day trips normally mean a large pack and some camp extravagances.)  I prefer the over-the-calf version for winter sports, for additional warmth, while the lower-cut standards reduce insulation and take up less pack room when backpacking in other seasons.  When hiking I always wear these socks with thin wool or synthetic liner socks. 

What I Think of Them:  I have tried socks with a higher synthetic content with mixed success (best results with SmartWool products), but in my experience no synthetic wicks moisture away any more effectively than wool.  That's especially true in winter.  After a full day of hard skiing, when wet feet mean cold feet, these socks and my feet are drier than my boot liners. 

Boots carry more blame than socks for blisters, of course, and I have occasionally developed blisters when hiking in the Heavyweights.  But every little bit helps.  I've found no sock of any kind with the bulk of the Heavyweights, and that bulk, I am convinced, does lower my blister risk.  The Heavyweights immediately improved the condition of my feet (and consequently of my general attitude) when wearing a not-quite-broken-in pair of standard width all-leather Scarpa boots on a long steep hike in Montana. 
These socks are heavy (a pair of similarly sized SmartWool Hikers weighs five ounces (142 g), about 30% less) and I'm sure that my feet are hotter on a warm summer day on a steep trail when I wear them.  More bulk and a very tight weave mean less breathability than any lighter sock and probably less breathability than a synthetic.  Comparing against any other sock with a liner and heavy boot, though, the difference in breathability is marginal. 

The Heavyweights dry more slowly than higher synthetic-content socks.  Again the difference is marginal.  In the Rockies in summer everything dries quickly when it's dry or not at all when it's damp.

One final advantage: It usually gets chilly in the evenings in high country, and my custom is to change into clean socks in camp after the day's hiking is done, for comfort and warmth.  Short of cashmere or alpaca there is nothing cozier than natural Merino fibers against my skin – far less scratchy than a synthetic.

Do They Last? While I haven't made any scientific comparisons, I believe these socks have lasted longer than higher-synthetic counterparts.  In the field I wash my socks by hand and dry them in the sun; at home I normally follow the manufacturer's instructions by using mild soap, usually Ivory or Woolite, and delicate cycle with cold water in the washer followed by line drying.  On those occasions when I get lazy and use the dryer (on the lowest heat setting, delicate cycle) there's minor shrinkage, but the socks stretch back to normal size when pulled on my feet.  Unlike synthetics, I've encountered very little pilling, and there's less fabric "erosion" on the heels from washing or wear and tear than on my other hiking and ski socks.  I think I still have my first pair, as I remember pitching only one relatively new pair, about two years ago, after they met the same fate as my homework – chewed up by my Great Pyrenees puppy.

Will I keep Buying Them? As long as Filson sells 'em.  Filson is now 108 years old, so that's likely to be for the rest of my lifetime.

Backpacking background:

Male, 59 years old
6' 4" (1.91 m) tall, 200 lb (91 kg)
Email address: rlyon@gibsondunn.com
Home: Dallas, Texas USA

I've been backpacking for 45 years on and off, and regularly in the Rockies since I moved to Texas in 1986.  I do a weeklong trip every summer, and often take three-day trips.  I'm usually camping in alpine terrain, at altitudes 5000 to 13,000 ft (1500 - 4000 m). I prefer base camp backpacking, a long hike in with day trips from camp, but I do my share of forced marches too. Regardless of type of trip, I'll tote a few extra pounds to have the camp conveniences I've come to expect.