Thomas Vickers
36 years old
Male
5 feet 11 inches tall (1.8 meters)
170 lb (77 kg)
redroach@pobox.com
Southeast Texas, Houston Area

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

Details from Manufacturer:

Website: http://www.thorlos.com
Weight: NA
MSRP: NA
Sizes available: 11, 13, 15 ( US Shoe size: 5.5 -15/ EU shoe sizes: 38.5-50)
Colors available: Walnut Heather, Black heather, Everglade Heather, Navy Heather|
Fiber content: 52% CoolMax®, 26% THOR·LON® Acrylic, 14% stretch nylon, 5% spandex, 3% cotton
Thorlo protection level: 2
Special features:
Lightweight padding in the heel and ball protect the foot from shear and impact forces and helps to prevent painful blisters.

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

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

Ventilation panel to improve fit and wicking.

Details According to Tester:
Sock size: 13 (Large)
Sock color: Black Heather
Shoe size: US 10.5
Single sock weight: 1.85 oz (52 g)
Pair of socks weight: 3.70 oz (105 g)
Style: Crew

Website evaluation:
I liked the Thorlo website. The front page contained links to pretty much everything I could want to know about these sock. The links includes descriptions of the different levels of protection and how to care for Thorlo socks. Both are very helpful in deciding what type of sock/level of protection is needed for any given activity and learning how to care for the products. I was also able to find convenient links to retailer searches from the front page. Overall, the Thorlo site is well planned, helpful, and very easy to navigate. Most importantly, I learned not to wear my Thorlos inside without shoes, something that I would not have normally considered inappropriate.

Arrival:
On my front porch, I found a small, brown box. Of course I knew that this had to be the socks I was expecting, so inside went the box and I. A short while later I had the box open and inside I found a packing slip/invoice, a pair of Thorlo Socks, and a complete Thorlo product catalog.

First off, I was extremely happy about the product catalog. I always order my Thorlo socks via the internet and having a document like this to fully explain what I am seeing on the web pages is wonderful.

First Impressions:
The socks themselves are Men’s Coolmax Light Hiker’s with protection level two. Now this all seems like gibberish to me, but according to the catalog these socks are best suited for "day hikes in moderate to hot weather on flat or varied terrain." Details aside, these socks are soft and I can not locate any thing that I would pin down as a manufacturing defect. No lose threads or stray pieces of elastic are visible and they slide on my hands without any catches. So far, I like these Thorlo Socks.

Test Plan:
I guess "wear them every stinking day until they disintegrate on my feet" isn’t a detailed enough plan, so....

Location:
The Thorlos will be tested in South East and Central Texas during the winter months. This means temperatures between 40 F and 75 F (7 C to 24 C) as well as varied levels of precipitation. This will range from rain all the way to dense fog and everything in between.

Conditions:
    Humidity – This will range from nearly 20% to at least 100% in Southeast Texas.
    Rain – Winter/Fall in Texas should be wet, cool, and generally a great time to test this item.
    Wind – Dead calm to breezy.

Activities:
    Day hikes and weekend hiking/camping trips
    Daily biking
    Kayaking on Lake Conroe
    Work

Test Strategy:

My strategy is simple. Wear the socks on all my day hikes, weekend hiking trips, and any other outdoor activities that include my hiking boots, athletic shoes, and work shoes. Any activity that normally includes my hiking socks or liners will now include the Thorlo Men's Coolmax Light Hikers.

1. How well do they work with liner socks? Do I even need liner socks ?
2. How well do they work without liner socks?
3. How comfortable are they with my hiking boots? (my normal hiking footwear)
4. Does the padding prevent my feet from hurting? (main reason I use Thorlos is the padding)
5. Doe these socks develop any permanent odor from short-term hikes?
6. When wet, do they dry quickly?
7. Will they keep my feet warm in cool weather and cool in warmer weather?
8. I have sweaty feet, so how well do they wick moisture from my feet? Will they get soaked from my sweaty feet?
9. Are they thick enough to fill up my hiking boots? (I usually wear a thicker sock + liner)
10. Are they too thick for other footwear? (athletic shoes/work shoes)

Read more reviews of Thorlo gear
Read more gear reviews by Thomas Vickers

Initial Report

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