Velofolies routiniers know the sight, it has not been changed over the last few years: a young ladie in cyclingbib and Lance Armstrong high socks in … a tub of water. The message is clear, Sealskinz claims that the young lady’s feet will be dry and warm, even though she is not allowed to leave her square meter the whole day. We trust nobody, asked a pair of socks and went to the Ardennes to kayak, MTB, trail run, MTB some more and Run&Bike. The Grand Raid story is available here, and the Sealskinz story is what follows.
Hydrostop
In se a Sealskinz sock is a Sealskinz sock, composed of the known three layer ensemble. The inner layer is composed of Merino wool, outdoor enthusiast know the fiber from marks such as Icebreaker, for the less familiar I elaborate. The Merino sheep is the origin of the fiber, a type of wool with a density up to ten times higher than standard wool, providing not only optimal isolation, but also a soft structure. No rubbing feeling against your ankles or feet!
The middel layer of the socks makes the Sealskinz waterproof: a breathing foil. This means water can go from the inside out, but not the other way around. Time for a test! One sock will be filled with water, the other will be filled with water inside out. Drip dry. Indeed, the normal sock steadily drips out, the other sock is a bathtub for a guinea pig.
The outer layer is another type of fiber, harsher in structure to ensure a lasting product. This layer does not add much in the isolation department and consist mainly out of Nylon.
But what makes the Sealskinz Hydrostop different from other Sealskinz socks? The secret is in your legs. Sealskinz socks will keep your feet dry when standing in a puddle, but offer no protection from water dripping in from your legs. The isolating effect from the Merino wool will keep your feet warm, but they will get wet. Hydrostop goes one step forward. The upper band of the sock is equipped with a rubber strip, meant to keep the leg drip out.
Grand Raid
Great in theory, test in kayak. Our paddles lacked protection and had the drip. The drip ended up on the legs, rolled down towards the sock and… were evacuated on the outside. Nice. Ten out of ten. End of story. Or not?
During the first MTB leg all seemed fine, but this cannot be said from the trail. Even though the socks feel stiff our feet did not suffer from the material. Who would have thought that harsh triathlete feet would ever be an advantage. Due to the sheer size of the sock our shoes did feel a tad narrow, not really an issue for a 8km run, but for longer distances I’d opt to loosen the laces. A majestic take-over on my behalf lead me knee deep in the river and it is at about that time I became conscient about the nuance in Hydrostop. Indeed, the rubber strip is sufficient to stop drips and splatters, but a complete submerge of the leg will give you wet feet.
It gave us the opportunity to test the socks in wet conditions and no cold feet were noticed. Which is also ensuring. During the last Run&Bike, in wet socks, we expected blisters and friction, which was not the case.
Our conclusion
Our conclusion? It was both freezing and wet before the start of the Grand Raid, and given the performance of the sock we’d advice it as a winter companion. Combined with the Sealskinz gloves your extremities could not wish for a better protection. Shoe covers? Can, but is no must. Sealskinz Hydrostop offer an alternative for 47 euros.