Any good? I'm looking for a tougher option than shoes/boots with goretex liners which dont last 5 minutes.
Anyone used Gore-Tex socks?
Bike Forum
SealSkinz socks
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Posted 8 months ago #
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I've got a pair of sealskinz socks which I use for winter, and I think they're great.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Sealskinz. Absolutely brilliant, been using them for years on a motorbike.Very warm, too - do get a bit smelly, but wash on cold wash and drip dry
Posted 8 months ago # -
Depends!
If its cold and a bit wet they are great, keep your feet warm and dry.
If its properly sodden (great big puddles, proper water splashes) then they can actually fill up with water from the top and as they are properly waterproof they don't let the water back out either so you end up riding round in little pools of water
Posted 8 months ago # -
If its properly sodden (great big puddles, proper water splashes) then they can actually fill up with water from the top and as they are properly waterproof they don't let the water back out either so you end up riding round in little pools of water
I think this only happens if you're wearing shorts. And if you're trying to keep your feet warm and dry but wearing shorts, then you've got it coming really.
Posted 8 months ago # -
I used Sealskinz for a number of years before I bought proper winter boots. The merino ones are my favourite, nice and toasty, but they were all pretty good at keeping my feet warm during the winter months.
Posted 8 months ago # -
I think this only happens if you're wearing shorts
afraid not.
All my goretex lined boots have lasted years, what the heck does the OP do to his?
And how come their socks are waterproof but the similair gloves are not (for long)?
Posted 8 months ago # -
I've found SealSkinz gloves a bit crap, hence my question about the socks before purchasing.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Given up on sealskins as said above the water runs down your leg, into the sock then slowly turns your feet into blocks of ice. Wear thick wool socks now in winter. Ok you still get wet but my feet are toasty.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Sealskinz socks only worked for me if the trails were a bit wet but it wasn't raining - they stop your feet getting wet then. If it's raining though it just drains down your legs into them and they fill with water and they're not that warm then. IME you're better off with good merino socks instead and just accept you're going to get wet feet but at least they'll stay warm
Posted 8 months ago # -
I wear mine all year round! I don't really mind if water gets inside them (which it does when you ride through puddles that engulf your leg up to your knee) as it seems to heat up and keep my feet toasty anyway
Posted 8 months ago # -
How about these Conical Latex Ankle Seals:
to stop the water running down your legs and into your boots?
Posted 8 months ago # -
the socks soak up too much water and your feet then try and heat the wet sock.
merino is far superior ime.
Posted 8 months ago # -
great if properly cold & wet and coupled with waterproof trousers!
Posted 8 months ago # -
I don't have any problem with SealSkinz waterproofing. Just get a pair long enough to cover whatever immersion they are going to get - and yeh, if you leave the top exposed water will dribble in.
I got fed up of 'waterproof' boots so I now use SealSkinz and sandals for wet and cold conditions, eg crossing boggy stuff. Waterproof boots are a disaster once you get some water in them in subzero temps - they trap the water and your feet get icy cold. Sandals drain quickly.
The important thing is to get a size that fits you loosely. If they are tight and stretched then obviously the seams and whatever waterproof membrane they are using are being stressed.
Here's an example - that's a Keen sandal and SealSkinz stockings - I waded around in that lot and no water got in. My feet didn't freeze either, but obviously heat was being lost through conduction. Once out of the water they were toasty in no time.
I agree about the gloves though - a bit disappointing.
Wading through snow with them is no bother either.
Posted 8 months ago # -
SealSkinz are good. They do feel a bit like heavy sponges once they DO eventually get water in them though (by seeping in the top) .
Posted 8 months ago # -
I've always thought they were pretty good. I just think they are a bit on the thick side. Just bought some Endura Winter Merino socks and they feel lovely on. Might report back when weather turns cold.
I had some proper Gore-tex "socks" years ago, they were like a pair of bags, ok but wore out really quick.
Posted 8 months ago # -
+1 epicyclo.
