Field Test Report:
Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Sock

Date: December 12, 2005 Personal Information Name: Will Rietveld Age: 63 Gender: Male Height: 6 ft (183 cm) Weight: 170 lb (77 kg) Email: willi_wabbit AT bresnan DOT net City & State: Durango, CO 81301 Location for Testing: Southwestern US (Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico)

Backpacking Background I have been an avid backpacker for 47 years. Backpacking is my passion. In the fall, winter, and spring I backpack in UT, AZ, and NM. In the summer I backpack in several wilderness areas in southern Colorado. Backpacking Style—I have been a lightweight backpacker for many years and an ultralight backpacker for 6 years. My wife and I give presentations on ultralight backpacking in the local area, and have developed a website called Southwest Ultralight Backpacking (http://home.bresnan.net/~swultralight) to share information.

Product Information Product Tested: Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Sock Manufacturer: Teko Manufacturer Website: http://tekosocks.com/ Year of Manufacture: 2005 Fabric: 65% Merino wool, 23% recycled polyester, 10% nylon, 2% Lycra® Sizes Available: Small, medium, large, x-large Size Tested: Men’s large (fits US sizes 9-12, Euro 42-47) Weight Listed: none Weight as Delivered: 4.2 oz (119 g) per pair Color Tested: “Sky with moon mist” Warranty: One-year unconditional MSRP: $17.95.

Product Description
The manufacturer of Teko Socks emphasizes the company’s commitment to minimizing the ecological impacts of their manufacturing process. According to the Teko website: "the advantages of merino wool are as follows:

Comfort--Merino wool cools and warms the body. Wool buffers the body's microclimate from changing temperatures, maintaining consistent comfort. Wool has the added benefit that as it absorbs moisture, the fibers release a small but perceptible amount of heat. It is the original 'intelligent' fiber.

Moisture Control and Management--Merino wool fibers have a complex structure with a hydrophilic (water-holding) interior, known as the cortex, and a hydrophobic (water-repelling) exterior, known as the cuticle. Water can be absorbed into the fiber structure; and when merino fiber is in fabric and garment form, water can also be held in the fabric structure. This means that many garments made from Merino wool can hold large amounts of water without feeling damp even when exposed to rain, moisture or sweaty conditions.

Renewable, Natural, and Ecological--Merino wool is an annually renewable, natural product. It is durable while in use, yet recyclable and biodegradable at the end of its life cycle. It is produced in free-range farming systems, which are animal and ecologically friendly.

Easy Care--Merino wool's surface properties allow spills to be easily wiped away before causing permanent staining. Additionally, soil particles don't 'stick' to the garment through electric charge. Merino's moisture absorbing characteristics contribute to excellent wrinkle recovery of fabrics and garments. Simply applying steam to the garment will naturally help restore its form.

Features of the Merino Wool Hiking Sock (according to the Teko website) are:
* Anti-welt double cuff for comfort and fit
* Interwoven Lycra for support and decreased bunching
* Lycra holding rib for superior comfort and support
* Reinforced toe and Y-heel for durability
* Air vents for breathability
* Lycra holding rib for superior comfort and support
* Medium terry cushion from heel to toe
* Lin Toe flat toe seam for smooth fit and comfort"

Field Test Report
Test Locations And Conditions— During the first two months of testing I wore the Teko socks on 19 outings totaling 26 days, as follows:

I wore the socks hiking on and off trail in the southern Colorado mountains, northern New Mexico desert, and southern Utah canyon country. Terrains were mountain forest, badlands desert, and sandstone canyons. Conditions included dry forest and desert trails, sandstone slickrock, off-trail bushwhacking, scrambling, and walking through mud and snow. Temperatures ranged from 35 to 75 F (2 to 24 C) during the day and 22 to 55 (-6 to 13 C) at night. Elevations ranged from 5500 to 9500 feet (1676 to 2896 m).

How The Socks Were Used—I wore the Teko EcoMerino Wool Hiking Socks in mid-height (Dunham Cloud Contrail) and low cut (Dunham Waffle Stomper Alcatraz) hiking shoes in size 11.5 EEEE. Since I am also testing the Spenco Backpacker Footbeds, I wore the footbeds along with the Teko socks. I did not test the Teko socks with liner socks. On some trips I wore short gaiters over my hiking shoes. On backpacking trips and for elk hunting, I wore the Teko socks in my sleeping bag to keep my feet warm. Teko sent two pair of the hiking socks, so my use was spread over the two pair of socks.

