Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Ullfrotte Sport Socks > Shandra Hunt > Long Term Report

Ullfrotte Sport Socks - Long Term Report

Name: Shandra Hunt
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 3"(1.6 m)
Weight: 145 lbs.(66 kg)
Location: Ben Lomond, California
Email: jns170@yahoo.com
Date:10/26/04

Biography:
Growing up in the Santa Cruz mountains, I have always been an avid hiker and camper. Only recently however, I have evolved into a backpacker. I started backpacking about two years ago. Since then I have done many trips throughout California and I also spent five days packing in the Grand Canyon which fueled my love for the sport even more. I try to backpack as often as possible, I think I may be addicted, and I am constantly looking for more efficient and lightweight alternatives for the gear that I own.

Product Information:
URL: www.ullfrotte.se/
Manufacturer: Ullfrotte
Year of manufacture: 2004
Listed weight: n/a
Actual weight: 3 oz (85 g) Sport
5 oz (142 g) Wildlife
MSRP: n/a
Fabric: Wool and Polyamide blend
Size: 9-12.5 womens (U.S.) 40-44 (Europe)
Color: Blue

Test Results:

This test was originally for the Ullfrotte Sport socks but I also received a bonus pair of Wildlife socks. I have tested the Sport socks more often than the Wildlife socks, but have given both pairs a lot of good use. For the majority of my testing, I have worn the Sport socks to the gym about once a week. I typically wear the Sport socks in the early morning for about an hour when I run. I think one of the downsides to these socks is that they are very warm, almost uncomfortably so in warm weather, and I have found that they are more comfortable in cooler temperatures. When I wore the Sport socks on a several mile day hike in the Utah desert, the socks were uncomfortably warm. On a positive note, I find the Sport socks wick fairly well, which somewhat makes up for the extra warmth. The Sport socks are only slightly damp when I take them off. Once off, the Sport socks dry within about ten minutes. I have found that these socks do not hold odors.

One of my main concerns when testing these socks was regarding comfort. I am extremely picky about what I put on my feet. The Sport socks are comfortable in tennis shoes and hiking boots. I wore them for day hikes and everyday use. The Sport socks do not have as much padding as I like for backpacking. The Wildlife socks, although thicker than the Sport socks, do not have enough padding in the right places, like the ball of the foot, heel and toes. The seams and stitching of both types of socks were comfortable and I did not experience any bunching or rubbing while wearing them. The Wildlife socks are comfortable for day hiking in my hiking boots and I have also worn them with thongs. The Wildlife socks are too thick to be worn with tennis shoes.

Both the Sport and Wildlife socks seem to be durable, there are no loose strings or seams on either pair. I was concerned when I received the Sport socks that the logo stitching on the inside of the socks would be a snag hazard, but none of the stitching has pulled as of yet. I noticed some shape distortion and stretching of the elastic at the top edge of both types of socks. The stretching of the elastic on the Sport socks has not caused them to slip down when they are worn, but the elastic on the Wildlife socks no longer holds the socks up completely. Overall, both types of socks have maintained their original basic shape; although, the first time I washed them they shrank.

There are several good things about both of these sock types, but there are also several bad things. Would I buy them in the store? Probably not. These socks are not my style. I prefer clothing without labels, and blue socks are just weird, if you want to wear them with shorts. These socks are a little on the warm side for most activities, unless they are being worn early in the morning or on a cold day. The main reason I would not purchase these socks for backpacking is because they lack any padding whatsoever. I like to wear socks that have thicker heel, toe, and ball of the foot padding when I'm carrying a backpack. Will I continue to wear and use these socks? Absolutely. These socks are comfortable in a variety of shoes. Both types of socks wick well, which is important in both hot and cold temperatures, for foot health and comfort. These socks dry faster than most of the thick, padded backpacking socks that I own. Fast drying socks are important for someone on the move who needs to re-wear them between washes. I like these socks because they do not hold in odor, another important characteristic if the socks need to be re-worn or kept in a pack for a few days. These socks seem to hold up well to repeated use and I expect to get a lot of good use out of them.

Good Things:

> Very Comfortable

> Good wicking ability and fast drying

> Doesn't hold odors

> Durable

Bad Things:

> Too warm for higher temperatures.

> No padding

> Style

Reviews > Clothing > Socks > Ullfrotte Sport Socks > Shandra Hunt > Long Term Report