Keen sandals, thin merino liner socks and sealskinz for the last 3 winters, never had cold feet.Posted 8 months ago # -
I got on well with mine, never experienced this problem of water running in the top at all, until they were worn out anyway- accidentally machine dried them and they went a bit wrong. (now they let water in but not out, which is funny but not all that useful). So just about to buy some more.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Turn them inside out Northwind?
Posted 8 months ago # -
I did try that but they feel really horrible that way round. (also, they smell like something died in them, which is fairly plausible). So, £16 for a new pair seems like a not bad idea.
Posted 8 months ago # -
£16 for socks that leak after a while vs £100 for boots that leak after a while,, hmmmm..... seems like a no-brainer. They'll be worn mostly for walkin' the poooch in wet conditions so shouldnt be going deep enough for water to go over the tops. Thanks for the good advice guys!
Posted 8 months ago # -
standard winter kit for me - merino sealskinz and Spesh Defrosters - seen it down to minus 10 and still warm and dry. The key IMO is not to have them too tight in your shoe/boot.
BTW Merlin are selling them heavily discounted at the moment - I just got a second pair yesterday for £20
Posted 8 months ago # -
do you walk over beds of nails in your boots OR do you just expect to have cake and eat it ... anything you do will just be a temporary measure other than a full cold water survival suit .... **** riding in one of them - just sitting in a chopper wearing one is uncomfortable enough !
Posted 8 months ago # -
IME sealskinz blow goats. last a year tops IME, and i even repeated teh experiment.
gore gore-tex socks are flipping excellent, on or off the bike. they have a snug cuff so that water doesn't run into them, they are comfortable, and you can vary the amount of insulation you run by simply changing which sock you wear underneath them.
it amazes me that so many people spend money on sealskinz crap but that the gore-tex ones are not significantly more popular.Posted 8 months ago # -
each to their own I guess. I have been using the merino Sealskinz for last few winters and they have worked well through all the Scottish gloop, snow and ice. Only time my feet were cold was one night when it was around minus 15, and the drivetrain seized up with frozen mud too that time
Posted 8 months ago # -
Del - Member
it amazes me that so many people spend money on sealskinz crap but that the gore-tex ones are not significantly more popular.
I didn't know they did any. Just ordered some, cheers!
(though I have to say, a year's dry feet for £16 still seems like an amazing bargain to me! But if Gore are better still then why not eh)
Posted 8 months ago # -
use sealskinz merino's with MT41 shoes - all through the north Scotland winter and toasty toes. Mud, snow (-10C) all ok. Work for me, I like them.
Posted 8 months ago # -
The merino ones work for me. They get wet inside in proper rain but there's a wetsuit effect - once the water's in, it gets heated, and there's no flushing through with cold water every time you go through a puddle.
One thing to be wary of is that they're quite thick. So if you have the sort of shoes which are already tight or can't be loosened then you may find blood flow is constricted, which makes for being cold.
Posted 8 months ago # -
never needed em since i started riding with these wellies on!
just wear em for walking the dog now
Posted 8 months ago # -
Love mine - I ride with the thin variety. Buy the longest you can. I also have M&S cheap merino socks, but the quality isn't there.
Posted 8 months ago # -
How to make SealSkinz suck:
1. Get a tight fit
2. Cram them into shoes/boots that you usually wear thin socks with.
3. Leave the tops exposed so water dribbles in.SealSkinz need 3 things to keep your feet warm.
First is an air gap around your foot. If you don't have this because your are wearing them as a tight fit or have crammed your foot into a boot, then don't expect them to be any warmer than anything else.
Second is that the waterproof skin is not being stretched, so again, don't get a tight fit.
Third is to make sure water isn't getting into your boots. This soaks the lining and stays cold in subzero temps. The simplest way to prevent this is to ensure if water gets in, it can drain out, or to have a nonabsorbent lining. (This is why sandals work so well)
Posted 8 months ago #
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