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WildernessWear Kosciuszko Socks
Field Report March 3, 2006
Tester's Information
Name: Liz Neely
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight: 145 lb (65.8 kg)
Email address: liz at armory dot com
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Tester's Background:
I've been day hiking for many years, and started backpacking in 2005.
My hiking and backpacking has been primarily in the San Francisco Bay
Area of California, on well-marked trails, with occasional stream
crossings. I've been on five weekend backpacking trips, all in state
and national parks in the San Francisco Bay area. The temperatures I
encounter range from 25 F (4 C) to 75 F (24 C), the elevations are
between sea level and 3500 ft (1067 m), and my pack weight is between
30 to 35 lbs (13.6 to 15.9 kg).
Product Information:
Manufacturer: WildernessWear
Year of Manufacture: 2005
URL: http://www.wildernesswear.com.au/
Materials: 80% Australian Pure Merino Wool, 15% Nylon, 5% Lycra
Listed Weight: not listed
Measured Weight (size 7-11 Aust & UK; 8-13 US)*: 4.5 oz (127.6 gm)
* The
packaging and website do not mention whether these sizes are men's or
women's, but, based on fit, my guess is that these are men's sizes.
Available Colors: Black, Blue, Bone, Brunswick Green, Burgundy,
Cappuccino, Cherry, Cobalt, Eggplant, Electric Pink, Ensign Blue, Gold,
Graphite, Grey Marle, Gun Metal, Jade, Lilac, Magenta, Natural, Navy,
Oatmeal Fleck, Purple, Red
MSRP: 18.95 AUD (14.08 USD based on
exchange rate on March 7th, 2006)
Care: Turn socks inside out, machine wash warm, do not bleach, do not
tumble dry
Product Description:
These socks are Boot Length Socks made primarily of Merino wool, with a
small amount of nylon and Lycra for durability and stretch-ability.
These socks are heavy-duty outdoor socks, ideal for hiking and
backpacking.
The socks were packaged as a pair, with a
glossy cardboard wrapper around the center of the folded pair of socks,
with the cardboard extending up to the top of the folded pair on the
back, with an
attached plastic hanger at the top. There was also a small tag attached
to the front sock just below the cardboard wrapper. All of the
information written on the cardboard wrapper was visible without having
to remove the socks from the packaging. The socks themselves do not
have any advertising or markings on them.
Here are the features the manufacturer highlights on their website:
- Flat toe seam
- Y Gore seam keeps the heel in place
- Nylon reinforced high abrasion areas
- Full Terry cushioning
- Ventilation zones
- Lycra in the ankle and arch areas for support
- Forward flex support
- Double welt band at the top reduces calf
These are some additional features that were advertised on the
packaging the socks were in:
- Fully reinforced heel and toe provide increased durability and
wear
- Ribbed arch for maximum support and stability
- High density cushioning for extra comfort and protection
- Heavy wicking action draws moisture way from the foot and
prevents rubbing and odor
Initial Impression:
To read about my initial impression of these socks, before field
testing, please read my Initial
Review.
Field Information:
I have worn these socks on two hikes, two backpacking trips, several
walks of 2-4 mi (3-6 km) on city streets and sidewalks, and a few
days at work, mostly sitting at a desk. Except when I wore them to
work,
these socks were worn under Dunham Cloud Pileus hiking boots. When worn
at work, these socks were worn under LA Gear tennis shoes.
First Hike:
The first hike I wore these socks on was in and around Santa Cruz,
California. The hike was 9 mi (14 km) on a combination of about
50% paved paths and some sidewalks and 50% dirt paths, with plenty of
mud and puddles. It was raining for the duration of this hike, and the
temperature was around 55 F (13 C). The elevation was sea level, and
the
terrain was fairly flat.
During this hike, due to some minor leakage of water into my boots, the
socks got damp. However, they didn't feel damp to my feet (I only found
out they were damp when I got home and took my boots off) and my feet
remained warm and comfortable. I never felt any sore spots on my feet
during this hike, and upon examination of my feet after the hike, I did
not find any rubbed spots or blisters. Two days after the hike, I found
a small spot of raw skin on one spot on my foot, however, I attribute
this to the new boots I was wearing, not to these socks, because it was
a spot where I had felt a stiff part of the boot pressing against my
foot.
After this hike, I machine washed the socks and hung them to dry, per
the care instructions on the packaging. I had a lot
of trouble drying them, since our humidity at that time was between
65-85% for many days, with no sunshine to help with the drying. I had
them hanging indoors at temperatures between 60-75 F (16-24 C) for four
and a half
days before they were completely dry.
Second
Hike:
The second hike I wore these socks on was in Uvas Canyon County
Park near Morgan Hill, California. The hike was 5 mi (8 km) of dirt
trails, covered with wet leaves in many places and loose rocks and
pebbles in some places. It was cloudy, but not
raining, and the temperature was around 60 F (16 C). The elevation
ranged from
around 1100 to 1800 ft (335 to 549 m) and there were many somewhat
steep uphill and
downhill sections on these trails.
During this hike my feet got pretty hot, and when I took my socks off
after the hike, they were fairly damp with sweat. However, my feet
never felt wet during the hike and suffered no sore spots or blisters.
First Backpacking Trip:
The first backpacking trip I wore these socks on was in Henry
Coe State Park near Gilroy, California. The hike was a total of 15
mi (24 km) over the course of two days, on dirt trails. It was cloudy,
but
not raining, and the daytime temperatures ranged from 45-65 F (7-18 C).
