Thorlos Hiking Level 3 Trekker Socks

Long Term Report

Biographical Information:

Name: Chuck Carnes

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Height: 6’0” (1.83 m)

Weight: 175 lbs (79 kg)

Shoe Size: 9 1/2 (USA)

Email address: ctcarnes1@yahoo.com

City, State, Country: Taylors, South Carolina, United States

Date: May 10, 2005

Backpacking Background:

I love the outdoors – I’ve spent time camping in the outdoors since I was born, and have been actively hiking and backpacking for the past ten years. I consider myself a lightweight hiker, usually carrying 20 – 30 pounds (11-13 kg) for hikes up to a week in length. I hike at an easy pace, averaging 2 mph (3 kph). I am a one man tent camper for now until something I like better comes along. I like to carry a single trekking pole when I hike to help relieve stress to my legs and knees. I like to get out on the trail as often as I can.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Thorlos

Sock Size: 13

Color: Light Grey

Style: Crew

Protection Level: 3 Maximum

Pad Weight: Heavyweight

Use/Terrain: Extended Hikes Rough/Rugged

Climate: All weather

Year of Manufacture: 2004

URL: www.thorlo.com

MSRP: not listed by manufacturer

Listed weight: no weight listed by manufacturer

Weight as delivered: 4.75 oz (135 g) (pair)

From the web site:

Protection Level 3:

Provides the Maximum Protection for the most rugged and challenging activities and weather conditions.

Hiking Wool/THOR.LON Trekker:

This product is designed for trekking on varied or rugged terrain. This product provides the most protection available, beyond what any other sock can provide today.

Features:

1. Ventilation panel enhances wicking.

2. Heavyweight padding in the heel and ball protect the foot from shear and

     impact forces helping to prevent painful blistering.

3. Lace pad protects the top of the foot against boot lace pressure.

4. Elastic and low density padding in the arch create a snug fit.

5. Full padding around the toe area for ultimate comfort.

Initial Report

Field Report

Long Term Report:

            Wow! What a great pair of socks. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Thorlo Hiker socks. They have been a wonderful addition to my foot warmth and comfort arsenal. It is hard to say when I was not wearing these socks. Therefore, I will not be able to list each and every time that I wore the socks.  As far as temperature goes, it has ranged from 25 F (-3 C) to 60 F (15 C). I have worn these socks everywhere and every time that I could. The Thorlo Hiker socks are that comfortable to me. I have worn them backpacking, hiking, skiing, around the house, in the rain, in the snow, through creek crossings and during warm weather days when this type of sock is not even needed. See my Field Report for specific conditions when used. Since that time there has been no loss of functionality due to wear or tear. The socks continued to perform as they were designed to do from the Field Report up to this point in testing. During this 6 month testing period I have been able to answer questions that I had at the beginning of this test.

Fabric:

• How soft is the fabric against my foot? The fabric is extremely soft and comfortable against my foot

• Will I feel any scratchy fibers that usually come along with wool? No, I do not feel any scratchy fibers.
• Will I need a liner? I did use liners sometimes to have the extra protection of warmth and to heed blisters.
• Will the sock be too thick for my boots? Not for mine personally. My foot fit very snug in my boot with these socks on.
• With the variance in size, will the critical parts of the sock hit my foot at the proper areas? This sock size is 13 and I wear a size 9-1/2 boot. The heel and toe are the critical areas of the sock and they naturally fell in the right locations on my foot.
• How well does the wool/acylic fabric breath? I find that the fabric breath well.My feet never felt uncomfortable due to excessive sweat on my feet.
• The web site states that their product has been tested and had great responses, but how well will it work for me personally? During this test I have found that the socks work well for me also.
• How durable is the elastic throughout the sock? At this point in the test the elastic is still as elastic as it was when they were new.
• Does the cuff of the sock hold to my calf or do I have to constantly pull them up? I found very few times during my hiking and backpacking trips that I had to stop to pull my socks up. It was so few that it did not bother me.
• Will the sock hold up to countless washing cycles? These socks have been washed more than I can remember but I would say at least 70 to 80 times and except for a slight change in color and a little bit fuzzier, the socks still feel like new.
• Will the sock shrink when dried in a dryer? If so, will it shrink smaller than my foot? The sock has shrunk slightly but not enough to change the critical areas of the sock.
• Is the toe and the heel of the sock reinforced for constant wear in that area? Yes, the toe and heel areas are thicker and seem to be holding up as they were designed to do.

Insulation:

• While wearing these socks around without a shoe or boot on, will my feet stay warm? Yes, I wear these around the house during the winter and at camp when sitting around the fire. During these times my toes stayed warm and toasty.
• How well do they keep the cold air out? Very well. In the temperatures that I experienced, my feet never got cold.
• Will the wind or cold air make the moisture that was wicked away, cold and in turn make the sock cold? Very few times did I experience any wind while just wearing the socks and no boots. The sweat that the sock did wick away did not make the sock cold at any time.
• How well do they perform as winter socks? Very well. This is when I enjoyed them the most.

Wicking:

• Will the ventilation panel work as well as the web site claims? I can’t say for a fact that this panel is where all of the heat from my foot escaped while doing vigorous activities but I do know that even during the warmest days, my feet never felt hot. So I would say yes, it does work.
• How well does the THOR-LON technology wick away moisture? Very well. Each time that I pulled my socks off, my feet were slightly moist but not to the extent of causing blisters or wrinkled feet.
• Will it wick fast enough to keep my feet dry? As mentioned above, enough to prevent blisters of wrinkled feet.

Summary:

            Overall I have been very happy with the Thorlo Hiking Level 3 Trekker socks. They have performed outstandingly well over the past 6 months. They are very comfortable and have kept my feet warm and dry and that makes for some very happy feet.

Thank you Thorlos and BGT for giving me the opportunity to test these awesome socks. It was a pleasure to test this great product and I hope that the reports that I have filed will be helpful towards future design.