Black and grey are classic – but sometimes you just want a little color in your life. That was the case with DeFeet – their Woolie Boolie and Wooleator socks are legendary, but they wanted to add some color to freshen things up. After working with their wool supplier, the answer seemed to be the addition of Repreve fibers to create a 50/50 wool/Poly blend.
DeFeet first introduced their use of Repreve fibers at Interbike in 2016 for their standard sock line. The fibers are made from recycled plastic bottles, the fibers are not only more eco-friendly, they also increased the natural wicking of the socks made from the recycled fibers.
Now the same fibers are being mixed with wool which allows for a more colorful range of products. Initially, you’ll find 5 new colors for the Woolie Boolie Comp ($16.99) and Wooleator Comp ($14.99), but more are on the way. There’s also a matching Loden Green DuraGlove ET Wool Comp glove if you want to get all matchy matchy.
Shifting gears to a completely different way to help keep your feet warm, SealSkinz had a pretty interesting sock on display in their booth. Their new Super Thin socks with Hydrostop are the thinnest waterproof socks we’ve seen – and are a claimed 33%lighter than their existing ‘Thin’ waterproof socks. Using a new bamboo inner layer along with new yarns and knitting pattern for the outer later, SealSkinz was able to reduce the bulk while keeping the waterproofing through their 3 layer StretchDry hyrophilic membrane. The result is a breathable, stretchable, water and windproof sock that is at the lower end of their thermal rating.
The sock also includes their Hydrostop technology which uses a silicone-free elastic cuff which is supposed to seal the top of the sock, and prevent water getting in. It’s not perfect (from personal experience) but it does a far better job than just the standard sock cuff alone. The new Super Thin Pro socks are available in an ankle length (three colors, $45), or Mid length (five colors, $50), both with Hydrostop cuffs.
