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Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Fox River Escape Crew Socks > Test Report by Ken BigelowFox River Escape Crew Socks
Test Report Series by Ken Bigelow Initial Report – July 9, 2008 Field Report - September 9, 2008 Long Term Report - November 24, 2008
Personal Biographical Information: Name: Ken BigelowAge: 29 Gender: Male Height: 5' 8" (1.7 m) Weight: 175 lbs (79 kg) Shoe Size: Men’s 10 (US) Email address: krb84108 (at) yahoo (dot) com Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Backpacking
Background: Manufacturer: Fox River Website: http://www.foxsox.com/ Year Manufactured: 2008 Color Tested: 1 Pair Black, 1 Pair White MSRP: N/A Listed Weight: N/A Style: 1284 Measured Weights: 2.2 oz (62 g) per pair - 1.1 oz (32 g) per sock Size Tested: Large Product Content: 40% Ingeo PLA, 35% Nylon, 23% Recycled polyester, 2% Spandex Product Description & Initial Impressions: I received two pair of Fox River Escape Crew Socks to test – one black pair, one white pair. Each had a plastic tag clip connecting one pair of socks together (i.e. the black socks clipped together and the white socks clipped together) with a tag listing the company name, logo, product name, product contents, size, style and color.  Fox River Escape Crew Socks - Black & White The black pair of Escape Crew Socks are really black and gray with a small of red stripe around the cuff. The gray color dominates the socks around the toes and under the bottom of the socks from the toes to the heel in an hourglass pattern. There are also gray lines across the front of the ankle and small elliptical depressions giving the front instep a bit of a honeycomb feel (not unpleasant to the touch though). Across the instep, just before the toes, the Fox River name and logo are printed in gray as well. The black color covers most of the instep and wraps around the arch. The ribbed leg on the front is also black but the back of the leg is a mixed black and gray woven pattern. Various black and gray patterns appear around the ankle and curve and swirl out across the sides of the instep.   The Top (left) & Bottom (right) of the Fox River Escape Crew Socks The socks fit me just fine and I found them very soft and comfortable to put on. The sock’s texture feels nice on my feet. All the stitching looks sound and I was unable to detect any defects after inspecting the Escape Socks. I am looking forward to testing these socks. Summary: The Fox River Escape Crew Socks are a comfortable sock with a soft, mid-weight lower section and a thin, lightweight leg extension. I like the fit and texture of the Escape socks and am looking forward to testing them for the next few months. Things I like so far:
Field
Report
Field Conditions: So far I used the Fox River Escape socks for a
total
of 17 days. I used the socks for a three
day backpacking trip in the High Uintas Wilderness and five days of
backpacking
in the Wasatch
Mountains. I used them on a total of nine days combined
dayhiking/camping
with six days in Utah’s Wasatch
Mountains and the other three
in Baxter State Park
in Maine. I have worn the socks for three consecutive
days on three occasions. Temperatures have ranged from 29 F (-2
C) to around
85 F (29 C). I have seen rain, some
hail, crossed (and once cascaded down) snowfields been boulder hopping
and
hiked on both muddy and flooded trails and encountered dry dirt/rocky
trails
while wearing the Escape Socks. Field Report: I did manage to break one of my toes during the test period (not while wearing the socks) and the Escape socks have provided enough cushioning going uphill or on flat terrain that it does not hurt very badly at all. The exception would be going downhill or on sharp rocks. I can really feel the pain in my toe when walking on either of the latter mentioned terrains, but I believe this is because I use my toes more in these situations while hiking and has nothing to do with the socks' performance. The Escape socks have been exposed to quite a bit of moisture. In Maine’s Baxter State Park I arrived to find the trails completely flooded from storms and it rained heavily everyday I was there except one. Everything was wet and I had to make an effort to keep my feet from becoming completely submerged on almost every step I took. At night I hung my socks in my tent (as it continued to rain) and they managed to dry out before I awoke for a summit run on the only dry day I saw. I was very glad as I took the Dudley route (the steepest trail) up Katahdin and ended up going over Knife’s Edge en route to the summit. I had no blisters or hot spots for the trip.  No Blisters in Baxter State Park  Drying the White Pair of Fox River Escape Socks For the first two months of testing I have not experienced any durability problems at all. There are no loose threads that I can tell and I haven’t noticed any pilling either. The socks have not lost any elasticity (not become over stretched) or worn down in any way that I can detect. Summary: So far the Fox River Escape Socks have been very comfortable and a great performing sock. They wick moisture well, dry quickly and I’ve had no durability issues with them whatsoever. The black pair do seem to have odor issues while the white pair I can’t keep white (though I’ve had this problem with all white hiking socks I own). Neither of these matter much to me though as they still function fine. Things I Like:
Things I’m Not Thrilled About:
Long Term Testing Conditions: For the last two months I have used the Fox River Escape Crew Socks in Capital Reef National Park, Great Basin National Park, the High Uintas Wilderness, and the Wasatch Mountains. Elevations have ranged from 4,200 ft (1,280 m) to 13,100 ft (4,000 m). Temperatures have been between 20 F (-6 C) and 75 F (24 C). The terrain has included rocks, sand, dirt, mud and snow covered trails. I’ve seen rain, snow and sun while wearing the Escape socks.  Fox River Escape Crew Socks Long Term Report: Over the four month test period I’ve wore the socks with my New Balance 1091 trail runners, my Montrail Nautilus trail runners, my Kayland Contact 1000 boots and my Zamberlan RICA 154. For the trail runners the socks have been perfect but wearing them with the boots I have ended up using them more as a liner simply because the boots fit me pretty loosely. The Fox River Escape Socks function fine in mild and moderate conditions. They are soft, comfortable and do an excellent job of wicking moisture. I still have not had any blisters while wearing the socks. They don’t keep my feet warm in colder temperatures, but they clearly are not designed as winter weight socks so I am not surprised by this at all. After four months of use I have had no durability issues to report at all with the exception of color change in the white socks (permanently looks dirty). I haven’t seen any pilling of the socks over the course of the test period and haven’t had any loose threads on either pair. The white pair is now more of a brown/tan/white mix from constantly getting them dirty (and my inability to keep white socks white). The funky smell I noted in my Field Report seemed to go away after I washed the socks a few times without wearing them in between. There are traces after I wear the socks for multiple days in a row, but if I only wear them for a day hike they aren’t worse than any other sock in the smell department. Summary: The Fox River Escape Crew socks are soft, comfortable and perform excellently during outdoor activities. The do a nice job wicking moisture and I haven’t had a single blister while hiking in them. I was unable to keep the white pair looking white, but that doesn’t matter much to me because their performance was unaffected by appearance. Things I like:
Things I wasn’t too excited about:
This concludes my Long Term Report. Thanks to Fox River and backpackgeartest for allowing me the opportunity to test the Escape Crew Socks. Read more reviews of Fox River Mills gear Read more gear reviews by Ken Bigelow Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Fox River Escape Crew Socks > Test Report by Ken Bigelow | ||||
