Seal Skinz socks - exactly how are they waterproof!?!?!

robertpb

fletch8928 wrote:

I have been all over the moors around here now the snow has gone. wearing just sealskinz socks and a pair of lake boots.

Must have frozen your privates off.

ed_arnold

cee wrote:

you mean you didn't do the 'bath test' as soon s you opened the pack of socks?

or was that just me :oops:

I did that! I couldn't wait t'il I got home - I was at someone elses house stomping up and down the bath. They came upstairs and were like "what the hell are you doing in our bath wearing socks!?"
They didn't share my enthusiasm.
I've slightly ruined mine in the dryer by mistake - it melted the glue that holds the 3 layers together so the rustle and bunch up a bit. Still work though.

fletch8928

robertpb wrote:

fletch8928 wrote:

I have been all over the moors around here now the snow has gone. wearing just sealskinz socks and a pair of lake boots.

Must have frozen your privates off.

Nope, they had vanished up way before they may have gotten cold.

ashleymp777

its offical - my Seal Skinz are completely NOT waterproof! Cycled home in the rain last night, had the top of the socks tightly sealed against my leg and the socks still managed to fill up with water!

An email will be winging its way to them to day I feel!

cee

I have to say that I now prefer the goretex sock...

it is very thin....so no illusions of it being warm....wear your normal seasonal socks underneath,,,,

same price as sealskinz too.

bails87

ashleymp777
Fill the socks with water from a tap.

Then you'll know if they're waterproof.

Surf-Matt

This morning - 1 degree and soaking wet.

Feet warm and completely dry (merino lined ones).

They are BRILLIANT!!

bails87

Surf-Matt wrote:

This morning - 1 degree and soaking wet.

Feet warm and completely dry (merino lined ones).

They are BRILLIANT!!

+1 (but not this morning)

I wasn't joking with my post just above......

sniper68

Mine are 2 years old.I can fill them up with water from a tap and They're 100% waterproof.I can stand in water and they're 100% waterproof.After 4 hours in the Peak District with Gore-tex boots and winter tights my feet are always warm but the socks are full of water!Eventually some water gets through the big hole in the top :roll:

wardy235

hey have a look at these there from the sealskinz website:
This ones about how to care for them http://www.sealskinz.com/care.htm
How they work http://www.sealskinz.com/waterproof_and_breathable.htm
And the tech details http://www.sealskinz.com/inner_layer.htm and http://www.sealskinz.com/outer_layer.htm hope it helps

kenan

I'v got a bucket which when left out in the rain fills up with water. I'm going to take it back to the shop as water seems to be getting in from the top

Bookish

Came across this thread after buying my sealskinz and doing a search,
Just bought a pair of merino lined calf length socks from sealskinz, when I run the toe under the tap with my hand inside my hand gets soaked, why is there so many mixed reviews for sealskinz socks? Tempted to take mine back?

cee

Bookish wrote:

Came across this thread after buying my sealskinz and doing a search,
Just bought a pair of merino lined calf length socks from sealskinz, when I run the toe under the tap with my hand inside my hand gets soaked, why is there so many mixed reviews for sealskinz socks? Tempted to take mine back?

brand new and already leaking from the toe....take them back...they are faulty.

honestly, they should be so much better than that..

Bookish

Thanks, I thought perhaps I was missing something? I was looking for small print saying splash proof not water proof but couldn't find any disclaimers. Wondering wether I'll have the same problem if I exchange them for another pair or if I should just get a refund and try something else?

surreyxc

I have had a pair of seal sinz for over a year, I think they are great, they have been unloved and little washed and only now after a winter of commuting everyday are they starting to show poor performance. Firstly I always wear a pair of socks under them, I think wearing them by themselves would not feel pleasant, and you have bare skin next to a damp surface, would you wear a gore-tex coat with no top underneath. Companys marketing can be misleading in claiming 'dry', in my experience no garment I have worn has kept me dry, rather stopped be being wet, underneath I would describe it as warm and damp, but that is better than wet and cold. And in that respect these work great. I'll let you into a secret cycling and any outdoor sport is not the same as playing the WII, you get wet, cold, dented, bashed, too hot, bitten and burnt, but who cares just keep pedalling.

cee

Bookish wrote:

Thanks, I thought perhaps I was missing something? I was looking for small print saying splash proof not water proof but couldn't find any disclaimers. Wondering wether I'll have the same problem if I exchange them for another pair or if I should just get a refund and try something else?

as i say, I prefer the goretex ones these days...but have two pairs of sealskinz that i still wear regularly....

