For the past 20 years I have lived off and on in Washington State, backpacking in the Cascade Mountains. I get out regularly on day hikes and multi-day trips and usually try to include a good off trail scramble. During the winter I get out snowshoeing at every opportunity. I also enjoy glacier climbing, summiting prominent peaks like Mt. Rainier (14K ft/4K m) and Mt. Baker (10K ft/3K m). My pack weight will range from 15 - 50 lbs (7 - 23 kg) depending on the season and the length and type of trip.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Injinji
Year of Manufacture: 2009
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.injinji.com/
MSRP: US$ 16.00
Listed Weight: None provided
Measured Weight: 2.5 oz (70 g)
Other Details:
Material: Nuwool (micro-fine Merino wool) 70%, Nylon 25%, Lycra 5%
Sizes: S, M, L, XL
Colors: Slate, Forest and Blue
Socks Tested: M, Forest

Injinji Outdoor Series Sock (Injinji)
Injinji Outdoor Series Sock (Injinji)

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The socks arrived in their retail cardboard hanging packaging. It is a high quality packaging with nice photos and lots of information about the socks' features. This information includes a description of the Duel Welt Band, Arch Support, Anatomical 5 Toe Design and Vector Heal features. Additionally the packaging notes Injinji's exclusive Nuwool material provides natural moisture wicking. All these features are designed to provide "exceptional comfort and performance unlike any other athletic wool sock."

Retail Packaging
Retail Packaging

The sock material is soft and smooth to the touch. The material is a close knit weave and is of one piece construction. The toes of each sock are sized to match the different sized toes of the wearer. This cut of the toes makes for a left and a right sock. The material of the sock has a good stretch to it, stretching uniformly in all directions and returning to its original shape.

There is a little stitching to form the heel and some stitching between the base of the toes. This stitching is tight and compact and provides a very smooth feel, almost as if there is no stitching at all. In the toe area, this contrasts with regular socks where there is usually a noticeable seam the runs across the entire toe end of a sock. The top of these socks have a 3/4 in (2 cm) rolled band. There is a small stitched "injini" logo on the outer edge of the band on each sock. This helps distinguish the left from the right.

The weight of the socks, or material thickness, is about what I expected. These are definitely not thin liner socks and I would consider them to fall into the category of a light weight hiking sock.

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

The packaging provides clear instructions to the wearer on how to don the socks for a optimum fit, ensuring the toes are fit properly with no excess material before pulling on the rest of the sock. The package text prepares one for the socks feeling different since they are toe socks. The description even goes so far as to note that it might "take a wearing or 2" for one's toes and feet to adjust to these socks.

Care instructions are standard for a wool item:
Machine Wash Warm, Do Not Bleach, Line Dry, Do Not Iron, Do Not Dry Clean

TRYING IT OUT

This is my first time trying toe socks and they are indeed different. The first time I put them on I did not quite have the toes fitted properly and so there was some excess material in the toe area when I pulled on the rest of the sock. But I was able to work the material around such that I had a smooth fit around and between my toes, as well as across the rest of my foot and heel. The material's nice stretch made this easy to do. I have put the socks on several times now and have the hang of getting the material properly fitted around the toes before putting the sock on the rest of my foot.

During the first wearing, once properly fit the socks did feel "funny" with the material between my toes. It was not uncomfortable though, just very different. I wore the sock around the house and it wasn't long before I became accustomed to the feel of material between my toes. The socks fit fine across the rest of my foot and they stayed up with not slipping. The soft material felt very nice against the skin of my feet. Overall it was a pleasant experience to wear the socks and they kept my feet warm while in the house.

Regarding sizing, depending on the boot manufacture my size is a 10 1/2 or 11 US. This falls right in between the Injinji sizes Medium and Large, according to their sizing chart. The stretchy nature of the material helped make the size Medium just right for my foot. The material is not over stretched to make the Mediums a good fit for my feet. It is just the right amount of stretch to get a comfortable fit. I think if I had gone with the size Large I would likely have had excess material in the heal and, or in the toe area.

Cozy Toes
Cozy Toes

SUMMARY

The Injinji Outdoor Series socks are very different than other socks I have used due to the toe sock construction. They take a little longer to put on than regular socks, but the stretchy nature of the material makes it easy to get a good fit. The material feels very soft and once properly fitted these socks are very comfortable to wear. I am anxious to check out these socks out in the field with my hiking boots. I will be paying close attention to their fit, cushioning, moisture wicking properties and thermal protection.

Check back in about 2 months for my Field Report on the Injinji Outdoor Series socks.

My thanks to Injinji and BackPackGearTest for the opportunity to set these socks.

Test Report by Tom Callahan

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