vapor barrier socks thread

[bodywhomper]

starting a dedicated thread after searching and realizing info is piecemeaied in several semi-related threads.

i've been using vb socks for years in my boots, both tele and xcd. plastic bags and then the thin (but short) nrs neoprene socks. vb solved a lifelong cold feet problem for me and the problem of stinky liners, and the problem of wet boot liner, especially on multi-day trips. after years of care, my nrs socks are finally dieing. i like my ski socks to be thin and ideally knee-high

what's the deal these days with vb socks?

how thin and tall are the seirus hyperlite stormsock? in peeps experience, will they really hold my foot sweat in or does sweat moisture get pushed through the fabric or seams.
https://www.seirus.com/hyperlite-stormsock-6077.html

what about the sealskinz socks? same questions as above.
https://www.sealskinz.com/CA/socks?t...ogy=waterproof

these are the nrs socks that i have:
http://www.nrs.com/product/2342/nrs-...socks-closeout

cheers

[whyturn]

Bought the seirus thin storm sock. Snow hike and my feet were happy and dry. No excessive sweat. Week worth $30-40. Big Steve has good advice. Skiing could work but they are short.

[bodywhomper]

i agree and have appreciated bigsteve's input, along with others'.

here's recent-ish info from bigsteve/diysteve:

There several VB sox options, including: bread bags over ultrathin ski sox (sox will get soaked but they dry out at night and a second pair of sox is light); or any of various sox marketed as "waterproof." I currently use Seirus Hyperlite Stormsocks with nylon tape loops sewn on the tops, fore and aft, to help keep them up during the tour. They are marketed as "waterproof/breatheable" but, like most things so marketed, they are neither. Nonetheless, they contain nearly all moisture away from the liner and dry out fast at night. I've also tried thin neoprene socks, but beware of the NRS ones because they are not tall enough and have a rolled seam at the top.

here's recent-ish input from horu:

Bread bags work well, but I've been using the sealskins brand sock and had good luck. I have a pretty snug fit on the boots and they only seem slightly bulkier than the ordinary smartwool ski sock I wear for lift-served. They also come high on the calf, no problems with length or sag. Oddly, for as much sweat as I've pumped into those socks they don't smell. I always leave them inside-out to dry and have never had a problem....
This looks like the right package, but other than being waterproof, over the calf, and sealskinz brand, not sure what else to tell you. The only options I had at the local store were ankle or calf height. One reviewer said the socks were not waterproof as advertised because water pooled in the foot area and produced drag... sounds like they were swimming in them. The top of the cuff is not a drysuit gasket, what do they expect?

their link: https://www.amazon.com/Seal-Skinz-Se...terproof+socks
it's not clear to me, are these the mid thick knee socks?

swine made their own vb sock from silnet. their pict won't upload for me (broken link?). swine has questioned product durability.

my experience: VB socks > non vb socks. i've consistently used thermo/intuition liners since 98, 3 pairs from intuition and 2 pairs from garmont. liners act as vapor barrier with the internal lining getting soaked, resulting in dealing with very wet liners that won't dry-out on multi-day bc trips, are challenging to dry on day-after-day skiing, and stink. vb socks have eliminated those issues. i used bread bags for years, which work pretty well except that i often tear them on first or second use. i tried some vb silnet socks [brand forgotten] over a decade ago and the seams leaked a lot. the thin nrs neoprene socks, with the top gusset thing removed, have functioned well for me as a vb sock except they are short. resort skiing, i can typically keep the top of of the nrs sock at top-of-boot cuff with only an occasional adjustment. touring, however, those socks have always migrated down into my boot, sometimes constantly, resulting, most annoyingly, in wrinkles at my ankle/heel. this sometimes results in a blister for me. the nrs socks have lasted a few years, but the seams are finally unraveling.

so anybody wanna share about the durability and thickness of their $60 sealskinz mid thickness, knee socks? what about the $30 seirus sock? homemade nylon tape loops? picts? swine, what's the story with your diy?

thanks

[TurxSki]

Guy I was talking to knows dude behind Showers Pass bicycle clothing.
He was saying he cannot keep stock of waterproof socks - they sell out so fast!
They did have a calf version, but looks like only crew sock now.
https://www.showerspass.com/products...-calf-wp-socks

[bodywhomper]

Thanks! I'll poke around other cycling stuff and see if there is more

[Angle Parking]

Never even considered this. The avoidance of wet liners is very appealing I must say. What about foot sweat? Do you find that is an issue.

[bodywhomper]

With thermo liners, my feet (and socks) get soaked without any vb sock or plastic bag system. This happens even if I'm riding the lifts and skiing with the (young) kids.

I've read a little bit about "trench foot", but have never experienced it myself. I've done 5 day spring bc trips (tent) w/o trench foot issues. I'm not sure how long it takes of constant "submersion" to have problems.

[Angle Parking]

Yeah, my feet sweat no matter what as well so i guess vp socks wouldn't really change much except keeping my liners dry which is what caught my attention in your first post.

[bodywhomper]

Dry liners is what started it all for me.

I think I'm going to swallow hard and pay $$$ for some mid thick knee high sealskinz. Hopefully they are not too thick, don't sag, and hold up to use. I might keep using the nrs socks in my nordic boots until they fall apart. The cost blows my mind.

[bodywhomper]

Update: bought the thin knee high sealskins: not a vb sock. After skiing green runs for a few hours with the littles, my liners and insoles are wet, and my feet are damp. Either they "breathe" too much or their seams are letting water through. Bummed cuz they seemed great (fit, height, thinness) if they would have worked. Now I need to try to return them and get a refund.

