WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
THE OVERLOOKED MISSING LINK IN HIGH & COLD ALPINE EQUIPMENT HAS NEVER REALLY BEEN DOWN SUITS OR BIG BOOTS, IT’S BEEN SOCKS, WITH GENERATIONS STUMBLING ON UNDER THE BELIEF THAT WOOL IS THE WAY TO GO. YES, WOOL IS BETTER THAN COTTON, BUT BY SLOW DRYING AND HOLDING A THIRD OF IT’S WEIGHT IN MOISTURE IS A POOR MATERIAL TO HAVE INSIDE A DOUBLE BOOT NO MATTER WHAT IT’S OTHER PROPERTIES ARE.
ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO PRIMALOFT/WOOL BLEND SOCKS CAME ALONG AND WERE A REVOLUTION. DRIER TO WEAR, EASIER TO DRY, WARMER INSIDE A BIG BOOT, HOLDING THEIR SHAPE BETTER BY COMPRESSING LESS – WE THOUGHT THIS WAS THE BIGGEST THING IN HIGH ALTITUDE FOOTWEAR SINCE THE PRIMALOFT INNER BOOT. BUT IT WAS STILL ONLY HALF WAY, AS UNTIL THAT WOOL WENT THE REAL PROPERTIES OF THE PRIMALOFT WEREN’T BEING REALIZED.
NOW TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS PRIMALOFT YARN, NOT PRIMALOFT IN ITS INSULATION FORM. SAME FIBRE, BUT WOVEN LIKE ANY OTHER INTO A SOCK THAT LOOKS LIKE A REGULAR SOCK NOT THE PUFFY VERSION THAT REQUIRES FACING FABRICS TO USE. THE PRIMALOFT YARN HAS THE TRUE HYDROPHOBIC PROPERTIES THAT MEAN WHEN EXPOSED TO MOISTURE THEY RETAIN VERY LITTLE THUS GIVING UP LITTLE OF THEIR INSULATING PROPERTIES – SINGLE DIGIT PERCENTAGES AROUND 4-5%.
WHAT REALLY KICKS THIS OVER THE LINE IS THE PRODUCTION BY ODLO, THE NORWEGIAN COMPANY THAT SPECIALIZES IN NEXT-TO-SKIN CLOTHING. WE LIKE COMPANIES THAT TAKE AN ASPECT OF SOMETHING AND RUN WITH IT, AND ODLO’S BASELAYERS HAVE FOR YEARS NOW BEEN OUT ON THEIR OWN AS FAR AS DESIGN & MATERIALS GO WITH A CULT FOLLOWING THAT’S YET TO REALLY EXPLODE.
ANYWAY, THE SOCKS…
MADE FOR SKIING, THEY ARE A SEAMLESS DESIGN WITH MAPPED ZONES THAT COMFORM TO THE STRESSES OF SKI BOOTS WHICH IS THE CLOSEST THING GOING TO AN 8000m DOUBLE BOOT. THESE SOCKS ARE FAIRLY LOW VOLUME – ALPINISTS HAVE A DOUBLE BOOT TO STAY WARM, NOT NEEDING TO RELY ON THEIR SOCK THAT IS ONLY THEIR TO KEEP YOUR FEET DRY. THERE’S ALL SORTS OF REINFORCED AREAS AND RIBBED AREAS TO KEEP THE SOCKS INTEGRITY OVER NON-STOP USE, AND BEST OF ALL, LIKE ANYTHING PRIMALOFT THEY DRY STARTLINGLY FAST INSIDE YOUR SLEEPING BAG PR POCKET WITHOUT BRINGING MUCH MOISTURE IN WITH THEM.
DURABILITY-WISE, WE HAVE ODLO SOCKS THAT HAVE LITERALLY OVER 1000km ON THEM, SEEING PAST SEVERAL SETS OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND BY NOT BEING WOOL SUFFER NO EFFECTS OF COMPRESSION, MATTING, PILLING OR DISTORTION. UNLIKE WOOL THESE SOCKS HAVE MINIMAL LOSS OF FUNCTION OVER TIME MEANING YOU CAN RELIABLY BUILD YOUR FOOTSYSTEM AROUND THEM.
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ONLY USED WOOL SOCKS AND HAVE BUILT IDEAS AROUND THEM, THE SWITCH TO PRIMALOFT SOCKS WILL BE PROFOUND.
