Initial Report

Injinji Tetratsok Outdoor Quarter & Performance Crew Socks
Initial Report
August 1, 2006

Biographical Information

Product Information

Initial Impressions

Summary

Future Test Plans

Injinji Tetratsok

Performance crew (left) Outdoor quarter (right)

Biographical Information
Name	Jennifer Pope
Age	25
Gender	Female
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)
Shoe size	Women's 8 US
Weight	140 lb (64 kg)
Email Address	Jennifer dot Pope at gmail dot com
Location	Los Angeles, CA
Backpacking Background Intermediate. I've been a car-camper as long as I can remember and started backpacking in Northern California when I was 16. I've been backpacking for a little over a year after a hiatus during college. I backpack in the Sierras as well as National Forests and Parks in the Los Angeles vicinity. I also spend time in the California deserts and the mountains and coast of Northern California. I'm a tent camper leaning towards lightweight; but I'm also a fan of gadgets and I like being comfortable. I also frequently day hike close to home and while car camping.

Product Information (back to top)
Manufacturer	Injinji
Manufacturer URL	http://www.Injinji.com/
Year of Manufacture	2006
Size Tested	small (unisex) Available in S, M, L, XL
Claimed Weight	none listed
Outdoor Quarter - Actual Weight	1.7 (48 g)
Performance Crew - Actual Weight	2.1 oz (60 g)
Color Tested	slate (almost black) with a green label- Outdoor series black with a red label - Performance series
MSRP	Outdoor quarter - $16.00 US Performance crew - $14.00 US
Outdoor Series Material	70% NuWool, 25% nylon, 5% Spande-Flex
Performance Series Material	70% CoolMax, 25% Nylon, 5% Lycra
Washing Instructions	Machine wash warm. No not bleach. Line dry.
Purpose	These are seamless socks with five toes. The toes are intended to provide a thin layer of wicking fabric between all the toes to eliminate toe friction and prevent blisters.

green label red label

Labels located on outside cuff of each sock

Initial Impressions & Product Description (back to top)

I didn't really know what to expect when I got these socks. I expected them to be of high quality but I really didn't know what the fit would be like, or more importantly, how they would feel. I first tried the Performance series socks. When I first put them on the fit did definitely feel different. It felt like I was getting a pedicure and I had cotton balls between my toes. For this first wearing I just tried them out in my house without shoes on. After an hour or so I stopped noticing the fabric between my toes. If I thought about the socks I noticed they still felt strange but I stopped noticing it unless I purposefully thought about it.

One day at work I decided to wear the socks again to get a feel for them further. Again the socks felt strange right after I put them on. But just like before after a little while I stopped noticing the difference. In fact, I didn't really think about the socks all day at work. I will report on performance issues in my Field Report after I have more experience with the socks.

Putting the socks on is kind of strange and it takes longer than with regular socks. Some of my toes try to go in other "fingers" of the socks with other toes. I have to separate each toe and carefully arrange the socks when I put them on. It takes longer than it takes to put on regular socks but I wouldn't say it takes a long time.

I noticed a few loose strings in between the toes of the socks. This was pretty minor stuff that I was easily able to trim away.

loose string

Summary (back to top)

The socks do indeed feel different than any other sock that I've worn previously. So far it seems like I habituate to them fairly quickly. Sweat between my toes is a big problem for me though and if these socks minimize that they would definitely take a place in my gear closet.

Injinji Tetratsok

Outdoor quarter (left) is slightly lighter in color than the Performance Crew (right)

Future Test Plans (back to top)

I will be wearing these socks in a couple capacities. I'll use them hiking, backpacking, biking, for casual weekend wear, and to work even. This means that I'll be wearing the socks from sea level up to over 10,000 ft (3,050 m) - give or take depending on where my summer and fall hikes take me. I'll be under diverse conditions which may include beach sand, the rocky mountains of the Sierras, forested areas, shrubby chaparral and probably more. I may encounter rain (light or thunderstorms), wind, cool temperatures (in the 30s F/~15 C), hot temperatures (up to the 90s F/50s C), etc.

I plan to evaluate how well these socks work while performing a variety of activities. I will report on how well the socks work at keeping me blister-free over the test period as well as how well the minimize sweat accumulating between my toes.

In addition to performance, I will also report on the durability of the socks over the 4-month test period. I'll report on whether they develop any tears or if they fade over time. As well as how easy they are to keep clean and if they hold on to odors and dirt.

I want to thank BackpackGearTest.org and Injinji for giving me the opportunity to test this item.

Read more reviews of Injinji gear
Read more gear reviews by Jennifer Pope

Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Injinji Tetrasock > Jennifer Pope > Initial Report

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