This is our most heavy-duty outdoor sock.
When you're going to extremes like mountaineering, ice climbing and long backpacking treks, you'll thank SmartWool that you wrapped your feet in these.
Material
80% Wool, 19% Nylon, 1% Spandex
Extra Heavy Cushion, Mid Calf Height
SmartWool Fiber
You won’t find better gear to keep you comfortable in all conditions than SmartWool, whether you’re out tromping in rain, shine, heat or hail. It’s the best fiber in the world for cold and warm, wet and dry weather use, combining comfort and performance into one versatile package.
Above all else comes the extraordinary comfort. Far from the itchy wool of yesteryear, Smartwool’s fibers are luxuriously soft. They come from New Zealand’s specially bred Merino sheep, whose super-fine fibers are as fit for pajamas as they are active-wear. Combine this with a production process that removes all itch and shrink and you get a layer you’ll never want to take off—even after the day’s journey brings you home.
But extraordinary comfort is only the beginning. The real tale lies in the fibers’ performance. Over the eons Smartwool’s fibers have evolved to keep our Merino sheep warm in the alpine winters and cool in the southern summers. That same natural temperature regulating process works for people as well. The secret is that each fiber harbors thousands of tiny air pockets which, like insulation in your house, act as a buffer against heat and cold. The fibers naturally regulate temperature, whether you’re climbing an 8,000-meter peak or running an Arizona marathon. They keep you warm when it’s cool and cool when it’s hot. The fibers also move moisture faster than any other material on the planet. This means you stay drier longer and can say goodbye forever to the clamminess that comes from other materials. Unlike synthetics, which have to wait for moisture to condense before wicking it away from your skin, SmartWool’s fibers are porous, allowing them to absorb vapor and transfer it before it condenses. This saves a step by letting them wick and evaporate moisture at the same time, transporting it in both liquid and vapor stages. When it’s hot, this creates a mini air-conditioning unit next to your skin, transferring body heat to your apparel. When it’s cold, this keeps bone-chilling moisture at bay. And our fibers even have one more trump card. As well as being the most efficient and versatile fibers on the planet, their dryness also makes them the most odor-free, free of the stink that plagues synthetics.
Of course, the sheep don’t know all of this. But we do. And that’s why we’ve parlayed it into the best line of apparel on the planet, including everything from our industry leading socks to our extraordinarily comfortable base layers. When you combine all of our fibers’ unique attributes with the industry’s best knitters and designers—technicians who know how to work with our wool’s unique properties--you get top-quality comfort and performance in all conditions. About the only thing you don’t get is the sheep itself—but you’re more than welcome to visit them any time.
Efficient
You stay drier for longer because SmartWool wicks, absorbs and evaporates more efficiently than any other fiber, including synthetics. This is due to the exceptional moisture management properties of SmartWool. SmartWool’s ingenious moisture management system ensures all day comfort.
Sweat is removed from the skin’s surface as vapor, through evaporation. The vapor then condenses and can compromise your personal microclimate (the air trapped between the fabric and skin) causing a clammy sensation. Sweat needs to be removed from the skin’s surface or from the microclimate to ensure that comfortably cool and dry conditions are maintained for the garment wearer. SmartWool manages moisture different than other fibers, it absorbs the moisture vapor before it has a chance to condense into a liquid.
SmartWool’s moisture management system works between the fabric and your skin, and between the fabric layers. Water vapor moves naturally from a high to low humidity environment, even through the SmartWool fabric. If you are wearing SmartWool layers and a waterproof/ breathable outer layer (such as a jacket) then the water vapor can be transported and released keeping your personal microclimate comfortably cool and dry. The moisture management system works equally as well with our SmartWool socks.
Not only is it light rain resistant, SmartWool fiber is able to absorb water vapor and then release it into the atmosphere. It achieves this by absorbing moisture vapor from the high humidity environment next to your skin and releasing it into a typically less humid environment outside the garment. This process of absorbing and releasing moisture occurs through “hydrogen bonding where the negatively charged oxygen atom in the water vapor molecule is attracted to the positively charged hydrogen atom in wool’s protein (keratin) backbone. This attraction is similar to that of two magnets with oppositely charged poles. Negatively charged oxygen atoms in the water vapor molecule are attracted to the positively charged hydrogen atom in wool’s protein backbone.
