Sock repair...

[Catrin]

I love my wool socks in the winter - won't wear anything else! I love my THIN Smartwool socks in the summer - though I will wear other types when the weather is warm.

My problem with this lovely warm, and expensive, Smartwool socks is that I destroy them in a couple of wearings. I keep my nails clipped but, regardless how careful I am. my toes are peeking through after no more than 4-6 wearings. It gets expensive to replace them all the time...and nothing else keeps my feet warm. They work very well with my PI Barrier shoe covers - and my Mavic shoes fit snugly enough that I must have thin socks. It is possible that I've been purchasing too small a size, though they never feel that way.

Has anyone tried to repair them and if so, how well did it work out? My only concern is that the place where it is repaired may rub & cause a blister, and feet take longer to heal than other parts of the body. I am going to attempt it, my most recent pair only lasted 3 wearings....arghhhhhhhh!

[OakLeaf]

At the risk of asking the obvious ... are they big enough for you?

I would also hesitate to darn socks that I intended to put any significant mileage on afterward. Never done it, but I would be afraid of chafing/blisters too. But all my SW socks have been plenty durable - though I don't have the lightest weight ones, the elastic has been wearing out long before the wool fiber.

You might darn them and use them for daily wear/sleeping, anyway...

[indysteel]

Why style of Smartwool sock are you wearing? I have numerous pairs of Run and Outdoor Ultra Light Minis and have never had them wear that quickly.

[laura*]

At the risk of asking the obvious ... are they big enough for you?

Let me expand OakLeaf's question: Are your shoes big enough for you?

[Catrin]

It is possible that they have been too small, but they never seemed to feel that way Oakleaf. That being said, I KNOW my Mavic shoes are just a little snug, and I suppose it is possible that they are just small enough to put pressure on that area and make my socks more likely to wear. Most of my Smartwool socks have been either the Smartwool or Sugoui brand.

Indy, thanks for the brand suggestions, it seems that it is time for me to try something else.

I know my Mavic shoes are a bit too tight - I can only barely close the straps to avoid numb feet when I ride. I've adjusted to them, but am considering starting to save for a new pair of shoes next year. I love the shoes, outside of the white color, I just need a size larger.

[pll]

I find my smartwool socks suffer from the same problem, but I use them for walking quite a bit. The Defeet Woolie Boolies do not have that issue and neither does a pair of wool Castelli socks I bought last year. I never put them in the drier, just hang to dry. The Defeet ones I use for running and cycling; the Castelli only for cycling.

[indysteel]

Indy, thanks for the brand suggestions, it seems that it is time for me to try something else.

Those weren't different brands of wool socks. They're styles within Smartwool's line of products. I was curious as to which style of Smartwool sock you're wearing, as mine (various types of Ultra Lites) have never worn prematurely.

But if you want to try different brands, I'd suggest Swiftwick and Darn Tough as alternatives to Smartwool.

[Catrin]

Let me expand OakLeaf's question: Are your shoes big enough for you?

We were posting at about the same time - and the answer to your question is no...not really. I am so accustomed to making them work that I never really think of them as being too small though. This was my second full year for them. I need to start saving so I can have a pair that actually fits by spring.

I find my smartwool socks suffer from the same problem, but I use them for walking quite a bit. The Defeet Woolie Boolies do not have that issue and neither does a pair of wool Castelli socks I bought last year. I never put them in the drier, just hang to dry. The Defeet ones I use for running and cycling; the Castelli only for cycling.

Pll - thanks for this, it is good to know that I am not the only one with this problem. I've seen the Defeet socks and they are too thick for my current shoes...though these may be different from the other Defeet socks I've seen. My LBS is a Castelli dealer so I will see if they have this - I do like to get my hands on cycling socks before buying them. I never dry my wool socks either, and they get washed on cold with all of my other cycling and fitness wear.

[Catrin]

Those weren't different brands of wool socks. They're styles within Smartwool's line of products. I was curious as to which style of Smartwool sock you're wearing, as mine (various types of Ultra Lites) have never worn prematurely.

But if you want to try different brands, I'd suggest Swiftwick and Darn Tough as alternatives to Smartwool.

Silly me, I didn't realize that, thanks for the clarification! I've looked them up now and those are not what I have. I have the PhD Smartwool socks. It does help to know the specific line, especially where wool socks are concerned. I think I will try and darn the ones I have for around the house use, but will likely be asking for trouble if I try to wear darned socks with my current shoes.

[indysteel]

Silly me, I didn't realize that, thanks for the clarification! I've looked them up now and those are not what I have. I have the PhD Smartwool socks. It does help to know the specific line, especially where wool socks are concerned. I think I will try and darn the ones I have for around the house use, but will likely be asking for trouble if I try to wear darned socks with my current shoes.

Not to beat a dead horse, but all of the socks I mentioned are within the PhD line. Mine are PhDs with Ultra Lite cushion. I assume that's what you use, too, since they are their thinnest socks. Mine are good for at least a year or more of heavy use; I can't imagine getting holes in them after only a handful of uses. So, I have to wonder if if you're wearing the wrong size of your shoe is too tight. What size is your foot and what size are you using?

[ny biker]

Woolie Boolies are thick but DeFeet's Wooleator socks are thinner -- they're a wool version of the Aireators. I have several pairs and have never had a problem with them.

For everyday I wear Smartwool's cable socks, and I've worn them a few times on the bike too when I needed something tall enough to cover my ankles up to the bottom of my leg warmers. They are also thin.

http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodSW_SW711.html

...and while I was looking up the link to those socks I decided to take advantage of the sale and buy some new pairs. Navy, wine, chestnut and crimson.

[jessmarimba]

I've worn through a couple pairs of Smartwool (the compression ones! ) and Teko socks lately. The next size up is definitely too big, though I'm on the large end of the spectrum for the mediums. It's aggravating. For now, I'm just wearing them so the hole is on the other foot (not on my big toe anymore) and no longer running in them but I'm pretty exasperated with the Smartwool compression socks. Wore those on one run and ripped through the left big toe in the first six miles (and my left foot is my smaller foot, for pete's sake). I can still wear them for recovery but wanted them for running, and the next size up isn't compressive enough. Grr. Those cost way too much to wear through like that.

[SFLiz]

If you're going to try other socks, I really like my swiftwicks, in all varying styles. They have been durable and comfy.

[Crankin]

I would try the thinnest Tekos. I wear them for running/gym, and they are awesome.
Also, no cushioning. Ever. My feet are exquisitely sensitive to padding and so are my hands. I have ultra thin wool, thin wool, medium wool, and my thickest are Woolie Bullies. I also can barely close the velcro on my shoes, or my feet swell. I leave the ratchet pretty loose, too. The shoes fit, the next size is definitely too big. My feet do much better with the wool; Saturday I wore regular socks as it was warm and they were burning after 30 minutes.

[pll]

Just a clarification on my earlier post: my smartwools wear down in the heels.