Which neoprene socks?

If you want waterproof you'll need Goretex socks. The neoprene is just to keep you warm, not dry.

Alright I feel stupid now… I figured that neoprene was 100% waterproof but I have actually never used anything neoprene before. That makes a lot of sense. If they keep my feet warm when wet, then they are all good by me.

You absolutely must seam seal neoprene socks. Genuine neoprene will not leak anywhere but at the seams.

I have light neoprene dive socks that I seam sealed once (both sies) in 1997 and have worn them every winter since in my heavy feltpacs. Never a leak when I wash them at home. They do get stinky after a few days and need to be rinsed out and then dried.

The Rocky GoreTex socks are the best socks out there if you're looking at WP/B. Seal Skinz have a poor rep. I have NRS Hydroskin socks as well (certainly not waterproof, not even the neoprene as it's saturated after a day of walking in the wet). The Hydroskins play a neat role as well (keeping feet warm in the wet shoulder seasons) although I do find I get a high amount of blisters when continually hiking in wet feet as my feet heavily prune up. I'll likely try Rocky GoreTex socks + Hydroskins in challenging conditions in the future. I'm still not sure which in which order.

Dan- you'll have to keep us posted on that experiment :) I've had very good luck w/ Rocky socks and thin merino socks underneath- this is in wet cool to cold conditions. Also no moisture above the height of the socks. If I were going to be regularly fording streams and the like I think I'd go the Hydroskin route.

Dan- did you have thin socks under the Hydroskins when you got blisters? I think if I go w/ Hydroskins I'll try a thin liner underneath.

Also give Hydropel a shot, if I know there is a high likelihood of my feet being wet I use Hydropel- stuff works :)

Mike

I sometimes use neoprene socks in cold weather. They also double as a camp shoe for quick trips in the night.

The ones I use have thousands of holes in them (by design). That way they let sweat out. They are still warm, however.