Posted: 11/23/2009 9:01:22 AM EDT
| Any of you salt dogs have any recommendations on socks for the field. Got one more long field op in 29 stumps and then to Afghanistan when its balls cold. Let me know if you got anything,.. they cant be too warm cause then my feet will start to sweat and then I will get blisters. IM an 0311 so them bitches have to be durable. Thanks for any help. |
|
Get good wool socks, avoid cotton as it's neither warm or wicking. I wore Bridgedales almost everyday over there for two years in either a pair of USMC jungle/desert boots or Danner Olympics in the worst of the winter. I spent most of my time in Kabul, plus some short trips to Kandahar, J-Bad, and other places so I got a full range of weather. I like the lighterweight Endurance Trail socks. They're not too thick that they mess with the fit of your boots, and not too thin that they don't offer any protection, kinda just right, for me at least. A little pricey, but worth it to take care of your feet.
http://www.zappos.com/bridgedale-endurance-trail-3-pair-pack-dark-olive-light-olive Smartwool also makes good socks as well. |
| Check out Wigwam Ice Socks. They are very thick and warm and pretty darned durable (although they will eventually get thin at the heel). Depending on conditions, I use them with Fox River X-Static Liner Socks and Rocky Gore-Tex Socks to reproduce the old Army Multi-Component Boot System. (There is an article on the Multi-Component Boot System in an old issue of Infantry, IIRC, but I no longer have access to it.) |
|
I have had good luck with Thorlo. They are spendy, but I usually get at least a year out of them. I have found a few pairs of Danner socks at the local farm store and they are cheaper, but didn't last quite as long.
I wear wool, or wool-blend socks all year long and in all climates when wearing boots. |
| FWIW, I just bought a few pair of SmartWool Mountaineer Socks and a pair of Patagonia Ultra Heavyweight Mountaineering Socks. Both are very nice, but neither are as thick or warm as the Wigwam Ice Socks, not to mention two or three times as expensive. Time will tell if they will last as long. It wouldn't surprise me if the Smartwools and Pataguccis do last longer. The wool under your foot is much denser (more like felt). The Ice Socks are more "loopy" (more like pile or terry) which makes them feel more cushy and makes your feet feel drier (the Ice Socks seem better at moving moisture away from your feet and circulating some air around them). There's my experience, FWIW. |
| Thorlo heavy weight. Just got done slogging around on a field problem in 35-40 degree weather with the cold weather boots. It rained all week and we were dragging skeds all over in the mud eating shit left and right. Heavy weight Thorlos kept me toasty warm. Thank god for wet weather gear. |
| Standing 12 hours in full armor with an assault pack and an M4 guarding crap, Fox Rivers let you still feel your feet. My feet normally don't get cold, but when it's -8 outside and you're wearing four layers, they help. Good for humping distances, I wore Fox River and Thorlos exclusively doing patrols and MOUT training in Germany. |
|
Quoted:
FWIW, I just bought a few pair of SmartWool Mountaineer Socks and a pair of Patagonia Ultra Heavyweight Mountaineering Socks. Both are very nice, but neither are as thick or warm as the Wigwam Ice Socks, not to mention two or three times as expensive. Time will tell if they will last as long. It wouldn't surprise me if the Smartwools and Pataguccis do last longer. The wool under your foot is much denser (more like felt). The Ice Socks are more "loopy" (more like pile or terry) which makes them feel more cushy and makes your feet feel drier (the Ice Socks seem better at moving moisture away from your feet and circulating some air around them). There's my experience, FWIW. Update - My new Patagucci mountaineering socks rock. I still like the Wigwam Ice socks better, but the Patagonia socks are definitiely second. |