Integral Designs Hot Socks, Field Report

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Name:   Carol Crooker

Age:  44

Gender:  Female

Height:  5 ft 10 in  (178 cm)

Weight:  160 lbs (73 kg)

Shoe size:  men’s 10.5 to 11, women’s 11 to 12 (43 or 44)

Integral Designs Hot Socks size:  large

Email:  cmcrooker at att dot net

City, State:  Phoenix, Arizona

Date:  January 31, 2004

Backpacking background:  For the past 7 years, I've backpacked about 30 days each year.  Most of my trips were three to six days long, and were in Arizona, the High Sierras, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Pennsylvania and New York.  My three-season base pack weight varies from 12 lbs (5 kg) to 8 lbs (4 kg).  I use a tarp for shelter in all four seasons.

PRODUCT SYNOPSIS

The Integral Designs Hot Socks are insulated socks with abrasion resistant cordura on the sole.  They are designed to be put on after wet and sweaty socks are removed so that feet never have a chance to get cold.  The Hot Socks can be worn inside huts and tents and a sleeping bag.  They are insulated with Primaloft Sport and have a Powerstretch back panel.  See my Initial Report for a more detailed description. 

Manufacturer:  Integral Designs

URL:  www.integraldesigns.com

Year of manufacture:  2003

MSRP:  $35 USD

Listed weight in catalog:  4.7 oz (135 g) for size large

Listed weight on web site:  4 oz (113 g) with no size specified

Weight as delivered:  4.5 oz (128 g) for size large

Listed packed size in catalog:  7” x 3” (18 cm x 8 cm)

Listed packed size on web site:  6” x 3” (15 cm x 8 cm) 

Packed size as delivered: 6.5” x 3.5” (17 cm x 9 cm)

Listed loft:  0.5 in (1 cm)

Loft as delivered:  Loft was difficult to measure accurately.  I measured the Sock as being a little over 1” (2.5 cm) thick which included both the left and right sides of the Sock and some space in between the layers.   

Weight of stuff sack:  0.3 oz (9 g)  

OBSERVATIONS

Northern Arizona

Daytime temperatures were in the 70’s F (low 20’s C) on my first, four-day backpacking trip with the Hot Socks.  (See the Field Information section below for more details on that trip.)  When I pulled into camp each night my socks were moist with sweat.  The first night I pulled off my wet socks and stuck my bare right foot into a Hot Sock.  I pulled a thin wool liner sock onto my left foot before inserting it into the Hot Sock.  That first night I found that the foot with the liner sock was a bit warmer than my bare foot.  Also, the Hot Sock slipped part way off my bare foot when I pulled my feet out of my sleeping bag.  I wore liner socks on both feet inside my Hot Socks the rest of the trip and had no problems with the Hot Socks slipping off my feet. 

I used the Hot Socks to walk around camp in.  Camp was on sand the first night, forest duff including lots of pine needles and pitch the second night, and dirt the third night.  The pine pitch stuck to the bottoms of the Hot Socks, but the dirt and sand brushed off the bottoms of the Hot Socks easily.  The bottom of the Hot Socks has thin insulation like the rest of the Sock, but the outer fabric is Cordura rather than Pertex.  This combination was enough to provide a minimal amount of protection to my feet from twigs and small rocks.

My feet were cozy as I slept in the Hot Socks, but I didn’t give them much of a test since I was using a sleeping bag with a nicely lofted foot section rated to the lowest ambient temperatures I experienced. 

Northern Arizona, hotel room

I took the booties along on a visit to Flagstaff, Arizona to play in the snow in December.  I found they were too warm to wear in my hotel room at 68 F (20 C).

Northern Arizona, winter

Temperatures were much lower on my second, three-day trip.  The first evening temperatures ranged from 10 to 25 F (-12 to -4 C).  My toes were cold by the time I had camp set up.  I pulled boots and socks off my moist feet and put on thin liner socks and the Hot Socks.  When I climbed into my 30 F (-1 C) rated sleeping bag to cook dinner, the temperature was around 10 F (-12 C).  My feet warmed up and stayed warm as long as the sleeping bag was resting on a foam pad and not directly on the snow.

