Thorlo Hiker Socks, Protection Level 3 – Long Term Report

Personal biographical information:

• Name:  Josh Cormier
• Age: 26
• Gender: Male
• Height: 5’ 11” (1.80 m)
• Weight: 175 lb (79 kg)
• Email address:  swifteagle1 at hotmail dot com
• City: Los Gatos, California
• Date: 7-March-06

Backpacking background:

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.

Test Locations:

Recently I tested the Thorlo Socks in was the High Sierra Santa Mountains, elevation 6,000 – 8,200 ft (1829 to 2499m). The climate was cloudy with rain/snow all day long and slightly cold 30 – 50 deg F (-1.1 to 10.0 C). The terrain was mountainous with a smattering of trees covered by snow and ice. I was out in the weather for most of the day making this a great place to test the Thorlo Socks.

Product Information:

- Item Description: Thorlo 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

Field Testing:

I wore these socks on my last camping trip with the Scouts. We were camping in the mountains 6,000 ft (1829m) in February. We stayed in cabins at night but roamed all over the snow during the day time. I wore the Thorlo socks inside my Asolo hiking boots when I was outside. The temperatures were only 34 – 50 deg F (1.1 to 10.0 C) during the daytime. We did not hike much but we did run around in the snow, throwing snowballs and the like. During the day, my feet never felt cold or wet though my hands did. The Thorlo socks did a good job of wicking the moisture away from my feet as well as insulating them.

Later that night we built a snow cave, the temp had dropped to 30 F (-1.1 C). Several times I had snow drop down between my sock and my boot. I brushed out as much as I could but I know that some melted and ran down into boot. After lying on the ground for several hours digging and packing we finished and returned to our cabin. When I took my socks off, my feet were still warm and only slightly moist. The socks were wetter that usual but had kept my feet warm and dry.

 I also wore the sock when I went snowboarding recently. I figured that I would be a good test for them since my feet would be cramped into my boots all day and my feet usually hurt by halfway through the day. I have to say that this is not a good indication of how the socks perform as insulators since I was also wearing thick wool socks. I wore the Thorlos over a pair of thin nylon liners and then put a pair of wool socks over them. I have to say that my feet did not hurt as much as usual during the day and I feel that the extra padding on the Thorlos helped.

Every time I finished wearing these socks I turned them inside out just as the care instructions suggest and drop them into the washing machine .They always come out just slightly fuzzy each time but there appears to be no wear from the washing. I was concerned that the elastic in the top of the socks would start to stretch and allow the socks to sag since they fit just tight enough to stay up right now. So far there has been no indication of this being the case.

Test results:

In this section I will answer all the questions I asked when I was preparing to test this fine product.

Dependability:

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

-         The socks did not loose their elasticity during the period I was testing them.

Do the socks resist snagging?

-         The socks seem to be made of the soft slightly fuzzy material, however they did not snag under normal use.

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

-         This was one of my main concerns for these socks as I have a tendency to wear out the heels in all my socks. On inspection, after my testing period I see no sign of the heel wearing thin.

If the socks get wet will they start to degrade?

-         Wearing these socks all day in my all leather hiking boots, my socks have gotten sweaty but have not shown any appearances of degradation.

Do the socks start to fall apart after many washings?

-         After many washings the socks look a little bit fuzzier than when they were straight out of the package but they still maintain their integrity.

Efficiency:

Do the socks keep me from getting blisters?

-         I will not say that these socks keep me from getting blisters, but they do help cushion my feet and wick the moisture away reducing my chance of blisters.

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

-         They are very comfortable and provide a good level of cushioning for my feet.

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

-         The socks wick the moisture away from your feet keeping them warmer longer and still maintain their insulating properties even when wet.

Ease of Use:

Do the socks wash out easy in lake water?

-         Unfortunately I did not get the chance to wash these socks out in lake water.

Do they dry quickly?

-         I have not had an opportunity to hang dry these socks out side as it has been cold and raining lately.

Overall I think these socks are a great product. They perform as specified and wick away the moisture as well as provide extra cushioning for my feet. They are a good addition to the gear of anyone who needs extra cushion on their feet for those long miles.  

I’d like to thank BGT and Thorlo for the privilege of being selected to test these socks.