Your Feet are going to fall in love!
My father always said take care of your feet!
Do you have those reminders in life that your dad set in you as a child and you pass along to your kids?
Well I was reminded of one this last month as I had a chance to try out a new pair of Ausangate Alpacor® High Calf Hiking Socks. My father would always tell me to “take care of my feet” when I was playing sports or out hiking on the deer trail with him in the Cascade Mountains. And Just like my father, my two sons have heard it from me all their lives, “take care of your feet”.
We see it all the time on the trail, hikers wearing the wrong shoes or wearing traditional cotton socks on a long hike (guilty), blisters, rubs etc.. your feet hurt and your pace crawls to a limp.
The other thing I got from my dad, is that I am a cheapskate, so until this last month the wool socks I have in my drawer are those thick nasty orange striped wool socks that I can pull up over my knee. Yeah you know the ones, extremely warm but not exactly luxury.
Well my ways are about to change. The Ausangate Alpacor® Hiking socks are my new favorite socks. As the headline suggest my feet are in love! It is the Alpacor® Yarn –
Alpacor® Yarn was created utilizing a unique patented process for the yarn and the yarn manufacturing process which blends the unique alpaca fiber with other natural and synthetic fibers. The supple and luxurious Alpacor® yarn is used to produce socks that are superior to other alpaca, wool, cotton and all synthetic socks.
When I tell you they feel like rabbit fur on my feet, it is no exaggeration. So soft and comfortable every use and every step. I find myself just wearing them around the house in the evening.
So here was my test for these socks – Two hikes and one rainy all day track meet in Northern Nevada. Figured that if I was going to give these socks a shot I needed to see if the $19 investment in a sock was worth it!
The first hike a 12 mile Loop at Yosemite’s Nevada Fall and the Mist Trail. A brisk morning hike that put my endurance to the test and provided a trail experience that made my boots and feet work overtime because of the uneven terrain and variance of moisture. First thing in the morning when I slipped my new socks on, I was instantly aware of a couple items: one the soft feel gripped my arch and really felt comfortable around my entire foot; Second the High Calf Structure seemed to fit really nice and as I later found out, never seemed to slide down my leg the entire trip. As I completed my hike and slipped off my boots I was surprised at how strong this sock seemed to look, I have finished many a trail in the wrong kind of socks only to help the sock find the garbage can on the way to the truck, holes or stretched out fabric just was not going to make it any longer. But these socks looked like I just put them on and were still comfortably pulled up onto my calf.
The second test a rainy day at the track, my sons both have been track athletes and my
youngest is a pretty accomplished triple jumper, so I always volunteer at our local meet to run the jumping pits for the team. When you work a track meet you always wish for a nice pleasant spring day, but the Big George meet this year was a rain fest. So on went the the Ausangate Alpacor® High Calf Hiking Socks the boots and my warm gear. It had rained all night so instantly of course walking to the pit I walked through a complete marsh of grass and water, soaking my boots and socks as I trudged through a couple inches of standing water. Not the way I had hoped to start my track day I had been there 10 minutes and my boot were soaked.
The Track meet lasted about 7 hours and the Ausangate Socks were amazing. My feet were wet and the temperature never reached 50 that day but my feet were warm and comfortable. Also I didn’t have that soaked skin look you get when your skin is in the water too long. No hint of athletes foot or anything. And Once again the sock stayed up around the calf all day. Performed much better that expected for a wet book.
Finally a Third Hike to test if the socks have started to break down. This time I hiked with a little purpose over granite trails in the Sierra Mountains. Once again the Ausangate Socks held their form, gave me great comfort, and my feet ended the hike blister and rub free.
I will be hiking again soon and I will be wearing my new Ausangate Socks. The Website at Ausangate describes their socks as the perfect sock for people with sensitive skin on the account that alpaca fiber by nature is lanolin free.But I would argue they are a great pair of socks for any outdoor adventure. Especially for us that have been reminded often how important it is to take care of our feet.
A Few Features of the Ausangate Socks list on the website:
- Double ankle compression bands keep socks from bunching up inside boots
- Mesh panels at the instep add breathability
- Cushioned terry lining from heel to toe for extra comfort
- Instep compression band adds stability
- Soft welted cuff
- Wash and wear alpaca fiber socks
- Alpacor® yarn construction
- 80% Alpacor®
- 18% Nylon
- 2% Spandex
When your boots and feet need perfect companions, these high-calf socks are the ones to buy. Alpacor® yarn makes these socks ideal for people with sensitive skin, because alpaca fiber is by nature lanolin free. The natural thermal transfer of alpaca fiber will keep your feet dry year round. These socks make excellent companions to your hiking, work or tactical boots.
Sierra REC is dedicated to providing helpful tips and suggestions for you to enjoy your recreations in The Sierra Mountains. The Reviews we post of products, events and locations for recreation are our opinions and at times those of our trusted partners. They are made for your enjoyment we hope they help you in enjoying your recreational experience. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Ausangate Alpacor® High Calf Hiking Socks for free from Ausangate Socks LLC, as coordinated by Deep Creek Public Relations in consideration for a review publication.