RE: GEAR - Riding Socks - 3

Zitat von paleolithictech im Beitrag #7
When I have to keep my feet warm for various activities wool socks are the main feature. don't use any cotton socks under or over the wool ones. The brand I like are expedition socks called Icebreakers. Their New Zealand merino wool manufactured in the US. These socks come in various weights and design, and are noticeably comfortable in the same way awesome hiking boots are. Personally I wear compression socks under them as always. And then I tend to go back to cotton in the summer ..... I'm sure wool would help with the other garments too ....They can be spendy though, I bought a number of pairs when a local store decided to close them out, at really cheap prices .... normally their about 35 US for a pair, twenty years ago. But anything similar I'm sure would be fine though ...
These and other brands of wool socks got me thru a number of winters in insane conditions working outside ....


By Icebreakers, do you mean Icebreaker? I use Icebreaker merino wool socks when I am on a bike tour. I also use EDZ merino kecks, and base layer tops usually come from Go Outdoors. I do a lot of hiking, so they all get used for that as well.

I thought Icebreaker made all their stuff in China. That's where my Icebreaker Ts are made. Pricey stuff though.


Well I was just referring in plural to the brand .. These were the just best socks that I had found, I've worn many others too, such as redwing and so on. I also have a number of very thin wool socks for bicycles and hiking as well that are mainly Ice Breakers. I still have all the socks that I wore when I bought them, working at the Climax mine (11,350+) up by Leadville around 2010. They were made in the US from New Zealand wool at this time. Those socks survived two seasons in the mountains which are very long, and occasional use since then. I still have all of the ones I opened, have not worn out any yet. and a whole drawer full of new ones for very cheap. The main thing is getting some that fit in your boots. There were three main types; light, medium, and heavy. The heavy ones won't fit in my boots unless I buy boots to fit with these or just wear Sorels which don't have enough support by my standards for 10 and even 12 hour work shifts. I used the medium, and light on some warmer days, mainly and worked outside in known temps down to -34 with Redwing insulated gortex boots (expensive). Or the same thing in the insulated lineman/logger boots (expensive).
The next year I did a bunch of work on the Williams Fork Dam up between Kremling and Grandby. It was very slow for work in Denver at the time so a number of us (electricians/lineman) worked the mountain jobs. It was brutal. mosquitos in the spring and summer really bad ....
But that wasn't my first experience with wool socks. I'm not sure where I learned that but it might have been when I lumberjacked for a short time around 78ish .... Then the oil fields and mines in Wyoming and yes many jobs.
The other thing I forgot to mention are GATORS ...... they improve your overall warmth noticeably and are usually gortex. When I saw folks with them at the climax mine I laughed about it but ate crow and now I have two pairs, one pair fits over carharts and big work boots which are hard to find. The other pair is the normal kind for hikers mainly. These really help in antartic type conditions, and in wet conditions keeping your boots from getting totally soaked.
When I did a search on wool socks there is a nice little company in New England that makes high end wool socks right now in real time ...

Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #32

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Zitat von paleolithictech im Beitrag #31

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GATORS

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I hope you mean gaiters and not that you strap an 11 foot reptile to your leg

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come on wessie, you can do better than that bomb ..... lol

Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #4

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Zitat von Beerman im Beitrag #3

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Thank you for posting this. I am headed for Spain and Portugal in a few weeks, and had just started thinking about riding socks for hot weather. I was going to post the question today, but thought no, you don't post about socks. I'm glad you did.

Beerman

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I am on the way to Spain on 21 May, ferry from Plymouth

I'll be in Cordoba at the end of May when it could be 30C or more. I'll be wearing wicking layers under my riding gear. I use the Isocool T shirts from Mountian warehouse (rinse out and dry overnight) and merino wool leggings. Wool sounds counter-intuitive for hot weather but they work!

Just need to decide on the outer layers - do I use the Rukka mesh jacket and BMW Rallye mesh trousers, and take waterproof 2 piece over suit just in case. Or do I stick with the Rukka all season gear? I will also be in N.Spain and French Pyrenees so might see quite a temperature range.

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