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

Teko EcoMerino Light Hiking Socks Long Term Report

January 26, 2006

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.

More Testing:
I have spent more time in these socks over the last four months than any other pair of socks that I own.  Not only have I used them outdoors during various pursuits, but due to cost cutting by my wife, I have taken to wearing them everyday indoors to keep my feet warm. Compared to my normal cotton socks, Teko EcoMerino Wool Light Hiking Socks are incredible at keeping my feet warm. 

I have also found that I really enjoy wearing these socks while dayhiking and geocaching.   They are comfortable, breathe very well, and keep my feet from getting too sweaty or steamy.  Despite my initial fears that the wool would make them too hot and itchy for my tastes, the Teko EcoMerino Wool Light Hiking Socks have proven just the opposite.  My feet have never overheated in them and the material has never been uncomfortable, itchy, or prickly.   In my field report I noted that there was a great deal of pilling on the heals of one pair of socks.  My worry was that this was a sign of serious wear and was only going to get worse.   I am happy to report that after washing the socks, the pilling disappeared.  It did reappear as I began to wear the socks again, but it does not appear to be a problem.  The pilling has not indicated damage to the sock materail or creating any loss of padding or performance. 

Below I have tried to answer the intial questions of my test plan.  The answers should cover anything that I have forgotten to mention here or in my other reports. 

FIT
1. How well do the size large socks fit my feet?
After washing several times (at least five) they still fit my feet fine.  The socks are snug and have not stretched out at all.  

2. Can I wear liner socks with the EcoMerino Wool Light Hiking socks? Is there a need to wear liner socks with them?
I have never tried them with liner socks because they fit my feet so tightly.  Despite having worn them in shoes and hiking boots, as well as with sandals, I don't think that for the applications (light hiking) that they are recommended for that liners are needed. 

3. How easy is it to get the socks on and off? Do they have enough "stretch" to make getting them off and on easy? Do they snap back to shape after some stretching?
They are always tight when it comes to pulling them on my feet, but the fit once on is not uncomfortable.  The elastic in the top of the socks is very tight and I have only felt it break once, in a single sock, so I feel that they are just stretchy enough to get on and they hold their shape and firm fit not matter how often I pull them off or on. The breaking of the elastic has had no impact on how that individual sock performs and I can't tell the difference between it and the other socks that have not had any "elastic snap" issues.

4. Do my feet fit my hiking boots with these socks on? I wear boots a size larger than my shoe size to help accommodate bulky hiking socks?
My hiking boots did not fit as well as I would have liked, but I buy my boots to fit a heavier type of sock.  The Teko EcoMerino Wool Light Hiking Socks are what I would call "midweight" which means they weren't heavy enough to fill my boots all the way, but a little too heavy to wear with normal shoes regularly. 

COMFORT
1. Do my feet get hot in these socks? Do they make my feet sweat?
I love the comfort of these socks.  Even in warmer weather when I should have had sweaty feet in the worst way, the Teko EcoMerino Wool Light Hiking Socks wicked away the sweat and kept me and my feet happy.   So no to getting too hot and despite some sweat, the socks wicked it away.

2. Do they keep my feet warm in cooler weather?
Yes. I have worn them outside, but the true test for keeping my feet warm came in two parts.  The first was sleeping in my hammock/tent.  At various times I slept with my feet out of my sleeping bag to keep them from getting too hot, but the Teko EcoMerino Wool Light Hiking Socks kept them cozy when I did.  I also have kept my house thermostat set at 60 F (16 C) all winter.  This means that I get cold and after several weeks of my cotton socks letting my feet freeze, I started putting a pair of the Teko EcoMerino Wool Light Hiking Socks on as soon as I got home.   That way I was able to move around the house without shoes or cold feet.   

3. Is the padding heavy enough to keep my feet from getting tired/sore?
As long as I stuck to day hiking, geocaching, and other short term hiking activities I had no problem with the padding.  I was never able to go on a multiday hike that would have them to more strenuous use, but for what I need most of the time, these are comfortable socks. 

4. Is the elastic in the cuff too strong? Does it feel uncomfortable (too tight) around my ankle?
Not at all. This was one of my original fears, but despite being tough and holding its shape, the cuff is not too tight and it does not bind. 

PERFORMANCE
1. Do the socks wick moisture away from my feet?
They actually wick very well.  Having used them in warmer temperatures has proven to me that these socks will take moisture away from my feet.  On several occasions my feet were sweaty, but eventually dried. The socks seemed dry as well (to my feet), but when I took them off, the outer surface seemed moist.   It was nice to realize that the socks had pulled the moisture away from my feet.

2. How long does it take the socks to air dry when they are wet/sweaty?
If they are damp from sweat (usually only on the outside) the socks dried quickly, within a couple of hours.  When washed, wrung out, and then hung to dry at 62 F (17 C), it took about seven hours for them to dry. 

3. After prolonged use without laundering, do they develop bad odors? If so, does the odor wash out? Does the odor become permanent?
One pair was used for most of the  test period with no laundering and they may not have been fresh smelling, but they sure didn't stink horribly. One quick wash though, returned them to a clean smelling state.  Odors don't linger and that is a surprise considering how I treated the 'no wash' pair of socks.

4. Do I develop blisters while using these socks? (Not normally a problem, but if I start getting them, something has to be up)
Not a one. No blisters, no hotspots, and not other foot damage issues with these socks.

5. Do they hold up well to normal laundry cycles?
Normal laundry cycles work miracles. Odors go away, pilling disappears, and they come out soft and fluffy. 

6. What is the recommended washing/drying cycle for these socks? Does the performance of the socks suffer if I deviate from the listed instructions?
Machine wash warm, inside out, tumble dry low, no iron, no bleach.  I have never deviated from these instructions, except for tumble dry low, which I have skipped on several occasions.

Final thoughts:
I would recommend the Teko EcoMerino Wool Light Hiking Socks to anyone who wants a very comfortable light sock.  As someone who was really afraid of wool socks, I can honestly say that the Teko EcoMerino Wool Light Hiking Socks look, feel, and act like the best synthetic socks I have ever worn.  There were no comfort issues that make me say "Darn those wool socks" that occurred during the test.  I will even go as far as to comment on the fact that I found the Teko EcoMerino Wool Light Hiking Socks superior to my synthetic socks when it came to getting wet.  The material did not seem to want to get wet easily, sometimes despite my best efforts to soak them in a sink of water.  When they did get damp while hiking, I liked the way the socks moved moisture away from my feet and only seemed to be damp on the outside of the socks. 

Overall, I can say that these are great socks for light duty hiking and other activities.   My original thoughts were that wool socks were going to be too hot for the mild Texas winters, but the Teko EcoMerino Wool Light Hiking Socks have changed me mind.   Anyone who does dayhiking or just wants to keep their feet warm in a cold house should consider the Teko EcoMerino Wool Light Hiking Socks.

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