Full Outfit from Patagonia, L.L. Bean, Darn Tough, and Outdoor Research

Does anyone here have experience with Gear Trade? I’ve tried for over three days now to register an account, have not received any confirmation codes for any of my multiple attempts, have emailed them directly for 3 days now asking how could I get a confirmation code. And no replies….(entering a confirmation code they email you is the last step to registering and being able to talk to seller and order/sell gear yourself) This is actually starting to really irritate me. At this point their system is working so poorly I don’t know if I could possibly have faith in anything I buy there. In the event someone misrepresents what they are selling, it’s more damaged than stated, etc. I’m wondering how many months until Gear Trader would respond to my claim and help me, if ever. Really is a shame since I have been desperately trying to become a member for days now through every avenue I possibly can, yet nothing. So by this point my faith in anything to do with that site has been flushed down the toilet, dealing with them seems like a disaster waiting to happen

I’ve bought and sold stuff on Gear Trade, but I’ve never had to contact customer service. Their website is terrible and extremely buggy, so I’m always surprised when it works.

How did you manage to register?

I don’t know, I’ve had an account for a few years.

after researching some more, some areas in nc have reached -34 degrees in the highest parts! I certainly am not going to be able to handle that yet…going to have to stick to lower altitudes areas in the deep winter!

FWIW, I posted some info on Darn Tough socks (weights etc) on my blog:
https://intocascadia.com/2016/11/17/darn-tough-socks-for-backpacking/

TLDR: Go with the ultralight ones and a really short ankle height.

Regarding the Darn Tough warranty, their packages of socks use to have a quote on the front that said something like “if you can wear them out, we’ll replacement – that’s our promise to you”. However, in the last couple years that has disappeared and the new wording is something like “if the socks don’t meet your expectations, we’ll replace them”. All my experiences with their warranty have been great, but they might be moving away from warranting socks simply because they are worn out, which is understandable since all socks wear out, but disappointing for thru-hikers who can put on the 500 – 1000 miles needed to wear them out pretty quick.