Synthetic fiber is typically not effective at managing moisture as a vapor. It must wait for the vapor to condense into water droplets so it can employ a capillary action to wick moisture away from the skin. As a result, they absorb (chemically bind) little or no water and produce very little heat of sorption (see Temperature Control). SmartWool fiber moves moisture faster and more efficiently than synthetics as it doesn’t require as many steps to maintain moisture control. SmartWool reduces the effect of this condensation on wearer comfort and can absorb moisture of up to 27% of its dry weight, therefore assisting in the process of thermoregulation.
THE RESULT: more comfort over a longer period of time.
Versatile
SmartWool regulates your body temperature, keeping you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. No other fiber can match SmartWool’s ability to retain necessary heat while removing any excess that may cause fatigue or discomfort. Tiny pockets of air, providing a buffering layer of natural air cooling or warming. SmartWool’s natural climate control ensures comfortable performance in all conditions.
SmartWool fibers naturally create millions of tiny pockets of air, providing a buffering layer of natural climate control. This natural buffering capacity helps the body maintain a stable core temperature as it insulates the wearer against high ambient temperatures in hot conditions and keeps the wearer warm by minimizing heat loss in cool and damp conditions.
In hot humid conditions, SmartWool fibers remain cooler than the body. As a SmartWool garment touches the skin, heat is transferred to the garment, acting as a coolant.
In cold climatic conditions, SmartWool fabrics actively generate heat through the ‘heat of sorption ’ response i.e. SmartWool fibers are like small batteries, as they absorb moisture they release stored molecular energy in the form of body warming heat, perceptible in cooler ambient conditions. As the fiber dries and moisture is released, the energy is renewed and replaced.
Lactate build- up: When you exercise, your body’s internal temperature rises as oxygen transfer decreases. This makes your muscles work harder, triggering lactic acid production. This results in fatigue, muscle pain and even cramps. By allowing heat exchange, the body’s internal temperature increases more slowly, impeding build-up of lactate in the muscle.
TEMPERATURE CONTROL— SMARTWOOL FIBER VS SYNTHETIC:
With regard to temperature control, let’s compare SmartWool fiber with a synthetic like polypropylene: SmartWool fiber shows more favorable heat emission than polypropylene so you experience improved thermal regulation. Lower heat retention in SmartWool fiber means your core temperature stays lower so lactate build- up does not occur as readily. As a result the maximum stress threshold stays high when wearing SmartWool fiber so ultimately the wearer can work harder for longer.
THE RESULT: more comfort across all conditions.
Versatile
SmartWool regulates your body temperature, keeping you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. No other fiber can match SmartWool’s ability to retain necessary heat while removing any excess that may cause fatigue or discomfort. Tiny pockets of air, providing a buffering layer of natural air cooling or warming. SmartWool’s natural climate control ensures comfortable performance in all conditions.
SmartWool fibers naturally create millions of tiny pockets of air, providing a buffering layer of natural climate control. This natural buffering capacity helps the body maintain a stable core temperature as it insulates the wearer against high ambient temperatures in hot conditions and keeps the wearer warm by minimizing heat loss in cool and damp conditions.
In hot humid conditions, SmartWool fibers remain cooler than the body. As a SmartWool garment touches the skin, heat is transferred to the garment, acting as a coolant.
In cold climatic conditions, SmartWool fabrics actively generate heat through the ‘heat of sorption ’ response i.e. SmartWool fibers are like small batteries, as they absorb moisture they release stored molecular energy in the form of body warming heat, perceptible in cooler ambient conditions. As the fiber dries and moisture is released, the energy is renewed and replaced.
Lactate build- up: When you exercise, your body’s internal temperature rises as oxygen transfer decreases. This makes your muscles work harder, triggering lactic acid production. This results in fatigue, muscle pain and even cramps. By allowing heat exchange, the body’s internal temperature increases more slowly, impeding build-up of lactate in the muscle.
TEMPERATURE CONTROL— SMARTWOOL FIBER VS SYNTHETIC:
With regard to temperature control, let’s compare SmartWool fiber with a synthetic like polypropylene: SmartWool fiber shows more favorable heat emission than polypropylene so you experience improved thermal regulation. Lower heat retention in SmartWool fiber means your core temperature stays lower so lactate build- up does not occur as readily. As a result the maximum stress threshold stays high when wearing SmartWool fiber so ultimately the wearer can work harder for longer.
