I joined the Boy Scouts when I was 11 and have been camping and backpacking ever since. I like to do challenging trips ranging from week long to weekend in mountainous areas. I would classify my gear as mid weight although now I am trying to move more toward lightweight. I now go backpacking at least once a year in the Sierra Nevada Mountains as well as monthly car camping trips with the Scouts.

Field Information:

The locations I have chosen to test the Thorlo Hiker socks in will be many different areas. The first area will be the Santa Cruz Mountains, elevation 500 – 1,200 ft (152 – 366 m). The climate here is foggy at night, warm during the day, and when it rains it pours. The terrain is mostly brushy with some trees and more dirt than rocks. The temperatures found here can be expected to range from 45 – 100 deg F (7.22 -37.78 C) depending on the season.

I camp with the Boy Scouts up to 11 times a year in differing locations. Each of these campouts consists of two nights of camping in various places. We camp rain or shine and usually do some hiking, so this should give me a good all around testing of the Thorlo socks. The places we usually camp include redwood forests, grassy meadows, and ocean front campsites. The temperatures found here can range from 35 – 90 deg F (1.67 - 32.22 C).

The other area will be the much-loved Sierra Nevada Mountains, elevation 3,000 – 10,000 ft (914 – 3,048 m). The climate here varies from hour to hour, expect fog, rain, hail, snow, wind, and warm sunny days. The terrain is all, mountainous with many trees and lots of granite.

The temperatures found here can range from 20 deg (-6.66 C) in the winter to 95 deg F (35.0 C) in the summer. Here is where I do most of my long distance hikes, the last one was 17 mi in to camp by a lake.

Besides backpacking I do military reenactments in a local area. This consists of running around in combat or hiking boots all day. This would be a great test of how these socks hold up to all the running, stopping twisting and flexing my feet will be doing.

Product Information:

- Item Description: Thorlos Hiking Protection level 3, Crew socks

- Size: Crew Large (US 9.0-12.5, UK 8.5-12.0, EU 43.0-47.0)

- Listed Weight: None Specified

- Measured Weight: 3.69 oz (104.5 g)

- Color: Pewter

- Fiber Contents: 87% THOR•LON® Acrylic, 11% Stretch nylon, 2% Spandex

- Care instructions: Wash socks inside out in a normal wash, Dry normal medium, add fabric softener to wash to extend product life

- Manufactures web site: http://www.Thorlo.com

- Year of Manufacture: 2005

- MSRP: $11.99

- Item Received: 13-Oct-05

- Initial Condition: The product arrived in new condition

- Item Completeness: The item was packaged well and included all pieces

First impressions:

I received the Thorlo Hiking socks in new condition, they were packaged in a nice green cardboard sock wrapper. On the packaging there in lots of information on what the socks are made of and why they are special. The packaging also states the size of the socks and the protection level they qualify as. After looking at the website for colors, I expected the socks to look more blue-grey than the brown-grey color they look to me. The socks have extra padding on the heel and ball areas to cushion the two main areas of pressure on the foot.

I tried the socks on the same night I received them. When I first received the socks, I was worried that they might be too big. However the packaging said that they were for shoe sizes US 9 – 12.5. Slipping the socks on, I found that they were a good fit, not too loose and not too tight. I wore the socks around the house that night, they were comfortable. I could feel the extra padding on the toe and heel areas as I walked on our tile floors. The fabric on the bottom of the sock seems to be nice and thick, providing lots of padding. The fabric on the top of the socks seems to have ribs in it and have a much looser knit. I believe that this will do well in letting the moisture escape from the top of your foot.

I wore the socks to work the day after I got them, I figured it would be a good first test. I was impressed by the extra padding I could feel under my feet. I was not on my feet all day long but none the less my feet were comfortable. During the day I noticed that my feet felt cool almost as if they were wet. I waited till I got home then took the socks off and felt my feet. They were not wet as I was expecting, rather they were slightly moist, the socks themselves were damp. I put my socks back on to see if the socks would dry out as I was wearing them. It did not take long till the socks were dry to the touch. For first impressions, I would say that the socks performed well as I would expect them to. I plan on spending some long days on my feet in these socks out on the trail.

My test plan:

I plan on testing the gear based on several different objectives. First and most importantly is dependability, does the gear work when it counts. Secondly is efficiency, does the gear do its job well. Lastly would be ease of use, is the gear easy to put together and easy to use.

Dependability:

Does the elastic in the socks loose its elasticity over a short time?

Do the socks resist snagging?

Is the heel reinforced well enough to keep the material from wearing thin?

If the socks get wet will they start to degrade?

Do the socks start to fall apart after many washings?

Efficiency:

Do the socks keep you from getting blisters?

Do the socks provide some level of cushioning for your feet?

Will the socks still keep your feet warm even if they get wet?

Ease of Use:

Do the socks wash out easy in lake water?

Do they dry quickly?

Read more reviews of Thorlo gear
Read more gear reviews by Josh Cormier

Initial Report

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