Types of socks, or lack thereof

[Casey]

All of my socks currently are the same type - a brand I've found that is 99% cotton, typical thickness - neither thick or thin.  For occasional casual skating, they've been fine.  When I had Graf boots and did most of my skating in the past, I needed to wear thick socks and bunga pads, but my Klingbeils are a world of difference from that.  Today was the first time in years that I skated hard enough to have sweaty feet, but once my socks ended up wet they started hurting my ankles quite a bit, so I stopped and took them off and skated barefoot.  Unfortunately, the edges of the leather insoles caused a blister on the instep of each foot.

I wondered if others had any advice for different types of socks that might be more appropriate for skating, or whether I should just get by with band-aids until my feet get toughened up to not mind skating barefoot.  What I did find interesting about skating barefoot is that I could feel the ice much better, which was a pro and a a con - the vibrations of uneven ice went up to my knees more, and everything felt a bit off probably because my feet were in a slightly different position in the boots, but overall it was not an unpleasant experience (other than the blisters), and I imagine that feeling the ice better could be helpful if I got more used to it, and I think perhaps if I keep skating barefoot my feet will get used to it enough to not blister.

But lack of socks won't mean there'll be lack of sweat.  The interior of my boots is all leather, except for the tongue which has some rubber foam padding.  If I don't wear socks and get sweaty feet, where will the sweat go?  Will it still become a problem?

I'd love to hear experiences and advice from others who skate barefoot and/or hard enough to get sweaty feet!

[Bill_S]

If you sweat that much, I'd expect that you will substantially shorten the life of the leather lining. I tend to wear out the inside of my boots before the outside is gone, probably for the same reason.



That was my last pair of Gold Stars after 5 years of use, but I was wearing socks.

If you are not wearing socks, there's only one place for sweat to go. And socks are cheaper than boots.

[rachelplotkin]

Here is a related thread on this topic: http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=4428.0

[Loops]

Personally, I can't do barefoot so I wear knee high nylons.  They're cheap, as thin as you can get while preventing boot rub. As for the sweat, I made some tubes fitted with a combo on baking soda an activated charcoal that go into my skates post skating.  Don't know if they're as effective as the commercial stink-Reese, but they seem to work ok for me. Perhaps you'll find some useful info though on the thread reformulation directed you towards.

[Casey]

Thanks, I read through that thread, and what I get out of it is that it depends a lot on the type of skates you have.  Mine are completely leather inside, with a non-removable leather footpad over a custom-formed insole.  Only the tongue is exposed rubber instead.  I have no issue with the way it feels on my feet without socks, though maybe I would if it got much more damp.  I may try more barefoot skating but as alternative to that I'm curious about what sort of thinner socks may be a good option.  An ex-roomate I had who was a former figure skater told me that the best were thin wool-blend dress socks - he skated in SP Teri's.  I haven't ever found what he was talking about though, I don't think.  I did used to have much thinner 90-something percent cotton socks which I think worked a lot better than what I'm using now.  I will have to take a trip to the mall soon and see what I can find to try...

[alejeather]

In my old boots, I used to wear smart wool socks. They're not exactly thin, but they do fit very closely to your feet. The performance wool is a great, warm and absorbent fabric. You can get them at REI or other outdoor outfitters, but they're expensive. I used a knock-off brand from Costco that were a fraction of the price. Wool or wool blend dress socks might work too but I've never tried.

[Cryo]

Most hockey shops sell thin socks, one brand is thinees, which come in all colors and work very well in skates.  I also like swiftwick socks but they are pricey, I like the pulse ones.

[lutefisk]

I steal my wife's thin trouser socks.  Men, being a small subset within figure skating, are somewhat under served in terms of sockage.  For me thinner is better in terms of getting the boots to lace up in a consistent manner.

I have sweaty feet.  Apres skate, especially in summer, I put a pingi into each boot: 

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=pingi&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=35025163164&hvpos=1s1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8442956280605744883&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_2qyzoba2fz_e

I have the 150 gram size but will probably order a pair of the 250 gram pingi bags next time.  My current boots are Jackson Freestyles which have a heat moldable interior.  I let the pingis cool off before inserting them into my boots.  This is my summer strategy.  In winter I store my boots, generally without the pingis in our heater room.  The room is warm but not hot and the cycling of the heater keeps the humidity in that small room low enough to dry out my boots in between skating sessions.  Disclaimer:  I don't know if any of this is appropriate for all leather boots.

[Casey]

I steal my wife's thin trouser socks.

I will have to include the woman's sock departments while at the store.  I'll go with my wife so as not to look too creepy.

I have sweaty feet.  Apres skate, especially in summer, I put a pingi into each boot: 

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=pingi&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=35025163164&hvpos=1s1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8442956280605744883&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_2qyzoba2fz_e

I don't see why those wouldn't be appropriate for leather.  But I have a Peet Boot Dryer that I just dug out of storage and will be using regularly.  I highly, highly recommend them, and will probably be ordering two more soon! (so I can have one each at home and work, and a third for my wife to use when we both skate).  The sachets might still be a good idea to have in the skate bag.

[littlerain]

If you're checking the women's sock department, I did also get some socks that are a thin microfiber. Not sure it helps to regulate sweat any better than anything else though.

