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Just lost one of my ancient Porelle Dry socks so need a new pair, what works best, the old ones must have been around ten years old so things must have moved on. To be worn under lightweight hiking boots in winter walking shoes in warmer wet stuff. Thanks.
Sealskinz are excellent .Probably the Mid Light if you don't want the thicker thermal one.Around £25 a pair.
sealskins or 2 pairs of socks of your choice with thin plastic bags inbetween. both work well.
seal skins for me every time, top gear...
Sealskinz keep your feet warm but not dry ime.
Sealskinz will keep them dry if you can stop water going in the top. I don't find them that warm, even the thermal ones, but my circulation is pretty bad.
sealskins are like marmite
I think they are pants
sealskins are like marmiteI think they are pants
You have sealskin pants 😯
Sealskinz. the mid ones are ideal. especially if you use them with a thin, wicking sock liner. waterproof, windproof and warm: I rarely ride without sealskinz on. Even when water gets over the top they stay reasonably warm, acting a bit like a wetsuit for your feet.
The Sealskinz thermal ones are nice if you want one soft, warm, waterproof layer. However, I took to using the Gore oversocks during the worst of the winter, over whatever weight/warmth of sock I thought was most appropriate. The advantage of the Gore ones is that they are less susceptible to inappropriate laundering. I find that the Sealskinz eventually shrink in the foot and go baggy around the calf - encouraging the ingress of water.
As always, the biggest issue is water running into them from the top. Wearing longs [i]over[/i] them helps. Alternatively, make gaiters from the wrist of a pair of household rubber gloves.
Sealskinz don't work for me - boil in bag stuff then I get eczema. However, now I use merino socks (Smartwool) and Gore socks. Works really well.
I do....
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anyone who thinks sealskins are good clearly has never owned a pair of merino socks.
Really thick wool/merino socks seem to do the job better than sealskins for me. Maybe due to me having thin ankles so the thicker sock bulks out the gap I have at the top of my MT90s. If water does get inside it gets very warm quickly so almost added insulation 🙂
anyone who thinks sealskins are good clearly has never owned a pair of merino socks.
Sealskinzs + merino liner = win 🙂
Vote for Endura thermalite socks here - warm even when wet. Never got on with Sealskins.
Sealskinz + water over cuff = FAIL.
In fact Sealskinz generally fail ime.
All you guys bleating on about Merino - yeah inside Goretex socks perhaps. Or have I missed something - is there a waterproof Merino sock on the market?
sealskins with am40's work pretty well.
Sealskinz are merino...
Sealskinz are merino...
yeah, that was my point!!
i mean 100% merino wool socks, not sealskins. has that clarified it?
All you guys bleating on about Merino - yeah inside Goretex socks perhaps. Or have I missed something - is there a waterproof Merino sock on the market?
no but they stay warm - don't irritate your foot like any other wet sock.
Sealskinz keep your feet [s]warm[/s] dry but not [s]dry[/s] warm ime.
FTFY.
Sealskins are Merino socks with a PU liner iirc. If water gets in it can't get out.
the key is in *not* letting the water get into the sealskinz :-)...so, choice of tights and/or boots. I generally do 3 or 4 offroad rides a week, ranging from 2 hours to 9 hours, and I can recall water getting into my socks only once over the winter...and that was because I had to traverse a few rivers.
Sealskinz work for about 6 months for me then they lose their elasticity & water gets in over the top. They work.. for a while.. Not a perfect soloution by any means.
Oh & I wear merino socks underneath.
ps all those saying how wonderful the wewtsuit effect is - just imagine how great it would be if your feet didnt get wet at all?.. Proper winter boots seem to be the only way to achieve this.
>the key is in *not* letting the water get into the sealskinz :-)<
No sh1t? 😉
Do a wee bit of riding myself and often have to ford burns or rivers or ride along trails that are so wet you might as well be wading through running water.
Pleased for you if you've found them to work but that's not my experience.
The crucial thing about sealskins is not to wash them at too high a temperature, or dry them on a hot radiator - warp tastic and no longer waterproof.
sealskins lasted me about a year, and suffer water over the top, as above.
[url= http://www.wiggle.co.uk/gore-bike-wear-gt-ii-gore-tex-socks-aw10/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=products ]these[/url] last a hell of a lot longer, and are elasticated @ the top.
i've had dry feet all winter, despite occasionally immersing my feet over the top, pedalling through puddles.
goretex socks, sealskins, shimano goretex boots. none of them work on longer rides in torrential rain or continuous surface water spray. the water will always seep in via the cuff.
if anyone knows of any socks that remain warm when wet, that would be cool to know, as aside from full length waders I dont think its possible to stay 100% dry.
Given that Sealskinz make knee length socks, people wanting more than that really should take up knitting or stop riding below the water table.
>if anyone knows of any socks that remain warm when wet, that would be cool to know, as aside from full length waders I dont think its possible to stay 100% dry.<
There are Co's making neoprene socks with Ti in them for the kayak market (3mm not the heavy stuff)You're going to end up with damp feet anyway as they will have zero breathabality but I've often wondered if they would be worth trying. Need a bit of room in your shoes mind you.