Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Teko Eco Merino Light Hiking Socks > Thomas Vickers > Field Report

Teko EcoMerino Light Hiking Socks Field Test Report

December 5, 2005

Tester Background:
I grew up in the piney woods of southeast Texas. Camping was a quick trip into the mosquito-infested woods behind the house. My style has evolved and over the last 4 or 5 years, I have begun to take a lighter weight approach to hiking gear (I still use sleeping bags and tents, just lighter versions). While I have flirted with lightweight hiking, I feel that I am more of a mid-weight hiker now. My philosophy is one of comfort, while carrying the lightest load possible.

Testing:
So far I have only worn one pair of the socks provided for this test.  My plan is to wear one pair for the field test phase while saving the other.  When I move into the long term test phase I will wash one pair and then alternate wearing both of them to see if washing affects performance in any noticeable way.  That means I have worn one pair through several different types of activities over several weekends.  I estimate that I have put a good 30+ miles (48 + km) on this pair of socks using two different pairs of hiking boots and on occasion, my running shoes. Probably a rather imporant note here is the odor level of the first pair of socks after being worn for two months without washing.   So far their has been suprisingly little stink to them. After I take them off, they often have a bit of 'foot' smell to them, but after being aired out, inside out, for a night, the smell dissappears.  I am not convinced that they are odor free (my nose is a poor testing tool), but they do not stink bad enough that my wife complains about them being in the bedroom.  This means that they are definitely not developing a bad odor with prolonged use. I guess I will have to result in a sniff off between the dirty pair and the clean pair before any washing is done to see just what the smell is truly like.

Fit:
My first thoughts about the Teko EcoMerinoLight Hiking Socks centered around their snug fit.  They were just plain tight when it came to getting them on.  This wasn't a problem, but it did make me wonder about my idea of trying liner socks with them.  At this point in the test I doubt I will even get to try that part of my plan.  I just don't feel that the Teko EcoMerino Light Hiking Socks will fit over my lightest pair of liners.  The good news is that I haven't seen any need to use liners with them.  
The one downside to these socks is that without a liner, they are not bulky enough to fill my boots.  I buy my hiking boots one size larger than my normal size so that I can accommodate a hiking sock and a sock liner.  The lack of bulk on the part of the Teko EcoMerino Light Hiking Socks was not a deal killer though. I just lace my boots up tighter than normal and everything works just fine.
I am also happy to report that the elastic in the ankle/top of the socks is great.   It is tight and holds the socks up very well, despite the number of times I have taken them off and put them on so far.  Now all I have to do is wash a pair and see how well the elastic holds up after that. 

Comfort:
I was worried that the wool in these socks would make them itchy and keep my feet sweaty.   To make matters worse, there has been no real winter here in Texas so I figured the hot weather was going to make this test really uncomfortable.  So far though, so good.  Despite the heat (80+ F /27+ C) my feet have never gotten sweaty and uncomfortable in these socks.  The moisture wicks away very quickly and effectively, even when I was moving quickly and generating a lot of heat.  Best of all, no itchy wool.  The Teko EcoMerino Light Hiking Socks are soft and comfortable on my feet no matter what the temperature is.  I have also not encountered any sore feet or legs, which leads me to believe that the padding in these socks is doing its part to keep me happy on the trail.  Overall, these socks feel fine on my feet, even after being used repeatedly with no washing or freshening of any sort. 

Durability:
My first concern was about the durability of the elastic in the top of the socks.   This has always been a problem area for my hiking socks and I tend to believe it has to do with my large feet and small sock openings.  The Teko EcoMerino Light Hiking Socks though, have very strong elastic in the tops and it has held up very well.   I will be very happy if the elastic survives the entire testing period intact.
My new areas of concern are the heels of the socks. There is very pronounced pilling on the heels of both socks.  This is something I have never encountered on synthetic socks, so I am curious to see if this is an issue that is going to get worse and affect performance or if it is basically a cosmetic issue that doesn't affect performance. 

Further Testing:
My first step is to wash my first pair of socks according to the directions on the package.

Then I will alternate wearing the washed socks and the pristine new, unworn, unwashed socks to see if their performance is different.  I will also be washing the socks and allowing them to air dry to see how quickly they air dry and if this affects performance over tumble drying.  Beyond that, I will be wearing these socks on all my outdoor excursions during the remainder of the testing period.

Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Teko Eco Merino Light Hiking Socks > Thomas Vickers > Field Report