Goretex socks for shoulder season worth it?

Sorry…yes I'm now reading through the dozens of posts on this topic. Any new opinions/comments are still welcome. ;)

Mine weigh 2.8 ounces for the pair. They are nice if you encounter snow.

Which ones do you have? Maybe I should double check the weight on mine… Just been working on my packing list and used that previously recorded weight..that could just be a stupid mistake on my part.. ;)

I use waterproof booties but I would not take them until late Nov in the Sierra. they are great for early season AT hiking through muck, slush, snow and water. While your feet may get wet if it rains, you likely won't encounter conditions where I would use them.

Yeah, 8 ounces is super heavy. If the fabric is that heavy I bet they would be stiff and unwearable. But yeah the rocky goretex socks are awesome. They are perfect for shoulder season. Used them in the BMWO earlier this year, they really saved my feet. They are tall enough that you can often walk through small side streams and keep your socks dry. Whether or not you bring them depends on how cold your feet get. I have no problem with cold feet in cold rain even close to freezing with thick wool socks. When I hit snow my feet get cold very easily. That dictates if I bring them or not. If the weather is clear I wouldn't bring them.

My Rocky goretex socks are under a QP iirc. My son and I carried them on our June trip through the Sierra Nevada and never wore them once. The PCTers and the sun took care of the snow for us. I'm going to keep mine but I've been meaning to sell his since he will be larger next year. Any interest in a new pair of size 10.5/11? I can verify exact size and weight if you want.

QP? What's that mean?

Quarter Pound! Four ounces!

Haha Just had to google that myself. Appears to mean "Quarter pound if I recall correctly." Good info so far. I wish there was a 1oz goretex bread bag out there ;) My socks do appear to be stiff. I picked them up on clearance a while back…just never had a chance to try them out.

But you already tried them, wright ? Because you don't want to be in a situation where you want to ware those socks, but then you find out they don't fit (and carried them all that time).

Doubt those would be of much use, even if it rains. Maybe after the weather gets colder. Hope you enjoy your trip. I'm finishing up a couple of weeks out here, and just did 3 days/2 nights from Tuolumne down to Agnew Meadows-that is some beautiful country!

Goretex socks can be handy in camp, basically you bring them instead of camp shoes. Once in camp you put on your dry socks, then goretex socks, then slip on the wet runners. Nice and cosy.

"Goretex socks can be handy in camp, basically you bring them instead of camp shoes. Once in camp you put on your dry socks, then goretex socks, then slip on the wet runners. Nice and cosy." Or do the same with bread gas for free and at a weight of a couple of grams. Goretex will do nothing in wet shoes.

How are you guys even using bread bags in your shoes? They one time I used them my feet would slip completely out of my shoes. Way too slippery. Goretex socks are durable, bread bags are not.

The Rocky Goretex socks are excellent. I've used them in two scenarios, and only during shoulder seasons when in-camp temperatures are cold. 1. If I am wearing non-waterproof shoes, and if the daily "routine" involves getting wet feet (ie trekking through fresh snow), then when I arrive in camp, I will change into dry socks, add the Goretex socks, and put my wet shoes back on. If this is NOT the daily routine, and it's only an incidental / just in case sort of scenario, I'll skip the Goretex socks and use stuff sacks instead. 2. For winter, when I'm wearing a waterproof shoe, I'll often wear an oversized (+1) shoe, to accomodate: a thin wool sock liner, Goretex socks, and a mountaineering weight wool sock. Obviously paired with gaiters to keep external moisture out of the system. This is a very warm system for its weight, and the Goretex sock is an important part of that, acting as a semi-permeable vapor barrier.

"Goretex socks are durable, bread bags are not." That's my thinking too, especially for longer trips with less frequent re-supply. While its true that for in-camp wear you don't move much the bread bags can still split/tear/slip exposing you to the wetness. And overall fiddliness can be annoying, like wearing trash bags instead of rain jacket/pants or a good poncho. Of course the downside is the weight penalty.

Wow a response from the boss himself! Thanks Ryan. Next on my forum autograph list is Andrew Skurka. ;). For the record…I'm dumb, my Rockies are 3oz for the pair. Not 8. There was an error on my spreadsheet. Oops. I've decided to bring them. The weather report is clear….but I'll be out for a week so things could change. 3oz ain't the end of the world…at least in this case. They do feel stiff and a little constricting in my shoes. Btw…as for bread bags, I've found that the Whole foods plastic bags in the fresh produce section are awesome. Stronger and perfect size. Not sure if they are still "slippery".

I had never heard of Gore tex socks until this thread. How does one wear them? Do you wear socks under them? Also what is shoulder season? Thanks

I prefer to wear GTX socks in camp, without socks. I obviously wear shoes. I never hike with them. I own Sealskinz-socks (technically not GTX-socks), which seem to be less durable then Rocky's but a little softer on the inside. Rocky's are harder to find in Europe. Shoulder season -> just before and just after winter.

Thanks, so if one was ordering a pair would you size up to wear socks underneath them?

Depends; I find my Sealskinz to be quite roomy. I can use them with or without socks and they never feel restricted or too sloppy. I have no experience with the sizing of Rocky's though. But I'm sure plenty of others on this forum have.

I guess I do a lot of "shoulder season" hiking as I prefer hiking when there are no crowds. These socks would have come in handy a lot last year. I gave up on a few trails and headed back down the mountain when my feet became quite wet from hiking in snow in my trail runners. Now that I know these exist I should be able to push on. Thanks!

Agreed. I think they're always worth to be included. Here in Europe – especially on somewhat longer trips – there's no such thing as 'dry conditions', so WP/B-socks give me extra comfort. They are probably my 'luxury-item' :) Safe to say that I'm really happy to have warm and dry feet at the end of a cold and wet day!

Hi Arne, I knew you were on Hiking Advisor but I didn't know you were also on BPL. About WP/B socks in general: always try as fast as you can as they are quite expensive and certainly the ones with GTX don't stretch (much). I got myself e.g. a pair of Rocky's and they didn't fit at all. Even 1 or 2 sizes up from my normal size were waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy too narrow and too low for my instep. About Sealskinz: tried those too of course but they already leaked after 2 days and the construction absorbs loads of water.