SteelSkinz socks, really worth £18?

dav1

So i have about £18 left for my clothing list and can't decide what to spend it on.

After getting numb feet yesterday i was thinking about some socks, thing is I find it very very hard to justify £18 on a pair of socks!

Been looking at these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=4702 but are they really worth the money?

supersonic

Many people swear by them! Just make sure water doesn't run in from the top.

dave_hill

Dav1 wrote:

Been looking at these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=4702 but are they really worth the money?

Yes, no question. I've got the Mid Lite version which are a bit thicker and they're one of the best purchases I've made for this game.

I find that even if you do get water in them, you get the "wet-suit" effect, in that your feet get cold initially but then warm up.

With mine, I wear thin cotton mix socks under them and shoes which are a half-size bigger than normal.

seataltea

I'd go for an off road shoe cover instead, only a few £ more, use them daily on my muddy ride. In this weather they keep my shoes dry and feet warm, with a just a pair of socks I used to find my shoes often needed a couple of days to dry and and then needed a clean.

They may you look like a plank but it's covers all the way for me.

http://www.parkerwear.co.uk/parker/8888 ... 804#review

forgotrafe

SealSkinz are fantastic - have 1 pair of ultra lights and 1 pair of mid lights. Everything dave_hill says except I wear nothing under them.

singlespeedexplosif

they are excellent socks. Worth the money? well they're about as good as Woolie Boolies IMO but they're nearly twice the price..

forgotrafe

I also have some WoolieBoolies which are also fantastic, but not waterproof. If it's cold but dry I wear the WoolieBoolies, if getting wet is likely then it's the SealSkinz.

Perhaps I spend too much on socks, but my feet got so cold last year I decided to do something about it.

Northwind

Worth the money... Well, there might be cheaper things that do the same thing, but they're still 100% worth the money, the first time you catch a wheel while crossing a stream and put your foot down they've paid for themselves IMO 8) The standard ones aren't warm, though, so in winter you might want to combine with their thermal liner or a warmer shoe etc.

But if you just want thermals, sealskins make little sense, you can get cheaper, warmer socks. they're all about the waterproofing, which for me is quite, quite awesome.

dav1

thanks a lot guys, i think I have made up my mind on these now. Its defiantly about keeping the water out, I tend to be ok until my shoes become water logged so by the sounds of it they are a decent choice.

nasz

well worth it! Been using these since last winter. Certainly keep my feet nice and dry! I used the calf length ones personally, that way they tuck in nicely into my winter tights.

When the weather is atrocious, I get home and take my nice dry feet out of my soaking wet shoes! Certainly makes me appreciate the socks I can tell you!

realnumber 1

dave_hill wrote:

Dav1 wrote:

Been looking at these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=4702 but are they really worth the money?

Yes, no question. I've got the Mid Lite version which are a bit thicker and they're one of the best purchases I've made for this game.

I find that even if you do get water in them, you get the "wet-suit" effect, in that your feet get cold initially but then warm up.

With mine, I wear thin cotton mix socks under them and shoes which are a half-size bigger than normal.

Couldn't agree more with the above.

Johnny Napalm

Merlin have them for £16.16!

LoUiS1985

they are good as long as you have decent, warm, waterproof shoes on otherwise they do have a tendancy to leak water if it getting in through your shoes!!

forgotrafe

LoUiS1985, no idea where you are coming from on that one. My shoes aren't waterproof, that's why I have the waterproof socks.

Even if the SealSkinz do get water in them (and I've only ever had that if I've been in so deep that water has gone in over the top) as has been said above, you get the wetsuit effect where the water soon warms up and though not dry, your feet aren't cold.

Surf-Matt

They are superb - but water will leak through the tops if it's REALLY wet - fine if you wear them under waterproof trousers though.

llamafarmer

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=17096

Could try a pair of those over your shoes. They're neoprene, so keep you warm and should keep the water out. The best thing is they keep your shoes clean!

Northwind

LoUiS1985 wrote:

they are good as long as you have decent, warm, waterproof shoes on otherwise they do have a tendancy to leak water if it getting in through your shoes!!

Err, what? The entire point of sealskinz is that they're waterproof, otherwise they're just expensive socks. If you have waterproof shoes, they make much less sense (though they do help if you overflow your shoe). I've never had mine let in so much as a drop, unless I've been in water past the top of the sock, where they can allow a bit of seepage. That's because they're waterproof, see? If yours are leaking, then probably they're worn out or damaged, or maybe washed at high temps?

softlad

sorry to be the voice of dissent, but I hate mine and have stopped wearing them quite soon after wasting about £20 on them. I found them uncomfortable to wear and not particularly waterproof either. Judging by all the favourable comments on here, I guess I was probably doing something wrong - but the overshoe/waterproof boot option makes more sense in my opinion...

