Montbell Gore-tex socks?

[Stumphges]

Does anyone have experience with Montbell’s Gore-tex socks? They make two versions, a short and long.  (I’m linking them cuz they are kind of hard to find on the site.)

Rocky-brand Gore-tex socks have kind of been the standard for years, despite them going in and out of availability. Montbell’s are apparently stretchy, which sounds very nice. Anyone use these? Compare to Rocky’s?

[JCH]

I wear a size 13 (US mens) shoe.  The XL is a US mens 9.5-11.  Might work for someone who doesn’t have giant hooves. Also, from the product description: “are designed to provide a high level of protection against water”.  I guess that is prudent not to claim they are “waterproof”.

I’ve been using the Rocky socks for a few years, and they have kept my feet dry on multi-day rain events, but the lack of stretch and really quite poor fit mean you have to be careful about “arranging” them when you put on the shoe.  Don’t pay attention and you can get some nasty hot spots and blistering.  A more fitted sock would be appealing.

[DWR D]

I don’t see how Gortex can be waterproof if it stretches.

If you buy them, please let us know how they work.

[Adam Salinger]

Here is another to throw into the mix.  Any experience with these next to the others mentioned?

Endura Hummvee Waterproof II Sock

[Mike G]

There are also any number of cheap alternatives if you just search “waterproof socks” on Amazon. I picked up a $30 pair of Leakdry brand and they worked fine for a 10-miler in the rain with a few creeks to wade through. Fit was fine for my size 9 feet, frankly felt better on my feet than the Rocky socks. I’m sure they’ll break down quicker than the Montbell version but at 1/3 the price I expect I’ll stick with the cheap ones.

[JCH]

I tried the Showers Pass CrossPoint WP socks and the Sealskins.  Both stretchy and better fitting than the Rockys.  They seemed to work OK, but were never really battle tested.  Somehow I feel like they wouldn’t keep my feet dry for several days of hard hiking in the rain.  Surprised at how many options there are on Amazon…

[Paul McLaughlin]

I have a pair of “Randy Sun” waterproof socks found on Amazon. Pretty good for dayhikes, my feet stay dry on 4 hour hikes. But maybe not so good for multi-day, as they are stretchy fabric inside and out, with the membrane sandwiched in between, and the outer fabric holds a fair amount of water. I don’t think they would get anywhere near dry overnight in camp, unless you have a fire  – which seems unlikely in the rain. Fairly thick, and pretty warm; stretchy enough to fit well, I’ve had no blister issues. I have worn them by themselves and with light liner socks, worked well both ways.

[Stumphges]

Gore-tex socks without “sock” characteristics – no fuzzy stuff – are generally preferable because they can be worn under or over other socks. If those socks get wet one can just change into another pair. If the fuzzy sock is welded to the gore-tex or other WPB membrane, you’re stuck with a wet, soggy business. That’s not the end of the world, but it’s less than ideal on multi-day trips.

Although there are a bunch of different fuzzy waterproof sock brands, stand alone gore-tex socks (or liners) like these Montbells, and the flawed by popular Rocky ones, are rare. That’s the point of this thread.

I hadn’t heard of these Montbells, and since Montbell is a much better company, from a purpose-built UL hiking perspective, than Rocky, I kind of have high hopes for them.

But I’m wondering if anyone here has tried them or heard tell of them.

[SIMULACRA]

Keep in mind they are Asian Fit design, in the Short style. I’m normally a Large in fitted socks. The XL won’t fit me

[Ethan A.]

Love to hear your impressions of the Montbell socks. My wife and I have stretchy waterproof socks by Showers Pass. Try them and see what you think. They are thicker than the Rocky Socks, and they do stretch, but they seem to offer little warmth and they take up more room than I’d like in my trail runners and running shoes. One day we were wearing them hiking across a very wet muddy valley with many puddles and our feet felt soaking wet and cold – we realized after when we took them off that what we were feeling was the cold through the socks (or more accurately the loss of heat – if I remember correctly water robs body heat 25X faster than air). I wish the Showers Pass socks were thinner with the same stretch, so that I could wear them more easily with a merino sock underneath. The merino wool feels better and warmer against your skin. This past weekend my wife opted for hers on a rainy coastal hike – I just threw on my Vermont Darn Tough Light Hiker socks on and was happy. She seems to have more room for the thicker Showers Pass sock in her shoes, but wearing them with a merino sock underneath is a bit too tight a fit for her.

[BlackHatGuy]

I’ve got a pair of Gore Bike Wear Gore-Tex socks that are minimally stretchy, so Montbell isn’t the only place you can find some. Unfortunately I’ve never used them (story of my gear life) so I can’t comment on how well they work. But they don’t have the fuzzy outside that many other stretchable socks have (never understood that, the outside seems like it would just soak up and then hang on to water).

[Christopher S]

I was about to buy the long Montbells but recently Dexshell released a new high end pair of socks I really like. They have a superior seal at the top of the calf (thick rubber seal). They are medium thick though and pretty warm so it depends what you are looking for. The model is the “wading pro” and so far I think unfortunately they are only on Amazon

 

[Stumphges]

Simulacra, sounds like you’re the only one here that’s tried the Montbell Gore-tex socks. The small are, as you say, Montbell’s Asian Fit sizing. The long ones appear to be US fit. Have you tried those? Regarding the smalls, were they too small in length, volume, or both?

[JCH]

“The long ones appear to be US fit.”

I’ll bite…where have you found that information? The sizing chart and the Specs “Other” data indicate the same sizing as the short ones

[Stumphges]

JCH, the Short product listing states Asian Fit, the Long product listing does not.

[JCH]

I emailed Montbell customer service:

Re: the Long Gore-Tex socks on this page: https://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?p_id=1118611

I see that the short Gore-Tex socks are listed as Asian fit, and the sizing chart confirms this (XL = US Mens 9.5-11).
The Long socks at the URL above show the same sizing information but do NOT specify Asian fit.

Are the long socks Asian or US fit?

I received this response:

Greetings

Yes, ALL of those H2O resistant socks are Asian fit…we do not see sufficient demand currently to produce them in North American sizing.

Cheers!

Montbell Customer Service

[Stumphges]

Bummer. Thanks for checking, JCH. They gotta be wrong about the demand.

[Mike C]

Thanks,everyone. I didn’t realize there were so many options for “waterproof” socks.

Did anyone notice the following in the description of the LEAKDRY Socks on Amazon?  “While ensuring comfort, the feet are fixed in all directions to prevent socks from entering shoes.”  Well, that should reduce the chance of blisters…

[Sam Farrington]

Was inspired by this or a similar recent thread to buy a pair of the Rockies.  They were just some flimsy GTX fabric with zero stretch, poorly sewn as well.  Years ago, I cut a pair of light leather Danner boots down to mid height, and resewed them around the top foam ankle protectors.  Noted that  there were two GTX socks sewn into the lining with a thin foam between them.  Along with some GTX gaiters,  much more comfortable and effective rain protection than the silly Rockies.

Also ran across some stretchy fabric purported to be WPB.  A bit on the thick side, but with a fair amount of stretch.  Wanted to use the material for some side pockets on a pack; but it was an impulse buy and never used it.  It was not elastic enough for sox though.  So I would suggest leaving the WPB liners to the cobblers: that is unless some of the other products mentioned prove to be a lot better.

[Author]

Posts