Thorlos Trail Socks Protection Level 2
Field Report January 6, 2006
Tester Information:
Name: Jason Boyle
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 6"/ 1.68 m
Weight: 170 lb/ 77 kg
Shoe Size 9-10 US/42-43.5 EU, usually depends on the shoe.
Email address: c4jc "at" hotmail "dot" com
City, State, Country: Snoqualmie, Washington, U. S.
Backpacking Background:
I have been camping and backpacking for about 17 years. My introduction to the outdoors started with the BSA and has continued as an adult. I have hiked mostly in the Southeastern and Northeastern United States. I am generally a lightweight hiker, but will carry extras to keep me comfortable. Most of my hiking and backpacking takes place in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, but I can be found exploring the other wild areas of Washington! In addition to backpacking, I am also an ultra runner and have used the socks during my training runs and races.
Product Information:
Manufacturer: THOR•LO
Model: Trail
Protection Level: 2
Size: Men’s 9.0-12.5 US/43.0-47.0 EU
Other sizes available: 5.5-8.5 US and 13-15 US
Color: Charcoal Heather (received), Walnut Heather, White
Year of Manufacture: 2005
URL:www.thorlo.com
Listed weight: not listed
Measured weight: 2 oz (57 g)
**Disclaimer: the closest my scale will measure is in whole ounces**
Fabric Content: 56% CoolMax, 26% THOR•LON acrylic, 14% Nylon, 4% Spandex
MSRP: 11.99 US Dollars
Country of Manufacture: USA
Product Description:
This sock is a Thorlos Level 2 sock which means according to Thorlos “it is best suited for use with moderate to hot temperatures on varied terrain.” It is a crew sock, so it comes just above the ankle and it is marketed as a trail running sock. The socks have reinforced toe and heel padding. The arch has spandex added to the rest of the fabric to improve fit. For more information please see my initial report.
Summary:
Overall, I have been pleased with the socks. They have been comfortable and shown themselves to be durable thus far. There is some excess fabric because I am at the smaller end of the size range but this has not been a problem.
Field Conditions:
I have put the socks through their paces over the last two months. They have been used on early morning training runs in the rain, during a crisp fall marathon in Seattle, during a two day backpacking trip to Ollalie Lake in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and on a 12 mile day hike on Rattlesnake Mountain. They have been exposed to all precipitation conditions: rain, snow, and a freezing mix of the two. Elevation ranged from sea level to 3,780’ (1152 m) at Ollalie Lake. Temperatures ranged from 59 F to 28 F (15 C to -2 C).
Field Test results:
The socks have performed well in all the situations that I have placed them in. I am very picky about what socks I run my races in and after testing them out on multiple training runs I chose to run the Seattle marathon in them. It was a good choice. I did not experience any blistering or discomfort from the socks. Of course I had some discomfort in general, but that is to be expected after running 26.2 miles (42.18 km).
In addition to the marathon, I have worn them for at least 50+ miles (81 km) of hiking and running with no problems. I have not gotten any blisters or cold feet during that time. While hiking up to Ollalie Lake in the snow, I wore a pair of DeFeet lightweight socks underneath them as liners. Other than that one experience I have worn only the Thorlos socks with no liners.
Durability so far seems to be good. There does not seem to be any excess wear in the heel or the ball of the socks. There is a single thread in the cuff of each sock that is unraveling. I will let this continue to see how far it goes.
My only complaint would be the sizing and it is really a small nitpick. I am at the lower end of the sizing scale, so I have to make sure I pull out the excess material to make sure the heel cup fits well. I pull the excess material out until it is above the back the shoe and not rubbing against my Achilles tendon.
Improvements:
Besides my previous suggestion of more color choices I have another improvement; smaller size ranges.
Long Term Testing Plan:
I will look for the following characteristics in these socks over the final two months of this test:
My answers are in parenthesis and italics.
Fit:
Their large pair of socks fit feet sizes 9 – 12.5 US. Since I am at the bottom of that scale will I feel like the socks are too big on me? (Upon initial inspection they seemed to fit fine, and after two months I feel the same way.)
Will the fabric bunch up because of the excess needed to fit the larger sized foot? (They bunch up some. I pull the excess out of my shoe.)
Does the spandex and padding in the arch actually increase comfort? (I have not really noticed that this sock is more comfortable than any other sock I have worn.)
Is there a noticeable increase in comfort because of the lightweight padding in the heel and the ball of the foot? (See my answer above.)
Does the flat knit construction help with the blister prevention? (I have not had any blisters so far.)
Durability:
My socks tend to wear in two places, the heel and under the ball of my feet. Thorlo has added padding to these areas, how well do they stand up to abuse?
How do the socks fair in the washing machine? (I have not done anything special with washing the socks. I have washed them with the rest of my clothing and they don’t seem any worse for wear.)
Will they pill up after one wash? (Thorlos recommend washing inside out to prevent this. I have not purposely turned them inside out to wash them. I normally throws them in the wash with the other dark clothes and have seen no ill affects yet.)
Will they pill/tear easily while hiking off trail? (They haven’t thus far.)
Thanks to BackpackGearTest and Thorlos for the opportunity to participate in this test.
Read more reviews of Thorlo gear
Read more gear reviews by Jason Boyle
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