IT’S far from the most talked about subject in the outdoors, but just because you can’t see your socks most of the time, doesn’t mean they’re not important.
Plus, once you get a conversation started about socks, you’ll soon discover it is greeted with a ravenous enthusiasm, as we discovered while putting the bold-as-brass claims of the 1000 Mile Sportswear company to the only test that seemed appropriate for their Fusion Walk Socks… walk a thousand miles in them.
The Leicester-based outfit stamps one hell of a guarantee on its packaging – “Money back or replacement if, within one year from date of purchase, either you experience blisters or the socks wear out within 1,000 miles”.
Now, to walk 1,000 miles in a year – and in the same pair of socks – probably isn’t something even particularly active folk manage, but, luckily, Ever Wild Outdoors has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to people who would gladly walk 10 miles each morning just to get to their desk to write about socks. Not to mention 25-mile tabs every weekend.
Impressive wear and tear claims aside, it’s the ‘no blister’ declaration that caught our eye most of all. Multi-day hikes are a constant here, so to offer a guarantee of no blisters in a thousand miles of walking in these socks feels like something of a fantasy.
As suspected with a double layer construction, there was no issue with blisters in the first couple of hundred miles. In fact, the only thing of note in those early stages was the sock material stiffened after washing and drying, which made them a little harder to pull on. But, as is often the case, this loosened back after half a dozen or so washes.
Now, the washing and drying process can often contribute to wear and tear just as much as a tough hike, but the make up of the outer materials – 36% REPREVE recycled nylon, 21% cotton, 18% polyamide, 12% acrylic, 11% wool and 2% elastane – combined with the 99% REPREVE and 1% elastane inner, provide a remarkable robustness.
In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to tell much of a difference in colour, feel and performance throughout much of the socks’ lifespan.
And, hats off, we gave these – plus their single-layer cousin Ladies Trail Sock – a lifetime of punishment.
The Fusions hiked through the Cairngorms, Sweden’s Tyresta National Park, Iceland’s Vatnajokull glacier, Wales Coast Path, Pennine Way the Monarch’s Way, Shakespeare’s Way and many, many more very long routes to make up the 1,000 miles as swiftly as we could.
So, were the Fusion Walk Socks affected by wear and tear or – more importantly – were there blisters?
In terms of wear, hardly a mark. Just a slight thread pull where a broken finger nail snagged while being overenthusiastic in trying to get them on in a cold tent. But, other than that – and some slight colour fade – they still look capable of another 1,000 miles.
As for blisters, well, none. Just the occasional sore point you would expect from doing hikes that notch up 30-miles a day. But, that’s more likely down to factors other than the socks – boot fit or lacing movement, for instance.
All-in-all, a big thumbs up from us for the 1000 Mile Fusion Walk Sock.
We’re building outdoors communities.
Come join us on Reddit here… r/outdoorsnews.
Find us on Facebook… www.facebook.com/everwildoutdoors
You can follow Ever Wild Outdoors on Twitter… @EWO_tweets
And if Instagram is your thing, we’re there too… www.instagram.com/ever_wild_outdoors/
Check out our YouTube channel… Everwild Outdoors – YouTube
