water proof socks

well be just like sunnyfornia !!!

who needs rain jackets … well just use windshirts in warm weather and thin down poofays in da “winter” …

hell i might even be XUL and get below 5 lbs

not to mention the moolah i save on snow tires, chains, “winterizing” the car, snow shuus, snow boots, crampons, ice axes, big poofayz, etc …. i can spend on a new 5×8 cuben tarp

and my mesh trail runners will work fine through the worst canuckistani winters
some white bears might die off but its a worthy sacrifice

soh guud !!!

and just to keep it midly on topic … perhaps one should hold off on WPB socks since with global warming you wont need em

=P

Good points here about the best use cases for waterproof socks. And yes it’s a heck of a lot drier and warmer in much of CA than in the wet Northeast where I grew up.

A quick sizing note on the Rocky socks – my wife and I don’t have high volume or wide feet, and yet we found it a total PITA to put on the Rocky socks in the recommended size of one size up from your foot size even over a thin liner sock – if you get ’em you may want to order 2 sizes up.

Evan,

I take it you want warm feet. This is not always synonymous with dry feet.

I think you need VBL sox.

EX.

Vapor Barrier Liner (VBL) sox. I use 3 mm thick neoprene divers’ sox over thin polyester or polypropylene liner socks. US Divers brand is the best. They come in specific Left and Right and are factory seam sealed, saving you the expense and trouble.

These divers’ sox replace your insulating wool socks because they are very warm. The neoprene foam is “closed cell” so does not lose its insulation or absorb water. Of course at the end of the day you must remove these sox and the liner socks. Dry the divers’ sox and put the very sweaty liner sox in the dirty clothes.

If you have relatively new boots with Gore-Tex membrane then the VBL sox will keep your boots dry inside. This is why they are great for keeping winter boots’ insulation dry (and warm) all day.

If winter camping carry one pair of liner socks for each day. Turn divers’ sox inside-out to dry the knit fabric lining for 20 minutes inside your tent at night then place in the foot of your sleeping bag to be warm for morning.

Yeah 2 sizes up for the Rocky socks or you’ll hate putting them on. I’ve found they last okay and do stay pretty waterproof.

They can be really nice for sloppy day hikes in cold conditions (way better than GTX shoes). I prefer this over going to much heavier footwear if it’s not super cold. On multi-day trips they can work well but you want a bit thicker sock than usual to absorb the accumulating moisture. Ideally you’d probably want to swap socks 1/2 way through the day, but it works okay to keep the same socks on all day – you’ll just get a bit damp.

Since your shoes are pretty soaked in these conditions though, I’m sure breathability is very close to zero. So a plastic sock would work similar for a lot less money. Just wearing bread-bags is a less elegant but cheap solution.

The issue with plastic bags is that on technical terrain yr feet can slide around in shoes, especially shoes that are fit a bit looser which some folks like

theres an easy test … Wear a sock, get a plastic bag and then put on yr trail runner a bit loosely (in winter tight shoes mean constricted flow to the feet)

now walk up and down a 30-40 deg slope … Be aggressive jump up and down, run down …. Sidehill it with yr feet sideways ….

do yr feet shift/slide inside the shoe … If they do then you might actually waste quite a bit of energy fighting it with every step … Not to mention it puts more stress on the bag (risking a tear) …. On technical terrain it might even be risky, risking a fall (technical climbers dont usually wear VBL likely for this reason)

on the other hand unlike the rocky socks its roomy enough that you can wear a thick sock

the rocky socks are foot shaped and fairly snug … Also the inside and outside surfaces are decently rough so there should be no sliding around

as to sizing i go 1 size up without any issues …. And i have fairly wide feet

i really dont understand how folks have issues taking em on/off …. It literally takes me a minute or less even after a long day

maybe i need to make a video

;)

as to sizing i go 1 size up without any issues …. And i have fairly wide feet

i really dont understand how folks have issues taking em on/off …. It literally takes me a minute or less even after a long day

good for you and it shows that everyone’s feet are different. It’s not about understanding how folks can have issues taking them of/off; it’s all about excepting that this can be the case. Take me for example:

• first I tried to put them on with a thin my thin walking socks -> no success
• then with a silk stocking from my wife -> eventually successfull but it took me maybe 20 minutes for just 1 sock
• wore them the rest of the evening hoping they would adapt to the shape of my feet
• finally took them off when going to bed. If you think that putting them on took long, you should have seen this. At one time, I thought it wouldn’t go at all and that I had to go bed with them. But eventually I succeeded

The problem is not the width of your feet, but the heigth of your instep. Mine are high and posed the problem (even after sizing up already)

Bahh …

ill just make a vid this week and you guys tell me if you still have issues afterwards

if it took me 20 mins each time i wouldnt use rocky socks

=P

Bahh …

ill just make a vid this week and you guys tell me if you still have issues afterwards

For me, you don’t need to shoot that video. I can say already now that I will have issues, major issues. :)

if it took me 20 mins each time i wouldnt use rocky socks

that’s why I never used them (I don’t NEED them, but I hoped they could increase my comfort. But they surely didn’t)  :)

Eric you don’t need to make a video, however, if you do and can get Rocky socks sized only one size above your actual foot size on in under a minute or two, without butter or Crisco, I’ll be impressed : )

lol .. ill make a video this week when i go snoeshuuu

i actually tried to make a vid last week but it was around 25F on the hill and my poor old iphone shut down from the cold

;)

Guys,

It’s almost as though my post on neoprene divers sox is invisible.

My feelings are not hurt that nobody comments on it but I begin to wonder,  am I talking apples here and everyone else is talking oranges?

Are we talking “breathability” or warm feet and dry boot insulation?

Thanks for all the responses, good stuff, food for thought. I don’t backpack in the winter, I am looking for something for cold, rainy day hikes during fall and spring, and hiking and snowshoeing in winter. I don’t think I need a VBL for this, I find my feet stay warmer in trail runners and wool socks than in boots, and I’m not usually out for more than 3 or 4 hours. Got some GTX running shoes recently which are fine for hiking but gave me blisters recently while snowshoeing. Looks like Rocky’s socks might be the ones to try.

In relation to Sealskinz, I use them in winter here for cycling (i.e., commuting on wet days).  The fit is really odd – they’ve got a lot of volume around the foot – they’re like balloons – and yet are quite short for the nominated foot length.  Although they have stayed waterproof (unlike some Sealskinz gloves I had a few years back which quickly became porous) I don’t think that I would walk in them as I suspect that the membrane would be quite fragile.  I also have some Mont Bell Gore-Tex socks which appear to be quite like the Rockys, and which are quite good.  Again, I haven’t walked in them so can’t comment on the durability.  Mont Bell also have some knee-length Gore-Tex socks intended for motorbiking …