Re: [pct-l] Skin reaction on ankles

["Joanne Lennox" <goforth@cio.net>]

I change and wash my socks often, and had 8 pairs of socks to keep my feet
quite clean this last month while hiking. I also air my feet at least twice
a day. 

As I mentioned the Smartwool socks have as much elastic in them as the
synthetics socks.  It is woven all through the ribbed part from the ankle
bone to the top. These feel as if they CLAMP the socks to my ankles, as
does ANY boot whether loose or tight fitting

I find gaiters unnecessary under most trail and cross-country and climbing
conditions if I wear long pants.  I have sewn a gaiter hook to my longish
pants and can hook the bottom edge to my shoe laces.  I had no problem with
scree, chafe, or dirt and debris getting into my shoes, otherwise I would
have worn my gaiters, which I made to be fitted at their connection to the
shoes but loose around the ankle.

Goforth

----------
> From: Birgitte Jensen <bjensen4@juno.com>
> To: pct-l@backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Skin reaction on ankles
> Date: Monday, May 03, 1999 7:09 PM
> 
> > The real problem starts when I wear boots, or anything that clamps the
> >socks tightly to the ankles, or does not allow air to circulate.  I
> carried >gaiters, but did not wear them, and I suspect that I would have
> a >problem wearing them with elastized socks.
> 
>    It's probably a really bad idea to wear something that actually clamps
> anything  to the ankles or anywhere else, especially when engaging in
> repetetive movement. Sure, you don't wanna wear loose, flopping footwear
> <augh!>, but nothing should be so tight it gets anwhere close to
> "clamping" - that would definitely cause chafing and worse. The thing I
> like about  fabrics that contain a bit of elastic is that they conform to
> the body without having to be at all tight - and their inherent
> flexibility maintains a gentle fit (assuming they fit gently to begin
> with <g>) as various body-parts move around or expand. And wearing a
> personal allergen too close to the skin could definitely exacerbate any
> problem.
> 
>     It's a drag that shoes/boots don't allow really good all-over air
> circulation; that's probably why so many of us need to take a break to
> air our dogs now/then. Charlie calls it "air washing" or something,
> doesn't he?
> 
>     Haven't hiked (in boots or sneakers) without scree gaiters for a very
> long time. I find they keep small chafe-making crap out - and cut down on
> laundry chores, too. This may sound disgusting (I probably shouldn't
> admit it), but I now often hike up to a week - long days under various
> conditions - with _one_ pair of Smartwool (just a coincidence) outer
> socks and two pair of synthetic 'wicking" liners. I rinse out the liners
> at least daily (they'll dry fairly quckly in any weather), and the feet
> of the outers as often as I can. Don't mind walking in dampish socks,
> BTW, except in above-boot snow of course. Gaiters (they can be of some
> "breathable" material) don't have to be at all tight to be effective; if
> the elastic around the top seems any tighter than barely-necessary to
> keep them up, you should snip bits of the elastic, or re-sew in a longer
> piece if you're ambitious. (You could do the same thing to the
> elasticised top of the socks if you had to.) Don't hike in tight anything
> on the assumption that it'll "stretch"; it'll hurt your hide long before
> it does...
> 
>     Personally, I wouldn't buy socks with an elastic band _at_ the ankle.
> Some of the nastiest sore-spots come from band-on-band-on-band layering,
> like (for instance) underwear waistband under trousers' waistband under
> pack hipbelt. Ow Ow!             bj
> 
> If anybody knows a discount source of Smartwool products, I'd appreciate
> knowing; that pair of socks is getting pretty funky - TIA
> 
> 
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