Adventure? Alpaca My Bags!
It’s that time of year again. Thanksgiving? Yes, but no. Christmas time? Yes, but no. For many in the outdoor adventurous realm, especially those in water sports, now is when we break down and put on socks. For most this isn’t a big deal. Most wear socks regularly, daily even. But for me, it is a big deal. I need socks that can keep up with my lifestyle.
This time of year means I am wearing boots, lots of types of boots, hiking, combat, snow and snowboarding boots. In 2014, I was introduced to Alpaca fiber socks from My Comfy Collection from their Charleston, SC location. I was given two pairs of their socks for two adventures I had coming up, one a multi-day survival trip and a snowboarding trip. What I didn't know about Alpaca fiber was that it is 3 times warmer than wool, it is naturally water-resistant and wicks away moisture with ease and it is 7 times stronger than wool. These traits made them very intriguing. I need socks that handle water and moisture well, as well as handle long term wear and odor absorption. And man I was surprised.
I had a green pair of LC206 X-Treme Sports Sock for the outdoor survival trip. We had rain, I walked in water and I ended up wearing those socks for 10 days straight. Typically I would have worn wool for these activities and expected something rank when the boots came off. They can handle a few days, but 10 days? I was pleasantly surprised with how the LC206 smelled, yes of course I smelled them. They were definitely not, recently washed fresh (don't put them in the dryer), but they were void of stench and I find that remarkable. Since that trip I have actually worn them for 7 weeks straight to test them. While I didn't have metrics, they definitely passed my test.
The second pair I had in December 2014 was their Winter sock LC203 . These are warm and definitely comfy. If I were to use these just for general outdoor use, they would be fully sufficient. However, if you have muscular calves, these are not a good choice for skiing or snowboarding. I had to pull them up often. This was actually warned to me based on sight of my calves but I wanted to give them a shot. They handled the odor and water just as well as the X-Treme Sports Sock and I still use them on cold days with regular boots.
December 2015, I visit my friends and My Comfy Collection and they informed me that they had a new product, the Active Sport Sock LC219 designed with skiing and snowboarding in mind. I bought a pair right then and there. I actually became the first person to officially own these socks. And when I say I owned them, I mean my wife owned them. I put them on and wore them once. She then tried them on our honey moon snowboarding in Jackson Hole, WY. She is always cold. Somehow after teaching her how to layer properly she became a fan of the cold. She normally had to wear two pairs of socks to snowboard in. With the LC219, that was not the case. She literally fell in love with these socks. They were comfortable, handled moisture, odor and didn't fall down on me. I will be buying several more pairs of these in preparation for my next snowboarding trip along with another few pairs of LC206 to be ready for our winter events.
So if you are in to quality gear, I highly recommend checking out their entire collection!