Alex

I got out of my depth in a puddle last summer and water came in over the tops. Apart from going squelch, my feet stayed warm. Which is the essential part.

Daz555

I have never tried the sealskins thing. I tend to wear cheap as chips 'trainer' socks in combination with my riding shoes which are waterproof anyway.

Are people really that bothered about wet feet? Is is about temperature or just about feeling dry?

BigJimmyB

alfablue wrote:

Sealskinz (I have socks and gloves) ARE fully waterproof, unless they are faulty - I killed a pair by putting them on a radiator

Now I know why mine are fooked.

New (calf-length) pair on order....

blister pus

BigJimmyB wrote:

alfablue wrote:

Sealskinz (I have socks and gloves) ARE fully waterproof, unless they are faulty - I killed a pair by putting them on a radiator

Now I know why mine are fooked.

New (calf-length) pair on order....

Well that's just depressed the living crap out of me if that's the case.

I don't have time to let those things dry naturally FFS. Be there a week.

I shall shower test them later.

rolf_f

Wore mine today - first proper test. It felt like they weren't quite working on the way in to work but my feet were actually dry. What they weren't was particularly warm as the wet outer part of the sock was wet with cold water that wasn't much warmed by my feet. I think Surryxc's advice about wearing ordinary socks inside might be a good idea.

Incidentally, should be OK to let them dry naturally - you'll presumably be putting them back into slightly wet shoes and, as long as the inside is dry, it doesn't matter if the outside is still damp!

belugabob

As far as drying them is concerned, just remember that they are waterproof - once the outside is dry, you'll have to turn them inside out to dry the inside (Otherwise the water just stays where it is)

I've only used my once, so far, but looking good - will let you know how they get on in the rain that is predicted for my Sunday ride.

P.S. I have the thermal version which has a merino wool inner, then the waterproof layer, then a thermal wool layer outside.

RichMTB

I've never done the bath test but I've turned mine inside out and filled them with water.

They are definitely waterproof. They aren't the most breathable though. I tend to only use them when I know its going to be really wet, otherwise i go with merino or smart wool socks that will kepp my feet warm unless they get properly soaked.

blister pus

I've just done a tap test on mine and they are waterproof.

Mainly because they have what feels like a durex sandwiched between inner and outer layers.

cee

Daz555 wrote:

I have never tried the sealskins thing. I tend to wear cheap as chips 'trainer' socks in combination with my riding shoes which are waterproof anyway.

Are people really that bothered about wet feet? Is is about temperature or just about feeling dry?

I am not that bothered about wet, as long as there is warm...

however...we do big days out in the highlands where wet feet near the start of a ride (talking 9 hours in the saddle riding actual mountains..not 2 hours at a trail centre or in the local wee hills)

in these situations....wet feet near the start of a big ride = very cold feet 5 hours later.

like alex said above...you do get some of the wetsuit effect from sealszinz even when water does get in at the top....

TowerRider

Silly question?
For those saying they are not warm, did you want them to be warm and if so have you bought the right version? I have a feeling a lot just have the sock with no liner.

rolf_f

TowerRider wrote:

Silly question?
For those saying they are not warm, did you want them to be warm and if so have you bought the right version? I have a feeling a lot just have the sock with no liner.

Merino wool lined. My feet were pretty cold by the time I got home. Shoes were still heavy with water from the morning (radiator switched off) and there was lots of water on the road.

sniper68

cee wrote:

I am not that bothered about wet, as long as there is warm...

however...we do big days out in the highlands where wet feet near the start of a ride (talking 9 hours in the saddle riding actual mountains..not 2 hours at a trail centre or in the local wee hills)

in these situations....wet feet near the start of a big ride = very cold feet 5

Merino wool lined,long rides in the Lakes,wet feet but warm feet.Also wore them on the WHW and GGW 8)

Bookish

Think I'll try an exchange rather than a refund and give them a second chance, the tap test didn't work for me on the pair I have at the moment. Failing that I'll try gor tex.

It's not that I'm too worried about the wet or the cold individually, it's the cold & wet at the same time I'm bothered about. As previously mentioned if your feet get cold & wet at the beginning of a ride then your stuffed for the hours following.
I'll see how I get on at Evans today and give an update after my 4hr ride on Sunday, fingers crossed.

Bookish

Just got back from evans in milton keynes, they were very helpful. we tested my existing socks and a new pair in a bowl of water, turns out my existing ones had a faulty seam. They had the smallest of holes in the waterproof layer which trickled water into the sock. The new ones were bone dry so hopefully i'll be ok on my ride tomorrow....