Sealskinz...any good/worth the money?

[jamie18thmo]

Hi,
Sorry if this has been covered before, but I was wondering what people think of Sealskinz gloves and socks and does anyone know of any similar items (good or bad).
Cheers,
J

[gregorach]

I've got a pair of the gloves and find them very good - just make sure you get the right size!

[Voivode]

I've got two different kinds of Gore-Tex oversocks, neither of which are Sealskinz. Neither of them have let me down yet and are probably one of my best investments. The Rocky Gore-Tex socks are great, but fit very tight. The other ones are British military surplus; you can find them on eBay with a search like "Goretex Army Socks", looking in the stores section for them for about 5 pounds. Compared to Sealskinz or Rocky brand (which cost me $70CA), that's a steal.

[gregorach]

I don't think the Sealskinz are goretex - they've got a bit of strech in them. Goretex is fine for overgloves or mittens, but the Sealskinz have the advantage of being extremely tactile. I can't quite roll a ciggie whilst wearing them, but I certainly can smoke one... (For the non-smokers - you actually need a suprising degree of dexterity to handle a lit cigarette)

[Rob]

I have got some Sealskinz socks and I think they are great

[Beer Monster]

I've got a pair of sealskinz socks. They have had limited use. I tried walking in them once but whilst I didn't get blisters my feet did get overly hot and quite sweaty (more so than usual ). I now carry them in the bottom of my pack every time I go out and they serve 2 purposes.

Firstly is for use after crossing "over the boots" depth rivers. I've invested in decent pair or non-gortex lined boots so they dry out fairly quickly and eventually you can put your dry "normal" socks back on again.

Secondly is for use around base camp. Wet boots are taken off to air and dry and the sealskinz are worn with an old pair of trainers. This way you get the comfort of the trainers but without the wet feet due to dew on the grass etc.

For short trips where I just take my boots they can also go on at the end of the day (like on the walk back to the car or even the drive home) and will help dry out damp boots whilst keeping your feet toasty warm.

Gloves I've not had any experience with, however, on a course I was on in Brecon (with sub zero temps) a large number of the lads bought them (with the liners) used them twice then binned them as their hands got very sweaty very quickly even with just moderate exercise then the sweat went icy cold giving them chill blanes.

[Ben Trout]

Got both. I prefer the socks to using gaiters. The gloves work very well, seeming to be more waterproof than other gloves I've used and still able to operate a compass in them. I use some thin fleecy gloves as liners when its colder, only moving onto my fleece and pertex mittens (little sister made them from leftovers from a buffalo copy) when messing about in snow.

[GoatBoy666]

Have been using the gloves for a few years. There not gortex, but porelle, sealskins version I guess.
Have to say they are very good. Great for rope work, tying and untying possible.
Have to get the right size, as already mentioned.
Oh one bad thing, avoid FIRE.
I use them for camping and cycling etc, and have been impressed.
The ultra grip one are not a full winter glove even with liners, but I think sealskins make a version for extreme weather anyhoo.
Hope this helps...

[Rebel]

I have the socks and I'm very pleased with them. They are totally waterproof and reasonably comfortable.

Bearing in mind that they are waterproof they do a pretty good job of wicking away the sweat. Personally I usually wear a pair of lightweight socks and then put the Sealskinz over them. This isn't necessary I just prefer it as I think it adds to the comfort.

The socks are quite thick so you need to have boots/shoes that have a bit of extra space. Personally I've never had a problem with my footwear being too tight after putting them on.

I only wear them when I need them, so if it's not raining and my footwear is dry I'll have them in my bag. I have worn them walking briskly all day though, I'm talking about eight or more hours of walking in pouring rain, and have been totally comfortable with nice warm dry feet. My shoes on the other hand were totally drenched right through when I got home.

Mine have lasted a long time so they are quite hard wearing. Part of the reason they last me is because, as I mentioned previously, I don't wear them unless I need to. As they are more expensive than regular socks and less breathable I figure it's best to make them last and only put them on when needed.

Another thing to note is that you should keep the care instructions to keep them performing properly and they do take a long time to dry after washing.

[tombear]

I always use liners with the socks, mainly to get a extra day out of them as they do take forever to dry when you have washed them. Definately one of my best buys last year.

Not so keen on the gloves, much prefer the mitts but they do make you look a big sissy when you are walking the kids to school in a morning (but a sissy with warm dry hands!)

ATB

Tom

[British Red]

Tom,

try not hanging them on strings through your sleeves mate

Red

[bingobadgo]

I am a land surveyor so i have to spend lots of time standing about outdoors in the rain, which has obviously led me to try to find the perfect wet/cold weather gear. I can honestly say that Sealskinz stuff is the best i have found yet. I am on my third pair of gloves, and bought my first pair of socks fo this winter and am amazed by them every time i put them on. My only criticism of the gloves is that they could be a bit more hard wearing, you can use them like you would leather gloves. Apart from that you should buy some, your hands and feet wil thank you for it!

[tombear]

'Red
But then I might lose one and Mummy would get angry and spank me...


