Sealskinz waterproof socks review
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Cost
★★★☆☆
Performance
★★★★☆
Overall
★★★★☆
Overall ★★★★☆
When I rowed across the Atlantic in 2017, I wore these with the Vivobarefoot Ultra III aqua shoes listed above and had nice, dry feet even when it’s cold (and it does get cold at night when you first start in Europe). Nowadays, I still use the same pair for mountain biking, riding my motorbike (to keep my feet dry), but not for hiking as they cause my feet to sweat excessively when walking in them (they’re really good at retaining warmth but not very breathable given they’re designed to keep your feet dry).
Other team members wore trainers that ended up stinky and pretty horrible after a few weeks. Once their trainers got wet, it was impossible to get them dry again on a busy ocean rowing boat (we had crew changeovers every 2 hours) and so they stayed that way, meaning that infection could get into the body through blisters that developed from rubbing (I think caused by the sea salt that gets absolutely everywhere).
When combined with inadequate nutrition, a polyphasic sleeping pattern and poor daily hygiene, it’s a recipe for disaster. I suggest avoiding wearing trainers if you can!
The socks are lined with fleece and keep your feet warm, and made with a three-layer construction: an inner layer that wicks away moisture from the skin, a middle layer that is waterproof and breathable, and an outer layer that provides durability and abrasion resistance.
They only come in black and a range of sizes and keep your feet dry, however usefully made with a 4-way stretch, meaning you can get them on and off without fighting with them.
It's important to note that these kinds of waterproof socks are not designed to be worn in deep water or for swimming, they are designed to protect the feet from outside water like rain or wet snow while keeping the feet warm and dry.
Also it's important to take into account the care of these socks over prolonged periods, since they may require special attention to maintain the waterproofness (i.e., hand washing only with the right cleaning agent, to stop them from degrading).