Factors Evaluated
Specific factors I am evaluating the Teko Hiking Socks for are as listed below. In this field report I will post what I know about the socks so far.

Materials, Quality, And Construction—The fabric is 65% Merino wool, 23% recycled polyester, 10% nylon, and 2% Lycra®. The socks are about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, and have a very tight ribbed weave. They stretch in both directions, but more horizontally than vertically. The inside is looped to provide a very soft cotton fleece-like texture and feel. The heel and toe areas appear to have a different weave and blend of components for more durability (but I don’t know this for sure).

Fit—The socks are 10 inches (25 cm) from the bottom of the heel to the top of the cuff, which is sufficient for full height boots. For my size 11.5 EEEE feet, the Teko socks in size large fit me perfectly; they conformed to my feet and had no length to spare. The stated fit range is size 9 to 12. I suspect the fit would be tight on size 12 feet. Each pair of socks has been washed about four times, and they still fit about the same as when they were new.

Usability—I wore the socks in mid and low cut hiking shoes, and also wore them in my sleeping bag to keep my feet warm. They have lots of stretch and slip on my feet easily. When on, they do not feel tight. They conform to my feet very well, so there are no folds or unfilled areas that can apply pressure to my feet and cause blisters.

Comfort—The socks are well cushioned and are definitely comfortable to wear. When I hike with these socks, the thing I notice the most is their cushiony feel. They really pad and cushion my feet well. The socks have a fairly wide comfort range. The warmest temperature I have hiked in wearing the socks is about 75 F (24 C), and my feet did not feel especially hot. I have also worn the socks while hiking in near freezing conditions, and the socks kept my feet toasty warm.

Performance—On several high exertion hikes in warmer weather, the socks felt dry and comfortable at first, but over several hours a significant amount of moisture (from perspiration) accumulated in the socks. When they got damp from sweat, they felt clammy. On several occasions I took my boots off at breaks to dry the socks out (which is a good idea for any brand of socks). The Teko socks dried out quickly when they were turned inside out and laid in the sun. It worked well on day hikes to carry the second pair of Teko socks and change socks at midday. When I wore the socks in my sleeping bag, they dried out quickly and my feet did not get cold.

On the trail, the socks provided plenty of cushioning. I did not have any blisters or hot spots. Their cushioning was especially appreciated when I wore low cut hiking shoes.

When I wore the socks in different footwear, the main difference was in how tight or loose the boots fit. My normal practice is to choose one or two pair of socks to wear with a particular pair of boots to get just the right fit. The Teko socks are fairly thick, so I always ended up wearing just the Teko socks, and for some boots I had to loosen the laces in the toe area so they were not too tight.

Durability—The socks have held up well after 26 days of use (13 days per pair). There is some residual staining on the bottom of the socks, which I consider normal. The socks have a few snags from brush and pulling stickers out of the socks. There is also a significant amount of pilling, especially on the arch and ankle areas. The pilling is not excessive and is only cosmetic. On the inside, the pile is flattened in the toe and heel areas, but there are no signs of actual wear.

Odor Management—I wore the socks successively for 4-5 days on a couple of occasions, and found no offensive odor at all. They seem to suppress odors., but I can't verify that.

Weight—The socks are heavy weight backpacking socks, designed to provide plenty of cushioning to help prevent blisters while carrying a backpack. The actual weight of the socks in size large is 4.2 ounces (119 g), which is on the heavy side for hiking socks.

Cleaning—The cleaning instructions are: “Machine wash warm inside-out, tumble dry low, no iron, no bleach”. They were washed several times following these instructions, except we forgot to turn them inside out, which is likely what caused the pilling. I also hand washed them a few times using Woolite when I needed the socks and didn’t want to wait for the laundry.

Measurements—Bottom relaxed is 9 in (23 cm), stretched is about 12.5 in (32 cm); height relaxed is 10 in (25 cm), stretched is about 14 in (cm); top opening relaxed is 3.5 in (9 cm), stretched is about 6 in (15 cm).

Plans For Further Testing
I have not yet worn the socks in really wet and/or really cold conditions. During the next two months I plan to use them while snowshoeing, skiing, and ice fishing, which are good activities to determine if they feel warm when wet. I also plan to wear them while hiking as long as I can, so I will put additional miles of wear on the socks.

Acknowledgement
I would like to thank the Teko Socks and the Backpackgeartest Group for selecting me to participate in this test.

Will Rietveld