The
elevation ranged from 1000-2500 ft (305-762 m) and there were many
steep
uphill and
downhill sections on these trails.
During the hike the first day, my feet felt hot at times, and the socks
were somewhat damp with sweat when I arrived in camp. I hung them
inside my tent that night, and even though the nighttime temperature
dipped below 30 F (1 C), the socks felt dry enough the next day that I
wore them for the second day of hiking. During the second day of
hiking, I didn't notice my feet feeling hot or sweaty, perhaps because
the second day had a lot of downhill hiking, and I tend not to sweat as
much when hiking downhill compared to when hiking uphill. I did not get
any sore spots or blisters on my feet during this hike.
Second Backpacking Trip:
The second backpacking trip I wore these socks on was also in Henry Coe
State Park near Gilroy, California. The hike was a total of 17 mi (27
km)
over the course of two days, on dirt and mud trails, with many stream
crossings; however, I only wore these socks on the first day of the
hike, which was about 8 mi (13 km). It was raining intermittently, and
even
snowed for a very brief period of time, and the daytime temperatures
ranged from 30 to 55 F (1 to 13 C). The elevation ranged from 1000-2600
ft (305-792 m) and
there were many steep uphill and downhill sections on these trails.
My feet never felt cold while I was hiking, despite pretty cold
temperatures. My feet also never felt too hot on this trip, unlike the
previous times I had worn these socks. However, when I arrived in camp,
the socks were very damp with sweat. I believe the dampness was sweat,
rather than rain, because the rest of my clothing was also damp with
sweat, and my boots did not feel damp inside, so I don't believe they
leaked. I hung the socks inside my tent that night, however, they felt
just as damp the next morning, and I chose to wear dry socks rather
than put cold wet socks on for the second day of hiking. My guess as to
why they dried overnight on the first trip but not on this trip is that
it was raining most of the night, thus the humidity inside the tent was
probably much higher than it was on the first trip. I did not get any
sore spots or blisters on my feet during this hike.
Walks in Town:
I wore these socks for several walks of 2-4 mi (3-6 km) on city
sidewalks, with
temperatures around 60 F (16 C) in sunny to partly cloudy weather. My
feet occasionally felt hot, and my socks were slightly damp with sweat
after each walk, however they did not develop any sore spots or
blisters during any of these walks.
Wearing them at Work:
I wore these socks to work a few times, which consists of
about two hours of sitting in my car and eight and a half hours of
sitting at a desk. I typically find the office I work in to be cold,
and I found that these socks kept my feet nicely warm. I also found
that these socks didn't have as much of a foot odor after a full
workday as my cotton socks typically do. However, after wearing them
two days in a row without washing them, they did develop a foot odor.
Overall Feelings About These Socks:
Comfort/Fit:
I found these socks to be very comfortable, other than occasionally
being too warm for the temperatures I was wearing them in. My feet
never
felt cold in these socks, which was really nice. The socks are cushiony
enough that I didn't feel the insides of my boots through the socks,
except in a few areas where the boots were still very stiff from being
new; as the boots became less stiff, I no longer felt the insides of my
boots through the socks.
One of my initial concerns was whether these socks would feel
itchy, due to being made of wool. I found that this was not a
problem at all. If I stopped and asked myself if they felt itchy, I
would have to say "very slightly". But, this was only noticeable when I
was actually trying to see if they felt itchy. It was not something I
normally noticed, because it was very slight. I did not notice dampness
increasing this feeling at all, which was another of my initial
concerns, since I've had other clothing that got itchier as it got damp.
These socks fit well, despite my initial concern that they were too
large. I was initially concerned that these socks were too large
because when I look at them on my feet, they are not snug in the heel
and toes, there is a fair amount of "play" in those areas, and I was
concerned that this might cause bunching of excess fabric inside my
boots and shoes. However, I didn't find this to be a problem at all,
and
they felt just fine inside my boots and shoes. I also found that the
socks
stayed up well the entire day, whether I was hiking or
sitting at a desk. I never found them bunched up around my ankles
and I also never felt a tightness around my calves in these socks due
to the elastic that held them up.
Durability:
These socks did not shrink or fade at all during the field test period
which included machine washing them eight times. The fabric does show
wear, as pictured below:
The sock on the left is from the pair I've been testing. The sock on
the right is from another identical pair the manufacturer sent me,
which I have kept unused for comparison purposes. The picture
illustrates that the sock that has been worn and washed during my
field testing has developed sort of a fuzziness to the fabric; this is
clearly visible, however, I have not found this to have affected the
performance of the socks at all. The worn and unworn socks feel equally
thick and comfortable.
I have one additional comment about drying these socks. The
manufacturer generously (and fortunately) gave me three pairs of these
socks for testing. This is fortunate because before I even had a chance
to test them, one pair unintentionally went through the dryer. They
were dried in a gas dryer on the low setting through a full drying
cycle. This caused them to shrink about .75 in (1.9 cm) in height and
about .75 in (1.9 cm) in length.
Convenience:
I did not find these socks to be the most convenient, since, in my
climate, they take a long time to air-dry (two to four and a half days,
depending on the weather), and they cannot be dried in the dryer. This
means
that I can't
wear them for several days after washing them, while I wait for them to
dry. I did find during less humid
days, they tended to dry faster, so I believe this would not be so much
of an issue in a less humid environment.
Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org
and WildernessWear for giving me the
opportunity
to test these socks.
Read more reviews of Wilderness Wear gear
Read more gear reviews by Liz Neely
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