THE RESULT: more comfort across all conditions.
SmartWool versus Wool
Selective breeding:
Only the finest merino fiber is selected to become SmartWool. We regularly visit our growers in New Zealand and pay close attention to the breeding lines. Our sheep are raised under the most stringent of guidelines and all SmartWool fiber is selected to minimize or eliminate coarse fibers. SmartWool sheep are free range and live in a pristine, earth- friendly environment, which also contributes to the high quality of the SmartWool fiber.
Light and airy, feels good: It is a combination of the fine micron (fiber diameter), natural crimp and smart technology that gives SmartWool it ’s light and airy feel. In essence we have taken the itch out of wool. Through our process of stringent fiber quality specifications and smart technology, we ensure no itch causing (high micron) fibers make it into SmartWool products. Itchy wool typically occurs when the micron range is above 30 microns. All SmartWool fibers are far below this micron range, which is why SmartWool fiber is incredibly comfortable and soft to the touch.
IN SUMMARY, THE UNIQUE COMFORT PROPERTIES OF THE SMARTWOOL FIBER:
-SmartWool fibers have the unique ability to absorb moisture as a vapor but repel it as a liquid.
-SmartWool fiber helps regulate your body ’s temperature, keeping you cool when it ’s hot and hot when it ’s cool.
-SmartWool resists bacteria, which can cause odor.
-The SmartWool fiber ’s fine micron and the application of “smart technology makes it very soft and extraordinarily comfortable.
-SmartWool fiber can withstand the rigors of everyday wear & tear.
-SmartWool wearers stay more comfortable, allowing them to keep having fun!
How can SmartWool keep me cool in the summer?
SmartWool fiber always keeps cooler than your skin. When the fabric and your skin touch, the heat moves to the fabric (from high to low temperature or humidity) acting as a coolant. SmartWool keeps your body cool by keeping either your skin or foot and clothing or shoe- lining dry. For feet, sweaty equals uncomfortable. SmartWool wicks and evaporates moisture far better than any fiber – synthetic or cotton. As your body heats up through exercise, the wicking/evaporation rate of SmartWool increases as well. This same concept applies to SmartWool’s base layers – by keeping your body dry you stay cool and comfortable in varying conditions.
Can you explain Optimum Body Temperature?
Optimum Body Temperature (OBT) is the temperature at which your body performs most efficiently during any physical activity. There are three distinct phases during any physical activity: (1) a heating up period before reaching OBT ( 2) maintaining OBT throughout the activity and ( 3) as activity diminishes, a gradual cooling off period. If the Optimum Body Temperature is not properly regulated throughout the heating up, maintaining and cooling down process, the athlete runs the risk of muscle damage.
Why doesn’t SW itch?
SmartWool feels good because the super soft New Zealand merino fiber we use has been grown to our specifications, and then we apply Smart Technology making it completely itch-free. The natural crimp in the SmartWool fiber makes it feel springy and comfortable on your feet, wear after wear.
Doesn’t synthetic also wick moisture?
All synthetic can do is wick, or move moisture from one side to another – with socks, moisture moves from your foot to the lining of your shoe. The result: wet shoes, wet synthetic socks and wet, uncomfortable feet. With synthetic apparel, moisture moves from your body to your shell. The result: wet, clammy environment, wet apparel and wet skin. SmartWool is a hollow core fiber with microscopic air pockets that wick, absorb and evaporate moisture in a vapor state as well as insulate against extreme heat and cold. These properties allow SmartWool to use your body heat to convert moisture into vapor, and allow the vapor to evaporate in the air.
Isn’t cotton best for hot weather activities?
No, it is even worse than synthetics. Aside from being an abrasive fiber, cotton gets wet and stays wet, holding moisture close to your skin. Your feet get hot and become tender. Cotton socks are the quickest route to blistered feet. SmartWool’s ability to keep feet and shoe linings dry is vital for prevention of blisters.
What’s the difference between SmartWool and merino wool?
Merino is nice, but it’s not SmartWool. SmartWool’s technology eliminates shrinking. SmartWool is safe for machine washing and drying. SmartWool products are softer than other merino wools, are guaranteed not to itch and they outperform any other product on the market.