Northwind

I do find them weird to wear, they just don't fit like proper socks, they feel a bit like they've been assembled wrongly to me. They feel pretty horrible with no shoes on. But I get round that by wearing shoes I can definately see how that could bug you though. I'm interested to see how long mine stay waterproof, I'm used to motorbike gear where "waterproof" actually means "showerproof", "Showerproof" means "can be used as a sieve, "Breathable" means waterproof, but only the wrong way, and even goretex just means "waterproof til you crash" :roll:

Whitedog

I just brought a pair of seal skins mid light myself as my toe's were numb as yesterday. they seem quite thick, what shoe's would work best with them? i ride on flatty's and at the moment use a batterd pair of van's 'widows', but i think that the fit may be too tight with the seal skins.

It's good to hear good review's on them though and shall be trying them out very soon. 8)

punctureboy

i bought some sealskinz socks, and within a few weeks i bought some neoprene outers, because i had dry but very cold feet with the sealskinz whatever i wore under them. my feet are now cozy on rides. i still wear the sealskinz as well because water get in through the cleat holes if you put your foot down in water.

cee

when i got my first pair of SealSkinz, I put them on, ran the bath and stood up to just below the blue line in water. I can assure you that out of the packet they are 100% waterproof.

I now have two pairs and the only thing I would say about them is that the waterproof membrane seems to detach from the lining, at which point the rubbing on the membrane reduces their waterproofisity :?: this happens the more they are washed, but i suspect that treating them gently like other delicates in your washing pile (softshell waterproof jackets etc), and not drying them on the radiator etc would help this.

If water runs down my legs, then they obviously fill from the top, but as dave_hill says, the wet-suit effect keeps the feet warm.

An alternative are the goretex socks.....not as thick, but just as waterproof, but like other gore products get damaged easily.

lost-time

Just to add what has been said already. I find that if very wet then i too notice water getting in via the top of the sock and the sock can hold quite a bit of water including your feet, great when you forget and take off your socks indoors and 1/2 a cup worth of water spashes out. It is true that although wet, my feet have remained warm. Maybe a longer sock would help eliminate the water ingress from the top but I'm not sure how they'd feel as I wear bib tights and the water soaks in from them. Perhaps SealSkinz could make a rubbery collar at the top of the sock......?

mcbazza

When wearing Sealskinz:
If putting them on in the carpark, don't put your foot (with sock) down on the ground. The rocks/stones can puncture the waterproof membrane.

simonkirton

I have not been impressed with mine , initially worked OK, but now let water in.
I wish I had put the money I have spent on these socks and a pair of over shoes toward a good pair of winter boots.
I think a decent pair of boots would prove a better investement over the long term.

mcbazza

I rarely use/wear my SealSkinz. Therefore, 2 years on, and they are still 100% waterproof.

I tend to save them for my 2nd day's riding - if my shoes are still wet from day 1, then SealSkinz are brilliant for day 2 - who wants to put on damp shoes first thing in the morning on day 2?!?

Northwind

punctureboy wrote:

i bought some sealskinz socks, and within a few weeks i bought some neoprene outers, because i had dry but very cold feet with the sealskinz whatever i wore under them. my feet are now cozy on rides. i still wear the sealskinz as well because water get in through the cleat holes if you put your foot down in water.

Did you get the regular sealskinz or the thermal ones? I just bought a pair of the thermal liners for my standard ones, they're not at all warm without them. Then, they're not supposed to be I supposed, that's why there's thermal ones.

Whitedog

I've used my sealskins (mid-light) a few times now and am finding them quite good although i reckon i might need to get a pair of the thermal linings if it start's to get any colder! 8)

Northwind

Follow up- the thermal liners are awesome, basically like switching the cold off. Love them.

lvquestpaddler

I've been using them for years and with a pair of old merrell walking shoes are brilliant on standard pedals(I've given up on SPD's and shoes you can't walk anywhere in if the bike's shagged).
Like Northwind says if you've a stream or two to cross on a day ride it can make the difference between having a crap day or not(plenty of streams, boggy bits, churned up gunk in the lower cairngorms around Kingussie/Aviemore where I ride most weekends). I don't have pongy feet so never wash the socks and they last well. I did a days hillwalking in them(sock/merrells) in the pouring rain in Applecross and my feet did get damp but never uncomfortable.