Thorlos Men's Light Hiker CoolMax Protection Level 2 Socks
Long Term Report by André Corterier
Date: March 2006
Personal Biographical Information:
Name: André Corterier
Gender: M
Age: 34
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 started out with backpacking 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 (overnight)
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. I'm getting there.
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.
Field Experience:
I have worn these socks in my Columbia Daypack XCR (mid-height) trail shoes, my Columbia Black Rock XCR (low) trail shoes and my Asics running shoes for
dayhiking pursuits. I have also jogged in these socks in the latter two pairs of shoes and have worn them in my sleeping bag at night. Temperatures ran
from just below freezing (both sleeping and hiking) to about 10 C (50 F), in various forms of precipitation. As I was wearing waterproof shoes when hiking
in rain or snow, precipitation does not seem to have impacted the socks' performance at all. Humidity was generally low, so water vapour permeability of my
shoes was unimpeded. I have also worn them in my office loafers for a couple of days on an extended "stink test". The socks performed well in all of these
conditions.
Fitting:
These socks not only continue to fit quite well, the fit seems to have improved. Upon re-reading my
Field Report,
I note that the feeling of particular tightness of the socks on my feet is no longer present. I have worn them at night several times for warmth without
having any such issues. So the good fit seems to have even improved. My wife has occasionally worn them around the house over other socks for additional
warmth and padding which annoys me because *I* am testing them. I keep telling her that she's messing up my testing because now I don't know how many
kilometers (miles x1.61) are on them, but she doesn't seem to be taking me seriously there.
The thick Lace Pad area described in my
Initial Report
no longer bothers me at all, though I still consider it over-engineered as I have never had problems with laces irritating my feet. But maybe I've just been
lucky.
Moisture Transfer:
With water coming in over the top of the shoe, wringing the socks well and then wearing them while hiking vigorously seemed to heat up (and drive out in the
form of water vapour) enough water that my feet no longer felt very wet. Of course, I did not get my feet entirely soaked (the water was *cold*!). Still, as
happy as I was with that result, I still switched to dry socks after a while. I believe that changing my socks at least once during the day has helped me
in preventing blisters, but it did not appear to be necessary with these.
Odour (or lack thereof):
While I have not been able to use these socks non-stop for a multi-day hike, I have worn them continuously for five days and the intervening nights in order
to stress test their odour resistance. Sadly, only one of these days was spent hiking (with XCR shoes). I jogged about 5 km (3 mi) on one other day, with
the remaining days spent leisurely walking around the office and the apartment (and riding my bicycle to work and back). The socks still barely smelled after
this time, which I found (and find) amazing. They are not, after all, marketed as being particularly odour-resistant. I think they should.
Washing:
I have washed these socks several more 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. I have generally washed them inside out - as per the manufacturer's instructions - but am not the only one doing the washing around here
and have reason to assume they've been washed outside out as well. Not that I noticed a difference. They have come out each time looking and smelling
fresh and nearly dry.
Durability:
The socks are still holding up very well - the picture above is of fairly recent make, 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). There is some slight evidence of use on the
bottom fabric; more like it's worn into a felt-like substance than actual abrasion. While I have not been on any long trails with them, I still have to
applaud them for their resiliency.
Pros/Cons:
Pro: Look good, smell good, feel good. Dry quickly, too. Good socks overall which I'll be wearing for quite some time.
Con: Lace Pad over-engineered. Might save a tad of weight and/or expense there.
Read more reviews of Thorlo gear
Read more gear reviews by Andre Corterier
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