Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Teko Eco Merino Hiking Socks > Kathy Waters > Long Term Report

Long Term Report: Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Socks  
27 January 2006

Contents:
Tester Biographical Information
Product Information
Field Conditions/Completed Tests Results
Summary

Tester Biographical Information    <back to top>

Name: Kathleen Waters
Age: 54
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 4in (1.63 m)
Weight: 128 lb (58 kg)
Email address: kathy at ring dot com or TheMiddleSister at usaring dot com
City, State, Country: White Lake, MI USA

Backpacking Background: My husband and I started hiking in 1998 on a gorgeous fall day, starting with Mt. Hahn located just north of Steamboat Springs, CO.

Since then, we have returned to Colorado, mostly to the Vail Valley area twice a year, both summer/early fall and winter to play outdoors - we snowshoe in the winter.

When we are home in Southeast Michigan, we make it a point to hike 2 or 3 weekdays, usually 6 to 8 miles (10 to 13 km) and then one whole weekend day. Our weekday hikes generally take place in the Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, which is a decent mixture of moderately steep hills and flat terrain, heavily wooded. Our weekend hikes can end up being anywhere!

Product Information (from website)    <back to top>
http://www.tekosocks.com

Manufacturer: Teko
Year of Manufacturer: 2005
Model: EcoMerino Wool Hiking Sock
Sizes: SM, MD, LG, and XL
Color: Black with Moon Mist, Sky with Moon Mist, and Golden Green with Moon Mist
Weight: N/A

MSRP: $17.95 USD

Product Information (from tester) Size: Medium Weight: 4 oz (113 g) a pair Color: Black with Moon Mist For a more detailed description of the Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Socks, please see my Initial Report.

Field Conditions/Completed Tests Results    <back to top>

During this last long phase of long term testing, I continued to wear the Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Socks as often as possible. The socks were worn at least 20 hours per week and washed only once a week.

Locations where the socks were utilized included 4 days in Cañon City in Colorado as well as numerous day hikes in southeast Michigan. Elevations ranged from 67 ft (20 m) to just over 5700 ft (1737 m) and temperatures varied from a low of 19 F (-7 C) to 58 F (14 C). Terrain was mostly forested hard-packed dirt trails in Michigan as well as asphalt (walking the dog) and in Colorado I hiked loose, sandy soils coupled with hard boulder scrambling. There was minimal snow, alas!

I wore the Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Socks with my La Sportiva Venture XCR trail shoes, my Asolo boots and plain old ordinary Nike tennis shoes. Sometimes, I wore them with silk sock liners.

In all cases, I had happy feet from the time I thrust my toes into the socks until I peeled them from my body! As soon as I would smooth the socks over my arches, I could feel the gentle support and the terry insides delivered on their promise of warm, but not sweaty coverage. With and without silk liners, I continued to have dry feet using the Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Socks. During my first phase of testing, I had some dampness, but I've concluded that snow in my boots was the culprit. I did not have that problem these past several weeks.

Wearing the socks for 12-hour days, half of those hours spent hiking, for 4 days straight, could have meant really smelly, stiff socks. However, the Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Socks were not overly aromatic! They were obviously not freshly-washed-and-lined-dried, but definitely were not offensive.

I never did get the opportunity to wash and dry the socks on the trail, but did hand wash and line-dried them at home. Using biodegradable soap and cold water, the Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Socks dried adequately overnight. Following the manufacturer's directions, I also washed the socks in cold water and tumbled dry. In all cases, the socks were turned inside-out as recommended.

Summary    <back to top>

Pros:

Warm and heavyweight socks keep my feet comfortable in cold temperatures.

Soft and not itchy or scratchy merino wool is a sensation treat for my feet.

Great wicking quality of merino wool keeps my feet dry and safe from perspiration moisture, so no blisters!

Cons: After many washings, socks shrank a bit, about 1.5 in (3.8 cm). During the long term testing phase, Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Socks started to sag after a couple straight days of long hikes, forcing me to pull them up while hiking.

The Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Socks are very comfortable socks. They feel good when I pull them on and they feel good during my hiking activities. I haven't really even noticed my feet which is a good thing because it means I have adequate support, warmth and ventilation going on. I really have punished these socks with constant wear both with boots and other footwear and I think they are on the whole, holding up pretty well.

Thank you for allowing me to test the Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Socks.

Kathleen Waters

Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Teko Eco Merino Hiking Socks > Kathy Waters > Long Term Report