Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Thorlo Level 2 Coolmax Trail Runner > Ralph Ditton > Long Term Report

I have been walking the Bibbulmun Track in sections over four years. My goal is to complete the 964 km (603 mi) and become an end to end walker. So far I have completed approximately two-thirds of the Track from North to South, and a quarter in the opposite direction. I have evolved from carrying a heavyweight load--approximately 28 kg (62 lb) including food and water--to being a midweight backpacker, averaging 18 kg (38 lb) at the start of a trip. My trips are usually between three to five days duration.

Product Information
Manufacturer: Thorlos
URL: http://www.thorlo.com
Model: Light Hiker
Style: Crew Medium LTH -11
Protection Level: 2
Shoe Size: US 5.5 - 8.5
                    UK 5.0 - 8.0
                    EU 38.5 - 42.0
                    AUS 5.0 - 8.0
Year of Manufacturer: Not stated
Listed Weight: Not listed
Measured Weight: 90 g (3.17 oz)
Colour: Walnut/Heather
Materials: 62% CoolMax®,19% Thor*Lon® Acrylic, 14% Stretch nylon, 5% Spandex
Country of Manufacturer: USA
MSRP: US$ 13.99

Field Experience
I have worn these socks in my Blunderstone Mountain Master hiking boot and Mountain Designs Tasman GTX hiking boot on multi-day bushwalks along the Bibbulmun Track and Coastal Plain Trail. In addition, I have worn them in both of the above mentioned boots whilst conducting my trade. Many times when conducting my trade working in customer homes, I have to take the boots off and walk in the socks only so as not to bring dirt inside the home.
I estimate that I have worn the one pair of socks at intervals over the test period close to two hundred hours based on twenty five days with an average of eight hours on each occurance. Some days would be twelve hours and others as little as six hours.

Temperatures during the test period ranged from a high of 39 C (102 F) to a low of 4 C (39 F). The mean average daytime temperature would be around 22 C (72 F).
I did not wear the socks at night or in my sleeping bag as I always changed into a clean pair of socks for the evening. The test socks were always used for the walking aspect.
Elevation ranged from sea level to a high of 585 m (0 to 1,920 ft).

Wear and Tear
The socks are starting to fray at the top with the elastic thread unravelling.

elastic thread unravelling
This is happening on both socks at the cuff.  The wool in the picture is also beginning to fray.
There is fraying on one sock in particular in the ankle area where it borders between the heel padding and the narrow stretch nylon strip.
The fabric on the upper part of the socks has a dark mark imprinted on it from my boots and it will not come out. The top of my boots have a fabric lining and dye may have transferred from the boot to the socks although I have not noticed this before with other socks worn by me in the same boots.

markings on socks
The ends of the socks at the toe end are also showing signs of wear. It is happening at the seam where the two fabrics are knitted together.

wear at toe end
The sock on the right shows one spot of wear.

Washing the socks
On most occasions I washed the socks after one day's use in the home washing machine with white sports socks.
Out on the track I did use the socks on consecutive days without a wash to see how they performed. The performed well and one of the days was very wet.
After the last wash the socks do not appear to be very clean with the soles looking very grubby. I used the normal washing clothes detergent and fabric softener as recommended by the manufacturer.

soles of socks after a wash
The soles appear to be stained from a combination of foot perspiration and dirt.

Test Plan findings
I was surprised to see that the socks are starting to fray at various spots so early and develop stains that do not come out in the normal wash.
Wearing the socks, apart from the tingling in the end of the toe about the size of a pinhead caused by a tiny knot between the boundary of the two types of fabric, performed well.
There was no bad foot odour clinging to the material and the ventilation panels did their job of wicking moisture away from the skin. I especially noticed it when walking around just in the socks after a few hours walking in boots. There is a cooling affect noticed when I walked.  It was caused by the outside air passing over the moist fabric which acts like a canvas water bag cooling the inside of the foot and sock.
I did not suffer any bruising or blisters on the soles of my feet through shear and impact forces when carrying my backpack averaging 18 kg (38 lb). The padding in the heel and ball of the socks did their job.
I would recommend that the manufacturer do away with the lighter colours and keep the darker colours for the product if it is liable to be stained by perspiration and dirt, so as to hide the discolouration.

Thank you Thorlo and BackPackGearTest for allowing me to participate in this test.



 

Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Thorlo Level 2 Coolmax Trail Runner > Ralph Ditton > Long Term Report