Thinking about the wet winter and contemplating a pair of Sealskinz, anyone any comments?

Mine work… wish I had them on Wednesday night when it chucked it down half round my ride.

mine are so old that I think the water gets in, then stays in. Meaning I have developed trenchfoot.

Pretty good unless its really chucking it down and you're in shorts.
Then I find the water tends to down my leg and collects in the socks.

They work great till they leak

I like mine a lot in winter and sometimes summer as well looking out the window now.

Happy with mine. Keep your feet dry and even when water came over the top of mine, my feet were warm rest of the day.

And that is the key to happiness.

If you're wearing shorts and Sealskinz socks and it chucks it down you will get wet feet due to the big hole in the top of each sock.

They work better when used with over trousers.

They work great till they leak

But on the plus side they work for longer than the gloves. I've got a pair of the thermal ones and combined with MW80's they are great for the winter.

Once they fill with water they function like a wetsuit so your feet are wet but warm, so it's not all bad.

I cut two inch cuffs off the legs of an old wetsuit. I use these to seal the tops of the socks. Works a treat!

I like my seal skinz, quite warm but during winter that's actually a bonus. Can get a bit sweaty inside.

I've read on forums that alot of people have problems with them.

I'd heard people complain about leaking in the top and always thought "Hah, doesn't happen with mine", well, now it does 🙁 The longer ones are supposed to be better for that though. I'll get another pair for this winter, the last pair were just superb but I think maybe they're past their best now.

I think I might knock a couple of holes in the bottom of mine to let the water out

Mine work as waterproof socks but they are a poor fit to the foot so my shoes are too tight therefore uncomfy. Probably just me tho'….

dry no, warm yes. think it's a bit like the wetsuit principle. My winter staple is the merino lined sealskins and Spesh defrosters – work on 3 hr night rides way below zero, regularly

To be fair, I find that they cope OK with gentle rain and puddles, it's just prolonged downpours when I get wet feet. I'd rather wear them them than not.

teagirl, take the insoles out your shoes for a bit of extra room.

Never had a pair that lasted any length of time. Always started to leak at the heel and toes. Eventually I bought some thin divers' socks, which are tough, cheap warm and make no effort to keep your feet dry whatsoever. Combined with a winter cycling shoe like the Shimano ones, you'll have no problems.

I just wear some merino wool socks. Keep my feet warm even when wet.

I like mine, much cheaper option than buying winter specific shoes.

spend yr money on shimano mw80s and a decent set of overtrousers(OK i know thats a lot more money)

Mine keep my feet warm and dry. I would highly reccommend a pair.

Rubberneck, I'll try that top tip, not thought to do it. Ta!

Teagirl, uh.. taking the insoles out of some SPD shoes is'nt a good idea at all..

Tried Merino wool on one foot and sealskinz on other, wool was warmer after a long wet ride.

But was the Sealskinz foot dry?

Make sure you don't get them too tight.

I was wearing mine with sandals this winter in deep snow – feet stayed warm and dry. Walked through a few streams, no problem.

the couple of pairs i had lasted a year each. gore goretex socks FTW. absolutely ace.

I had a pair and they contributed towards 2 of the most miserable rides I've ever had. Filled with water dripping down my legs and then stayed wet. Not sure about the wetsuit comment. Mine just kept my feet in cold water for a couple of hours. Wouldn't use them again

think mine are lined with merino wool. Bit tight with winter boots – will try the inner sole removal trick and give it a try.

Mind I've been trying this 'moutain biking in the summer' lark this year – bit hot but not too bad.

Got a pair for Christmas. They're way too big, baggy and weird so all mine have been used for is standing in the bath 😕

quite happy with mine – had three pairs , still got two.

one thing to remember is NOT to dry them on the radiator. It makes the inner membrane susceptible to splitting.

I think their gloves are a pain in the @rse. Yes they keep you dry and (too) warm but they are awkward to get on and off and are not very tough.Again if you do get some don't dry them on the radiator

I wasn't impressed – the fit wasn't great and they got sweaty unless it was cold. I stopped using them after a wet winter night ride – I got soaked, feet were wet and because the water couldn't escape when the temperature dropped below zero it froze! That's the coldest my feet have ever been, and I've spent a fair bit of time high up cold mountains.

[Edit to add] This was about 4 years ago though so perhaps they've improved, but it's merino all the way for me.

Used to be impressed but after problems with the last pair and some shocking customer service, I won't be buying any more 🙁

They're great IMO, but don't wear them with shorts. Don't quite get why people do that..

but don't wear them with shorts. Don't quite get why people do that

If you know its gonna be a sunny day, but you know the trail is gonna be wet, or there might be a bit of boggy hike-a-bike. Then SealSkinz and shorts seem like a sensible combo to me?

+1 for what fastindian said. Put your money towards proper winter shoes, they'll last a lot longer. Ive had several pairs of sealskinz and have only ever been disappointed when using them on a bike. Only exception has been using them inside my kayak drysuit or in my wellies, they do stop your feet getting damp from condensation. But for wet weather biking, fail.

Considering how good (and relatively cheap) and how much choice of waterproof clothing there is these days i'm surprised nothing better in the sock department is around

In warm weather I prefer Merino. I wore some Rapha socks on Tuesday around Coniston and just summer shoes, with lots of ventilation holes. Some of the puddles came up to my ankles but my feet felt warm and dry all the way. It wasn't till we stopped, some 4 hours after the soaking that I realised my feet were still wet.

I suspect if you wear Sealskinz with waterproof boots they feel colder because you end up with a layer of cold water trapped between the boot and your sock if they get immersed.

That's why I tried the sandals. I wasn't expecting a satisfactory result, so I was pleased that it kept my feet dry and warm even in a stream. It possibly helps that the fabric of the sock isn't getting compressed so much.

When you think about it the end result is probably similar to the gear the highlanders used to wear – brogues (not the modern sort) and woollen socks with plenty lanolin in them.