|
| Home | Guest - Not logged in | |||
|
» Register
» Login
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
» Contact
|
Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Integral Designs Hot Socks > Kelli Wise > Long Term ReportIntegral Designs Hot Socks - Long Term Report June 1, 2004
Personal biographical information: Backpacking background: I've been car camping and hiking for 20 years and sport climbing for 10 years, but am new to backpacking. My backpacking style is not ultralight but lightweight and I am striving for a suitable compromise between safety and comfort. I have started going for overnight and short trips with the goal of doing an extended trip next year. The majority of my hiking experience is in Western Washington so I get a lot of wet weather experience. Field information: Western Washington, coastal, lowlands and winter snowshoeing below 3000' (915 m).
Product Information:
Listed weight: 4.2 oz (120 g) Features: The Hot Socks are designed to be used in camp and while sleeping to keep feet from getting cold. The shell material is Pertex Microfibre and the insulation is 4 oz (95.3 grams/square meter) Primaloft Sport. This provides 0.5" (1.3 cm) of loft around the foot in a water repellent shell. There is a back panel made of a double layer of stretch microfleece that makes the Hot Socks easy to slip on and keeps them snug around the ankles. The footpad is reinforced with 330 denier (D) Cordura.
Long Term Report: So why am I so enthused about the Integral Designs Hot Socks? Well, they keep my feet warm at night, are light weight, and don’t get soggy from a quick stroll through dew-soaked grass. In the past, I’ve always used a spare pair of wool hiking socks to wear while I slept and these kept my feet pretty warm. Wool socks, however, pick up dirt, grit, sticks, and leaves when worn alone on the forest floor. Any dew on the grass is quickly absorbed by the wool and the socks quickly get wet. Wet socks result in cold feet. What this means is that I have to have a pair of shoes handy whenever I step outside my shelter, either a bivy sack or hammock, or risk having wet feet or a dirty sleeping bag. The Integral Designs Hot Socks, on the other hand, are made with water repellent Pertex and Cordura. These fabrics don’t pick up forest material like wool does nor do they readily absorb water. While I wouldn’t wear the Hot Socks in very wet or muddy conditions, I can verify that they can be worn for a short time in dew soaked grass. A little moisture was absorbed by the Pertex shell, but most of the moisture beaded up and was easily shaken off. To see how warm the Hot Socks were in comparison to my wool light hikers, I wore a wool sock on my left foot and the Hot Sock on my right foot. I was sleeping on the ground in a bivy sack with a 1.5” (3.8 cm) thick, 3/4 length sleeping pad and blue, closed cell foam pad under my feet. I was in a 15 F (-9 C) down sleeping bag. The night time low was 34 F (1 C). After crawling into bed, I noticed that both of my feet were chilled. Within a few minutes, the foot with the Hot Sock warmed up but the foot with the wool sock remained noticeably cool. At some point in the night I woke up and noted that my left foot was still not warm although my right foot was toasty. Winner: Integral Designs Hot Socks. Another night spent under the same conditions. I wore the Hot Socks on both feet. Although I have a short length sleeping bag, it is still about 6” (15.2 cm) too long for a 5’ (152 cm) tall woman (me), so I have a lot of extra space at the foot end of my bag that has to be heated. In the morning, I pulled off both hot socks and noticed that the foot end of my bag was pretty cold even though the Hot Socks had kept my feet warm. This leads me to conclude that the Hot Socks insulated my feet so well that they were unable to heat the foot of my sleeping bag. The most recent use was hammocking at a lakeside campsite. The day had been cool and drizzly and the humidity was high enough that it felt much colder than the 43 F (6 C) my thermometer indicated. Even being exposed to damp air, the Hot Socks did not feel like they had absorbed any moisture. When I went to sleep that evening, I was feeling cold, but the Hot Socks warmed my feet up quickly and kept them warm all night long. For humid, rainy conditions, the Hot Socks work well. After several months of use and a few short strolls in damp grass, the Hot Socks are not appreciably dirty or worn. My original intention was to wear them around the house to check the durability but, try as I might, I just cannot get used to the sensation of slipping when I’m walking in them. The sensation is similar to walking on ice. This feels like it is due to the inner lining sliding against the insulation, which is sliding against the outer Cordura of the soles. I can tolerate the sensation for quick walks to retrieve an item from my pack or to relieve myself, but I can’t abide it for extended periods of time, so I have not been able to wear the Hot Socks as house slippers. The Hot Socks have withstood repeated compressions as I have stuffed them into some rather small spaces in my pack. I’ve also packed them in a zip type bag, evacuated as much of the air as I could and carried them in my pack. Despite being squished and crammed, they don’t appear to have lost any loft nor has the insulation migrated creating cold spots. The seams have all held up well as has the fabric. I’m also very glad that I chose the bright red fabric. This makes finding them in my pack, or in my shelter, very easy as the red fabric is very visible. The inner lining fabric is very soft and warms up very quickly against my bare feet. My preference is to wear them with no other socks.
Summary:
Pros:
Cons: I would like to thank Integral Designs and BGT for the opportunity to test the Hot Socks.
Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Integral Designs Hot Socks > Kelli Wise > Long Term Report | |||