SealSkinz

[Brendan Murphy]

Anyone try these for hiking? Seems like they might be great for wet conditions or people with sweaty feet.

My brother gets heal blisters and it's tough to get tape to stick because he sweats so much.

[Derek Hakim]

I bought the gloves for a CT hike next week. I haven't used them yet. They seem like just the type of waterproof glove I was looking for.

[Kathleen B]

My husband and I tried the SealSkinz gloves. They're waterproof for awhile if it doesn't rain much. After an hour or so they started absorbing so much water they seemed to double in weight. A big disappointment. I've used the Rocky goretex socks for about 4 months in snow and rain and find they really do keep my feet separate from the water. The Thorlo socks I wore under them were only very slightly damp, and since the dampness was uniform, I'm assuming it was residual perspiration from my feet and wasn't water leaking through the goretex from the outside. So I'd say the breathability works, too.

[barry hitchcock]

worn sealskinz socks in in0v8 terras for cold weather wet conditions–rain slushy snow— get a slight dampness which i presume is sweat rather than leaks

[Franco Darioli]

Brendan
Has your brother tried antiperspirant on his feet ? It will reduce or stop the sweating and with that the blisters, but some will experience skin irritation.
Franco

[Brendan Murphy]

Thanks for the comments.

I plan to have him try antiperspirant next time.

[Brett .]

Kathleen; my experience was similar; Sealskinz absorb water like a big fat sponge, and weighing them on my scale, they did indeed double in weight. Totally unaceptable, and uncomfortable. Returned to REI.

[barry hitchcock]

kathleen/brett—i am from the uk where the opinion is– and this is generalisation, socks good –gloves bad

[Justin Ling]

I have a pair of the socks up on ebay right now, and it looks like they're going to go for super cheap. Just search "sealskinz" one word. They'll be the first pair without a professional photo. I've only worn the pair I kept a couple of times while riding bikes. I'm not sure I would want to hike in them. If anyone from this board wins them, I'll discount the shipping a bit, just let me know.

[Brian Lewis]

If you're talking about sealskinz socks here, I suggest going with Goretex socks instead. I own both, I started with the Sealskinz, and they're okay, but as the previous poster said, don't expect to stay terribly dry in them. They will keep you warmer, even when wet.

Look on this (BPL) site for analysis of cold weather footwear, and in particular for the review of Rocky brand Goretex socks. I've become a substantial fan of that approach.

For gloves — dunno. Sealskinz would be too heavy for me. I'm still searching for the optimal hand-warmth solution. Possumdown sounds good if ever in our lifetimes that stuff is available again. For a shell, I favor a mitten — warmer, simpler, easier to turn inside out to dry. I bought light rain mittens but my sense is that the durability will be too low. I've got a pair of fairly lightweight mittens from REI, but I've never seen those available again. It seems like most mitten shells are fairly heavy and beefy. I favor a lightweight, quick-to-dry and reasonably durable mitten, often wearing the mitten alone with no liner.

Oops, re-reading original post I see that it is the socks being discussed. Oh well, ignore the rest!

[JW]

Have your brother try Tincture of Benzoin on his feet prior to applying tape. It makes the surface of the skin tacky and dryish prior to applying first aid like blister tape.

[Mark Verber]

I have used SealSkinz on an off for several years. First, they are not great for someone with sweaty feet. You would want something much more breathable than sealskinz if you are trying to manage internally generated moisture rather than external sources.

When it comes to external moisture… I have found sealskinz to be reasonably effective, except when they aren't :-) They don't keep my feet 100% dry, but my feet are drier and warmer than when wearing normal socks in very wet environments. I have had them fail (small holes) in which case it takes forever to dry the insides. One nice thing is that they keep my feet a lot cleaner than traditional socks, especially with highly ventilated trail runners.

As for dealing with blisters and sweat. I have found Spyroflex Skin Saver hold even in wet environments provided the skin was clean and dry when I apply it. Tincture of Benzoin can also be used to make bandages stick better.

But it's best to avoid blisters all together. If you brother is having blister problems try different shoes and/or socks.

[GARY HEBERT]

more ramblings…

just completed my thru hike on AT (3/1-6/30); I tried Seal Skins for the early part on cold heavy rain days when it was more important my feet didn't get too wet; (or slush/snow); I wore them with thin smartwools or just thin nylon socks and Goretex XCR lined trailshoes.

They worked and they didn't. The definitely helped when walking thru deep puddles & mud especially once my shoes soaked through, but they certainly did not keep my feet completely dry. They definitely do not breath very well either, so they'd make a sweat problem worse for sure. Once my socks/feet were wet I'm not sure they didn't make the moisture/blister conditions worse.

Once the weather warmed a bit I sent them home and never regretted it. I'm really curious now to try the rocky Goretex socks others mentioned for comparison.

When used with my trailshoes they did help minimize "quick soakings" due to overtopping, for example when a puddle was deeper than expected. But then again during the rest of the trip gaitors seemed to help with that too.

On a related note, after trying trailshoes with and without Goretex liners I'm definitely a fan of those with Goretex XCR liners. (Though many of my thru hiker friends preffered the benefits of better breathability EVERY day and quicker drying time of no Goretex liner)

If you're only hiking on 60-70 degree days in rain or with lots of puddles I'd skip the shoes with liners and the seal skins. My feet/shoes dried MUCH quicker without the seal skins even when soaked from fording a stream. And they dried even quicker with trailshoes with no Goretex liner. Plus when it's not wet/raining they breath much better.

But if it's colder, for me, the goretex liners were well worth the extra heat they retain. Though they didn't dry quite as quickly as trailshoes without a goretex liner I tried, it was still MUCH quicker then boots when they get wet)

[David King]

I usually have a pair of the socks with me for hikes in the Olympic Mountains. I've used them to keep my feet dry when starting out in the morning after a rainy night or if there's heavy dew.

In March I used them in the snow near Mt Hood, without liners, and my feet were warm all day. I used them instead of my usual Cresta Goretex boots with wool socks and was much more comfortable.

I wear them with New Balance trail runners. When I take them off my feet are damp but not wet. In camp I slip into dry wool socks, with booties in the winter.

I don't get blisters with them but I don't have trouble with blisters, generally.

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