Anybody want to share thoughts on the seirus hypelite stormsock? How tall are they? How thick?

Cheers

[Swine]

i agree and have appreciated bigsteve's input, along with others'.

here's recent-ish info from bigsteve/diysteve:


here's recent-ish input from horu:

their link: https://www.amazon.com/Seal-Skinz-Se...terproof+socks
it's not clear to me, are these the mid thick knee socks?

swine made their own vb sock from silnet. their pict won't upload for me (broken link?). swine has questioned product durability.

my experience: VB socks > non vb socks. i've consistently used thermo/intuition liners since 98, 3 pairs from intuition and 2 pairs from garmont. liners act as vapor barrier with the internal lining getting soaked, resulting in dealing with very wet liners that won't dry-out on multi-day bc trips, are challenging to dry on day-after-day skiing, and stink. vb socks have eliminated those issues. i used bread bags for years, which work pretty well except that i often tear them on first or second use. i tried some vb silnet socks [brand forgotten] over a decade ago and the seams leaked a lot. the thin nrs neoprene socks, with the top gusset thing removed, have functioned well for me as a vb sock except they are short. resort skiing, i can typically keep the top of of the nrs sock at top-of-boot cuff with only an occasional adjustment. touring, however, those socks have always migrated down into my boot, sometimes constantly, resulting, most annoyingly, in wrinkles at my ankle/heel. this sometimes results in a blister for me. the nrs socks have lasted a few years, but the seams are finally unraveling.

so anybody wanna share about the durability and thickness of their $60 sealskinz mid thickness, knee socks? what about the $30 seirus sock? homemade nylon tape loops? picts? swine, what's the story with your diy?

thanks

Link to pic from me is probably old and broken. I'm on my second homemade pair in 5 years. Slightly thicker sil nylon this time. Holding up well. Feet sweat but not profusely. Liners stay warm, dry, and smell free. Feet stay warm. Can't complain. If you have a sewing machine I'd recommend giving it a go.

[bodywhomper]

Thanks! Where did you get the silnet? Do I search amazon or something?

[Swine]

Thanks! Where did you get the silnet? Do I search amazon or something?

I got it from some online outdoor specialty fabric store. Can't remember the name or the weight of sil nylon. The Google tells me Seattlefabrics.com has multiple sil nylon options. I'd get a yard of the two lightest weights and see what works better.

[bodywhomper]

thanks. Care to share a photo of yours?

[rod9301]

I got it from some online outdoor specialty fabric store. Can't remember the name or the weight of sil nylon. The Google tells me Seattlefabrics.com has multiple sil nylon options. I'd get a yard of the two lightest weights and see what works better.

Did you tape the seams?

[Swine]

thanks. Care to share a photo of yours?

No seam tape. This is pretty low tech folks. Sil nylon doesn't stretch at all so you basically end up making a loose dog-leg tube. It's so thin the bunching can't be felt. I cut apart an old sock to make the pattern. Go bigger than the sock though. I think I added an inch all around.

[powdrhound]

Yeah, my feet sweat no matter what as well so i guess vp socks wouldn't really change much except keeping my liners dry which is what caught my attention in your first post.

My personal solution:
Antiperspirant.
The good ol' underarm stuff.
It works.

Apply liberally, between your toes, past your ankles.

[bodywhomper]

Thanks,swine!

I tried a few types of antiperspirants a while ago, and I would still end up with soggy liners by the end of the day at the ski hill. At that time, antiperspirant was the solution for many friends; still is for most of them.

[GeezerSteve]

I recently bought a pair of Seirus Innovation sox to replace my old failing 2mm neoprenes. I have 2 days in them and so far they work okay, much like my old 2mm neoprenes. Both are semi-VBs not 100% VB but boot liners stay est. 95% drier, i.e., never more than slightly damp compared to often soaking wet with wool or synthetic ski socks. No contest re warmth.

I've sewn lots of stuff from silnylon. VB ski socks didn't work out. No stretch, too much folded fabric for inside a ski boot.

[RShea]

Thanks! Where did you get the silnet? Do I search amazon or something?

You can purchase waterproof material including Sil Nylon from one of the DIY backpacking sites out there. Probably enough to make a bunch of socks if you can cut and sew it up:

http://diygearsupply.com/product/silnylon/
and
https://ripstopbytheroll.com/pages/fabric

[shafty85]

https://www.rbhdesigns.com/collectio...insulated-sock

Anyone tried these?

[GeezerSteve]

https://www.rbhdesigns.com/collectio...insulated-sock

Anyone tried these?

No but I had an RBH top made of the same fabric. It was okay but I prefer other options. The RBH VB socks would be way too thick for ski boots fitted to be worn with ski boot socks.

[bodywhomper]

Bump.

Anything new this season?

I'm using produce bags this season.

[Horu]

I've been using sealskinz for a number of years. Got a new pair this year (green, old ones all black), seem to work great. They ski like a thicker ski sock, so not bad. I still use regular ski socks for lift-served mostly due to reduced ick factor. Maybe not 100% VB, but ski boot liners are barely damp at the end of a tour, while the feet are... gross and wrinkly. Re: immersion foot (trenchfoot is a type), as long as your feet completely dry out at some point in the day, you should be good. If I were on an extended trip, like a glacier camp, i would want at least 2 pair sealskinz to let them dry/ let some bacteria die between uses. With huts with better drying opportunities, YMMV?

[bodywhomper]

^^that's interesting. i returned the sealskinz that I bought last winter because my liners and insoles were pretty wet after only a few hours of skiing with my littles at the ski hill. my boot insides were as wet as if i skiing in just my thin wool ski socks. maybe that pair had a manufacturing issue....