Sleeping temperatures throughout the first night were between 10 and 20 F (-12 to -7 C).  I stayed warm enough inside my bag.  I wore very thin liner socks and the Hot Socks on my feet.  I beefed up my normal body insulation with a synthetic parka (Integral Designs Dolomitti) and synthetic insulated knickers (Army surplus pants liners).  I was very surprised to be able to get by without adding a down liner to my sleep system.  My feet, which usually are the first things to get cold, stayed warm.  The 30 F (-1 C) rated sleeping bag I was using, a Mountiansmith Wisp, has a nicely lofted foot box, which helped, I’m sure.

The second night, evening and sleeping temperatures were abut 10 F (-12 C).  My feet got overly cold tromping through snow on my trek to my campsite.  In camp, with my feet in Hot Socks and thin liner socks inside my sleeping bag, I couldn’t get them warmed up.  I added hand warmer packets to both Hot Socks during dinner.  When I went to sleep, the hand warmers were still cooking away.  I slept chilly, but fine until 6:00 am when my feet became too cold.  The hand warmers had probably died out about an hour before that.  I added a down liner to my sleep system and was toasty until I got up an hour later.  Again, I was very surprised to even get close to using a 30 F (-1 C) bag in 10 F (-12 C) temperatures.

I used the Hot Socks as my camp booties in the snow.  I removed the insoles from my boots and put them into the Hot Socks to give a little added insulation.  That worked great!  I could go out onto the snow for a midnight pee run and not start shivering at 15 to 20 F (-9 to -7 C).  At 10 F (-12 C), my feet would start to get cold if I took too long (too many layers to try to unbutton and unzip!).   I did not notice any difference in warmth at the back of my ankle where there is Powerstretch fabric instead of Primaloft insulation.  An added benefit of wearing my boot insoles inside the Hot Socks was that the warm insoles made it a lot easier to put my feet into cold boots when I broke camp in the morning.

The first night I wore the Hot Socks as camp booties, a thin crust of snow formed in some spots on the bottoms of the Hot Socks after I walked in the snow.  I had to scrape it off before putting my feet into my bag.  The second night, this did not happen.  It turns out the snow was adhering to the pine pitch still stuck to the bottoms of the Hot Socks.  It also turns out that snow is a great way to clean pine pitch off!  All the pine pitch was gone from the soles of the Hot Socks by the second night and I just needed to brush loose snow crystals off the Hot Socks before I put my feet into my sleeping bag.    

The Cordura bottom of the Hot Socks provided some traction in the snow.  I had no problems with slipping when I was walking in the area around my tarp that I had stomped down and left to consolidate.  I did slip around on my path to the “bathroom” at my first campsite.  I’d stomped down some areas of the path and not others, leaving a very uneven surface.

There is no discernable wear or damage to the bottoms of the Hot Socks after five nights wearing them around camp on various surfaces. 

I found the Hot Socks comfortable to walk in, lounge in, and sleep in.

What I like so far:

- The Hot Socks are soft and warm.

- Easy to pull on and take off.

- Fairly lightweight.

- Pack small.

- They are robust enough to be used as camp booties.

What I don’t like so far:

- Nothing!

FIELD INFORMATION

Since my Initial Report, I’ve gone on two backpacking trips with the Hot Socks along.  See below for more detail on those trips.

Northern Arizona

Four-day backpack trip in early December in the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness in northern Arizona.  Elevations from 6600’ (2000 m) to 4,600’ (1400 m).  Temperatures were unseasonably warm, with highs into the low 70’s F (low 20’s C) and lows to just below freezing.

Northern Arizona, winter

Three-day snowshoe backpack trip in late January on San Francisco Mountain in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness near Flagstaff.  Starting elevation was 8000’ (2400 m) and turn around point elevation at Doyle Saddle was 10,800’ (3300 m).  The terrain was snow covered with day time temperatures up to the 60’s F (16 C) and night time temperatures down to near 0 F (-18 C).

TEST PLAN

Time permitting, I’ll do another snow camping trip in Arizona in February or March, most likely in the Blue Range Primitive Area in eastern Arizona.  I’ll be going on a four-day snowshoe backpack trip in Montana in late March.  I also hope to take a non-snow trip in Arizona in April or May.  I’ll take the Hot Socks along on all my trips for use in camp and as sleeping socks.  In particular, I will be noting durability and resistance to moisture.