As soon as I heard of SealSkinz WaterBlocker socks I had to try them. The very idea of waterproof socks was mind-bogglingly ingenious to me – an ultralight hiker. As an ultralight hiker, I keep my base packweight (the weight of my pack minus food, water, and fuel) to less than 12 pounds (usually around 8 pounds actually). I am always trying to shave extra ounces off my total gear weight. I figured, if these Waterproof socks really worked, I would be able to wear light weight running shoes on the trail, instead of my heavy water-resistant hiking boots during the rainy season. So I gave it a try.
After learning about the different models, I chose the SealSkinz WaterBlocker Socks because they promised to keep my feet dry even if I stepped into water so deep that the waterline rose above the entire sock itself. The website said that this magic was achieved by creating a seal around your leg. I was sold, hook-line-and-sinker.
The socks arrived and I was incredibly suspicious (after all, I spent around $40 on them). I put them on over a pair of cotton socks, slipped on my running shoes and immediately started stomping in puddles. My shoes got drenched and I started to feel a wet feeling on the bottom of my feet. At first I thought I had been had. I took off the SealSkinz WaterBlocker Socks and felt my cotton socks underneath. They were bone dry! It turns out that wet feeling was just the soggy-wet bottom of my running shoes squishing beneath my dry feet.
I continued to test the socks around downtown Astoria, Oregon (where it rains 366 days a year – it seems). I stomped and dragged my feet in puddles all week long. Every day, when I took off my SealSkinz, my shoes were drenched, yet he only dampness on my feet came from sweat. SealSkinz WaterBlocker Socks are supposedly breathable, but my experience seems to show otherwise.
Satisfied with the preliminary tests, I took the SealSkinz WaterBlocker Socks with me on my next hike: ten miles to the base of Saddle Mountain, then up to the summit, then back down, then ten miles back out. It was the middle of winter and snow was everywhere. Cold water flowed in the streams and melting snow seeped into my shoes by the quart. The socks held up pretty well the first day. On the next day – by the time I had reached the summit – my feet were drenched with sweat. The lack of breathability was showing its ugly head. When I finally pealed off the socks I started to become annoyed. All other negative sides of this product were becoming very apparent.
First of all, I chose the SealSkinz WaterBlocker model. I should have chosen one of the other kinds, without the WaterBlocker “technology” that supposedly stops water from entering in through the top of the sock. The sock is made of three layers. The middle layer looks and feels like a black plastic trashbag that has been impregnated with silicone for a little more durability. The WaterBlocker “technology” consists of extending this trashbag-like layer beyond the inner layer, so it presses against the skin around your calf, and is gently held there by the elastic outer layer. Well, this trashbag-like layer – though stronger than a real trashbag – is still very weak. One must truly baby the sock when taking it off. When I tried to take the sock off like I would any normal sock (wrongfully assuming the sock would at least be durable seeing as how it cost me $40) this trashbag-like WaterBlocker “technology” ripped clean away from the outer layer!
This rip proved more critical than I had thought. Instead of simply de-waterproofing the area where the rip occurred, it somehow created a weakness in the seal around the ankle. So, even after sewing the trashbag-silicone layer back to the outer layer, my feet would indeed slowly get wet when I returned to my previous puddle stomping test.
Sad, but not finished with my testing, I put on the other sock (the one that still worked – the one that hadn’t ripped). I really wanted to test the WaterBlocker calf-seal, so I did so in the most controlled of environments: The bathtub! Yes, I filled up the bath tub with cool water, put on my socks, and stepped in. The waterline rose up above the rim of the socks. In just seconds (of remaining perfectly still mind you), I could feel the cool h2O water-falling down my calf and pooling inside the sock. It took a whole day to dry.
So, in conclusion, the SealSkinz Socks do in fact rock – if you are very gentle on them and don’t mind a build up of sweat. However, if you are going to get these socks, I recommend not getting the SealSkinz WaterBlocker Socks, but rather, any other SealSkinz Socks without WaterBlocker technology. This way, they will be less likely to rip, you’ll spend less money, and you wont be disappointed when the product doesn’t keep water from pooling into the sock when submerged up to your waist. I also recommend only using the socks when you need to. Don’t wear them all day long if your not going to be putting the waterproof property to good use. This ought to help them last longer than mine did (mine lasted about 2 months).
SealSkinz WaterBlocker Socks are awesome! But they are not very durable.
