Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Thorlo Level 2 Coolmax Trail Runner > Andre Corterier > Field Report

Thorlos Men's Light Hiker CoolMax Protection Level 2 Socks

Personal Biographical Information:
Name: André Corterier
Gender: M
Age: 33
Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight: 80 kg (175 lb)
Shoe Size: 45-46 (EU) / 11.5 (US) Email: andreDOTcorterierATfreenetDOTde
Home: Bonn, Germany

Backpacking Background:
I began backpacking in my late teens using Europe’s "InterRail"-System – weight hardly mattered, as we were on trains a lot. I recently rediscovered backpacking and have started out slowly – single-day 24 km (15 mi) jaunts by myself or even shorter hikes in the company of my little daughter. I am getting started on longer hikes, as a lightweight packer and hammock-camper. I’ve begun upgrading my old gear and am now shooting for a dry FSO weight (everything carried From the Skin Out except food, fuel and water) of about 10 kg (22 lb) for three-season camping. Not quite there yet.

Year of manufacture: 2005
Manufacturer: Thorlo
URL: http://www.thorlo.com/
Length: Crew
Colour: "Walnut Heather"
MSRP: 13.99 USD

Comparisons - scale accurate to 1 g (0.04 oz)
listed weight: none listed
measured weight: 102 g (3.6 oz) for the pair - Size: 43-47 (EU) / 9.0-12.5 (US) / 8.5-12.0 (UK)

Introduction:
These are mid-calf length socks with fibre content listed as "62% CoolMax, 19% THOR•LON Acrylic, 14% Stretch nylon, 5% Spandex". For a more detailed description, see my Initial Report.

Fitting:
These socks are available in three sizes. My usual shoe size falls just over the middle of the middle size for these socks, and they fit snugly without pressure. The feel, at initial trial, was "just right". This has not changed much during the Field Report phase. The only issue that I have noticed is that I like to take these socks off at night. This may be due to the strong "Lace Pad" patterning on the inside of the socks or to a slight shrinking possibly incurred during the first few turns in our washing machine. In either event, although I generally like to sleep outdoors with socks on my feet, when I've walked in these socks I prefer not to leave them on. I imagine that it's better for my feet not to be hugged so tightly all night. This may just be a mental thing. This just means I carry two pairs of socks and can let the Thorlos dry over night, so this works out quite well.

Field Experience:
I have worn these socks in my Columbia Daypack XCR trail shoes exclusively. Peeking out between the tops of those mid-height shoes and my pants they've seen quite a bit of trail miles (path kilometers). This has been mostly on day trips in the nearby hills. I have also, on occasion, worn them for trips around town and around the house (keeping my feet warm when I stayed home sick). They also accompanied me on an overnight trip through the Kottenforst state park into the Eifel region.

Blister Prevention:
I have walked without blisters in these socks. I felt that, particularly in the beginning, the "Lace Pad" pressed down on the tops of my feet more than was warranted (particularly as I've never had problems with the laces pressing down there). (The "Lace Pad" is a section of the sock, located on top of the foot when worn, in which the sock has noticeable padding on top). However, I have either gotten used to it or the effect is less pronounced now that the socks have been washed a few times (likely a bit of both). At any rate, there is nothing in the least annoying about these. I attribute generally walking without blisters to choosing good (comfortable, well fitting) shoes and socks (and stopping to "air out" my socks and feet at least once during the day). These socks have fitted in with that approach.

Moisture Transfer:
These socks have yet to get thoroughly wet (except for in the washing machine). They take on moisture when I walk in them, but the amount of moisture my feet produce, the amount these socks can transfer to the outside and the amount of sweat the shoes will allow to exit seem to be in equilibrium as long as the day isn't too hot and my walking speed is somewhere between relaxed and mildly vigorous. It's mostly been that way so far and I like to keep it that way.

Odour (or lack thereof):
These socks don't stink much at all after I've walked in them for a considerable while, which I find surprising (given that they contain no wool, which is supposed to reduce stink, nor are marketed as odour resistant). Of course, I am happy about this. The most action these socks have seen is about 30 km (19 mi) of walking over the course of two days, airing through the night in between, and they smelled only mildly after that. I have not yet been able to put them through a stress test (several days of vigorous hiking in waterproof shoes) and am not sure that I will be able to remedy that during the LTR phase. Sigh...

Washing:
I have washed these socks several times, at 40 C (just over 100 F), standard washing cycle, with a 1200 rpm spinning cycle, in a standard (European) front-loading washing machine. They have come out each time looking and smelling fresh and nearly dry. I have not had occasion to wear them right away, but would not hesitate to do so.

Colour:
I prefer subdued nature colours in my backpacking wardrobe, which allows me to blend in with my surroundings (without going so far as to resort to camouflage clothing). The "Walnut Heather" colour I received for this is excellent. Almost too good, in fact. On one memorable overnighter, I had hung the Thorlos from some chopped logs to dry (I had made a makeshift shelter by securing my hammock rain fly as a tarp on the top of a large pile of chopped logs and staking it out from there). Against the background of the wood, the socks were nearly invisible. In fact, as I was wearing different socks at night, I almost forgot to put them on again and would have left them there if my daughter hadn't noticed them. (It wasn't full daylight yet when we packed up again, but they were hanging in her face when she stood close to the logs for shelter as I took down the tarp.)

Durability:
The socks are holding up very well so far - in fact, they look like new. I see no evidence of fuzz or pilling nor do they show areas in which the fabric is beginning to wear thin (as most of my socks do after awhile in the ball of the foot and heel regions). So far, it's looking good. But as the amount of mileage I've put on these isn't tremendous, I'd says the verdict on this issue is still outstanding. More on this in the Long Term Report.

Testing Location and Probable Conditions:
In this region, the remaining test period (January through 7 March) will typically see temps between -5, maybe -10 C (25, maybe 14 F) and 20 C (70 F). For precipitation we'll have fog and drizzle as well as some snow.

I plan lots of day trips, likely a few overnighters, but have nothing concrete planned yet (no big hikes planned yet during the test period). I hike in hilly, forested terrain which starts a 15 minute walk from where I live and extends for about 30 km (20 mi) in most directions. This includes hikes in the Kottenforst State Park, the Siebengebirge Nature Preserve (Seven Mountains – bit of a misnomer there, they top out at 461 m / 1512 ft), the River Rhine and the Ahr Valley. Elevations range from 60 m / 200 ft to the above-mentioned 461 m / 1512 ft, paths tend to be well-maintained though I do not always stick to them. That said, while the total elevations aren’t anything to write home about, the elevation changes one can encounter can (and sometimes do) add up. So my hikes are closer to a walk in the woods than to a walk in the park...
There are many paths I haven’t seen yet, but I am catching up. I dayhike often(though often not even the full day), which could also be described as an extended walk with my daughter (as long as we’re gone for at least half the day and I carry hammock and cook gear – and occasionally her – we consider it a hike). My overnighters tend to be "mini-adventure" solo trips. Often, it’s a distance I could cover in one long day, which I prefer to cut into two half days by starting Friday afternoon. Lets me get some solo backpacking done without impacting my family time too much.

Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Thorlo Level 2 Coolmax Trail Runner > Andre Corterier > Field Report