[Casey]

If you're checking the women's sock department, I did also get some socks that are a thin microfiber. Not sure it helps to regulate sweat any better than anything else though.

It's more a question of "what won't make my ankles scream in pain as soon as they get sweaty?" than sweat regulation.

[Casey]

Well, I now have 3 more types of socks to try out, all very thin without a ribbed pattern that seems to be the problem I have with the thicker 99% cotton socks.

One pair is 97% microfiber nylon, 3% spandex. Perry Ellis brand.

The second is 44% rayon, 35% acrylic, 19% nylon, 2% spandex. Alfaro brand.

Both of them I found in the Men's section at Macy's. I didn't look at women's socks, but I did find a couple pairs of nice skating pants there (87% cotton, 13% spandex) that I'm happy with.

I stopped for groceries on the way home at an organic co-op I frequent (where I bought all the other socks I own), and found that they had thin socks which are 84% cotton, 13.6% nylon, 1.7% spandex, 0.7% olefin. Maggie's brand.

As someone who values natural materials, I have highest hope in the latter pair, and worry the other two may slip around too much or not feel nice after getting sweaty. But I will put each pair to the test and see how they do, and report back here. I also got a pair of wool/nylon blend "hiking" socks, however they are not thin and I doubt they will be good for skating. I'm not writing off barefoot skating yet either!

[littlerain]

Sounds like some good finds!

[Doubletoe]

I wear thin cotton socks in my skates.  I can't stand the feel of nylons because they feel slippery and make my feet sweat.

[Casey]

I'm going with the cotton ones...

I gave all three a couple sessions on the ice.  All were better than my original cotton socks, simply because the ankle of the thicker socks is ribbed, whereas I was careful that none of the thinner ones are.

I actually did not mind the nylon socks in the skates - my custom Klingbeils held my feet in place well and it did not feel slippery.  They were also the thinnest.  I thought sweat would surely be a problem since they were so thin, but it wasn't.  Yes, I got sweaty in the same places, but no, my ankles didn't end up hurting.  The nylon socks were actually my second favorite, though they were atrocious to use in regular shoes or just walking around the house as then the slipperiness was NOT FUN!

My least favorite were the rayon/acrylic/nylon blend.  They weren't bad but just weren't as good as either the nylon or primarily cotton socks.  They would work fine in a pinch and were better than the thick cotton socks I was wearing before.

Ultimately, I'm going to keep skating with the nice primarily-cotton socks (http://www.maggiesorganics.com/organic-cotton-knee-high-sock-tri-pak-3-pair/).  I am glad these lived up to my hopes for them being the best.  They have the best sweat absorbency while still being thin, and also my feet got the least cold using these.  They are "just right" and I like that they are mostly natural cotton and organic at that.  Skating makes one care about their feet entirely too much.

As for the sweat, I've noticed that regardless of sock type, I get sweaty along the top of my foot and front of my ankle.  When I take my skates off, this part of the sock is always visibly damp.  However the other parts of the foot have obviously been sweating too, because the leather inside my boot is wet on the sides and back also.  The tongue is rubber on the inside, and I think this repels more moisture to build up in that part of the sock, whereas the leather on the sides and back absorbs some of the moisture so the sock looks more dry even though it was sweaty too.  In the thinner socks I notice sweat after a much shorter time skating, but it isn't a problem.  With the thicker socks, it becomes a problem after there is enough sweat to saturate the thicker socks.

Perhaps whenever I get replacement boots, I can get them to line the inside of the tongue with leather?  Dunno if that makes sense or not...

[sarahspins]

Perhaps whenever I get replacement boots, I can get them to line the inside of the tongue with leather?  Dunno if that makes sense or not...

Absolutely   Most major boot makers will do this for you on request.

[Vicki7]

I wear Mondor knee highs - absolutely love them as I can feel my foot inside my boot, but the insides don't get too sweaty and gross I actually can't wear thick socks in my Edeas now, because they were fitted and sized with me wearing skating tights, so thicker socks make the boots impossibly tight.

[Casey]

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=pingi&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=35025163164&hvpos=1s1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8442956280605744883&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_2qyzoba2fz_e

I have the 150 gram size but will probably order a pair of the 250 gram pingi bags next time.

Thank you for this suggestion - I ordered two 250 gram Pingi bags to stick in my skates right after skating, and they work great.  However, if I would skate in the morning and leave my skating bag in the car all day, when I got home in the evening the leather would still be a bit damp inside the skates, so while they helped, they don't completely dry the skates.

I already had a Peet boot dryer at home, but I ordered a second for work when I ordered the Pingis.  Today I brought it in and set it up:



I still happily use the Pingi's whenever I put my skates into the skate bag, but now I am carrying my skate bag into work and letting my skates sit on the dryer all day.  I'll only use the home one on weekends or if I go to an afternoon or evening session.  The Peet works *GREAT* and is a pretty low investment too.

[ls99]

Silk. From REI.

[AgnesNitt]

I found some ladies knee hi's at CVS that have a rippled knit pattern on the sole to keep feet from slipping inside shoes. I now swear by these. They're wonderful.