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Chance09
02-13-2009, 12:06
I'm planning on hiking in trail runners and i was wondering what kind of sealskinz everyone uses to keep their feet dry. I have yet to actually see a pair in a store, so i'm just going to have to order one offline. It seems there are a lot of choices, and i'm not sure which one would be the best for hiking. Any suggestions?

SGT Rock
02-13-2009, 12:09
They work good when hiking in snow - but don't expect them to keep water out if the depth of the water goes over the top of the sock. I used them last year and learned when to use them and when not to. Most of the time I would say do not use them - let the trail runners and your feet breath and deal with moisture that way. But keep them for when the weather is really bad or when you want to have some dry "slippers" for camp.

Hope that helps.

Alligator
02-13-2009, 12:19
I do not like the fit of my Sealskinz, they are a bit bulky. I plan to pick up a pair of these (http://www.rei.com/product/688268) from REI with my dividend. I know, they are expensive but they appear to have a better fit.

SGT Rock
02-13-2009, 12:20
These are what I used:

http://www.greatoutdoorsdepot.com/socks-seal-skinz.html

This is what I used before my hike and what I have switched back to:

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___19988?CS_003=2477120&CS_010=19988

Red Hat
02-13-2009, 12:31
I ordered the allseason socks, but the coldstopper gloves. I plan on wearing the sealskinz socks over smartwools. The gloves have an extra lining of polartec fleece.

SGT Rock
02-13-2009, 12:41
Red hat - the normal socks take FOREVER to dry. Once the inside gets wet they like to stay wet. It is why I have gone back to just a goretex shell.

The sealskin with merino wool (or whatever it is) sounded better to me and they did feel more like real socks than Rockys. But Once they get wet they like to stay that way. I'd get into town and do laundry, and after everything else was finished, the Sealskinz would still be wet. If they got soaked on the trail (like I did when fording in them and finding out the hard way they soaked water in like a sponge at that point) then they stayed wet the entire time I was on the trail until I got to a town where I could use a dryer.

With Rockys - they are just a goretex shell. So get them a little large. Then wear any sock you want inside them. When you need the socks to do some drying - then you can air dry, wear dry, or machine dry the socks themselves and the Rocky socks can be dried by wipe down and air dry. Much simpler.

Summit
02-13-2009, 13:10
I think mine are the same as Sgt Rock's. The enlarge on his web link is useless. Here's REI's view, tho if they are the same, Rock's site's price is very good:

http://www.rei.com/product/620085

I wear my regular merino wool thin liner sock underneath and they feel about the same hiking (comfort-wise) as my regular two pair sock combo.

BrianLe
02-13-2009, 14:30
I have a pair of sealskinz, some sort of other neoprene sock (don't recall the brand) and goretex socks. IMO they have different uses in different conditions.

If I expect to be walking in water for quite a long time, a neoprene sock of some sort would be my choice, though in practice not always even then. I had used them on occasion to do longish stream crossings, and indeed it's much nicer for your feet (don't get that immediate frozen-to-the-bone feeling), but it's a PITA to put them on and take them off.

If I'm walking in a lot of continuous rain, the goretex sock is better, so long as I can somehow keep water from wetting out my inner sock from the top (waterproof gaitor with pants on the *outside*, or just no long pants).

Another case where the goretex sock is the right choice is snow --- get at least one size too large and wear a thickish wool sock underneath and voila: use trail runners year round.

For a thru-hike that included anticipated (significant) wet conditions, I'd bring rocky brand goretex socks but not neoprene socks. The latter are heavier, and I suspect you would end up wearing them very very seldom. If anything, allocate that weight to a spare pair of medium-weight wool socks, or just save the weight entirely.

Tinker
02-13-2009, 14:38
I don't wear anything under my Sealskinz. They have kept my feet warm hiking in 20 degree weather. I don't view them as "breathable" at all, or hardly. I think the action of walking "pumps" the excess moisture out. They do get damp inside, and I imagine it would be worse with socks, especially heavier socks. Upon reaching camp, or, on warm, dry days while passing through swampy areas, I take them off at rest breaks and turn them inside-out to dry. Mine look like Sgt. Rock's, but I can't remember where I bought them. They are an XL and fit my size 11-12 flat feet perfectly.

CrumbSnatcher
02-13-2009, 14:48
They work good when hiking in snow - but don't expect them to keep water out if the depth of the water goes over the top of the sock. I used them last year and learned when to use them and when not to. Most of the time I would say do not use them - let the trail runners and your feet breath and deal with moisture that way. But keep them for when the weather is really bad or when you want to have some dry "slippers" for camp.

Hope that helps.
this is a good post,the only thing i did different wearing sandels, is when my feet were cracked real bad. i would leave my skins on for long periods in dry hot weather too,and the feet would soften back up and get some moisture back.

take-a-knee
02-13-2009, 17:44
Red hat - the normal socks take FOREVER to dry. Once the inside gets wet they like to stay wet. It is why I have gone back to just a goretex shell.

The sealskin with merino wool (or whatever it is) sounded better to me and they did feel more like real socks than Rockys. But Once they get wet they like to stay that way. I'd get into town and do laundry, and after everything else was finished, the Sealskinz would still be wet. If they got soaked on the trail (like I did when fording in them and finding out the hard way they soaked water in like a sponge at that point) then they stayed wet the entire time I was on the trail until I got to a town where I could use a dryer.

With Rockys - they are just a goretex shell. So get them a little large. Then wear any sock you want inside them. When you need the socks to do some drying - then you can air dry, wear dry, or machine dry the socks themselves and the Rocky socks can be dried by wipe down and air dry. Much simpler.

The same analogy applies to thinsulate-insulated goretex boots, once you get 'em wet, they stay wet. Far better to have a field dryable system as you suggest. I have found those Rocky goretex socks to be inexplicable warm over a single pair of decent wool socks. I think they ought to be in everyone's pack in the winter.

Summit
02-13-2009, 18:26
I think they ought to be in everyone's pack in the winter.Yep, and if not needed for wet trail hiking, they really help keep your feet warm in camp! :)

hopefulhiker
02-13-2009, 18:37
I did not use the water proof socks.. At the beginning of the hike I tried seamsealing my boots with homemade seamsealer.. I switched to trailrunners.. At the end of the hike I walked through mostly flooded trail in the middle of October in Maine.. I just put the wet shoes back on the next day and was sort of relieved when my feet got wet again.