So not a bad plan then ;-{D)

Tom

[Bjorn Victor]

I have a pair of socks with Merino inner. Almost no smell even after a few days. I wear them with Montrail CTC shoes to keep out rain and snow. I had to cross a glacier stream this summer and took the socks off before getting in the water. I put them on when I was out again. The shoes have a lot of mesh, so dry out very quickly while the socks kept my feet warm and dry... I like them!!

Bjorn

[John Fenna]

Love 'em!
Socks - Great for canoeing - especially the long ones with a top seal - hiking and camp wear. I always use a liner sock for extra comfort. They take up quite a bit of room in your boots so I find liner plus Seal skinz = loop stitch sock.
Gloves - brill for canoeing and everything!
As to smoking - in my evil baccy ruled days I burned several! Also the gloves are not thorn proof......

[Buckshot]

I have a pair of sealskin socks I use when I'm stalking in my moccasins.
I do find them sweaty though, So I wear a thin pair of cotton ones underneath

Mark

[tedw]

Never tried the socks but I rate the British Army Goretex boot liners highly - a good cheap investment in dry feet!

Looks like I'm out of step here but, I've had 3 pairs of the Sealskinz gloves and hate them! They all leaked between the fingers, but worst was that they seemed to suck the heat out of my hands because they are quite close fitting and have no insulation in them. Maybe I could have worn liner gloves if the Sealskinz had been bigger, but that would have spoiled the feel and defeated the object.

Ted W

[gregorach]

I'm starting to suspect we're talking about different gloves entirely - Sealskinz do make several differenty models. The one's I'm talking about (Ultra Grip iirc) are seamless with a merino thermal lining.

[Beer Monster]

I'm starting to suspect we're talking about different gloves entirely - Sealskinz do make several differenty models. The one's I'm talking about (Ultra Grip iirc) are seamless with a merino thermal lining.

I think you're right. It sounds as though the ones the guys I met and the one tedw has may be the "ultra fit" gloves which only have a coolmax liner and hence would probably be a lot colder. The "ultra grip" gloves are lined with merino so should be warmer.

My socks were the "thermal" vareinty lined with loop stiched merino which may explain why my foot got so warm! Might have to purchase the "light" versions whihc sound as though they would be a bit cooler .

[Eric_Methven]

I think Sealskinz socks are so good, I use them all the time when I go out and about. I wear them over the top of my loop stiched socks so they push the boot size up by one size. I now wear a size 12 or 13 boot instead of an 11. When they do wear out, usually around the heel, I just buy another pair. Another advantage of having such large feet is the bargains that can be had from outdoor shops at the end of the season. I got a pair of Brasher boots (RRP £150) for £35 last year, simply because they were size 12 and they couldn't shift them.

Eric

[Greg]

I have a pair of Sealskinz that have a loop stitch lining that are designed to be worn without any other socks, I did this once on a days hike but since then I have worn a pair of thin socks underneath which has made the Sealskinz a pleasure to where. They fit snuggly to my feet and I have never had a blister.
I wear them all the time now instead of normal walking socks.

Sealskinz get the from me!!

[Goose]

Thought I had replied to this yesterday, post dissapeared!
I have a couple of pairs of porrelle dry socks and I think they are great! They are similar to the sealskinz but cost less than a fiver a pair off ebay. I have used them under dessie boots and for canoeing and they do keep the water out and breathe pretty well. My walking boots are waterproofed and I found my feet got sweaty and damp when wearing the two waterproof layers, and the waterproof socks weren't needed. I carry them as spare/emergency socks, the thinking being if my boots gets soaked I can wear the waterproof socks under my boots till they dry out.

[Chance]

My gloves leak; possibly linked to an impromptu high-side dismount while mountain-biking, although there's no obvious surface damage.
Before then they were OK, but not suitable for the top of the hill in Winter. Don't know if it's the windchill, but my hands were useless until I popped riggers' gloves over the Sealskinz.

[Voivode]

My walking boots are waterproofed and I found my feet got sweaty and damp when wearing the two waterproof layers, and the waterproof socks weren't needed. I carry them as spare/emergency socks, the thinking being if my boots gets soaked I can wear the waterproof socks under my boots till they dry out.

Not really replying to you, just using you as a springboard here...

My millitary cousin says him and his buddies ditched the Gore-Tex boots as they consider them useless unless you're standing around a camp fire (like a bunch of lazy hunters, he said) and use the waterproof oversocks all the time along with some sturdy (non-waterproof) tactical boots. At the beginning of the day, they wear the boots with no waterproof socks. If they come across water, they just plow through and quickly change into their dry pair of socks and add the waterproof socks to keep the wet boots off their (now) dry feet. They carry on, plowing through any water that is shallower than their waterproof socks. If they hit deeper water, they stop, switch back into the wet socks and cross, reinstalling the dry sock/waterproof combo on the other side.

This way, they don't care what happens to their boots and they always have dry feet.

[Beer Monster]

Not really replying to you, just using you as a springboard here...

My millitary cousin says him and his buddies ditched the Gore-Tex boots as they consider them useless unless you're standing around a camp fire (like a bunch of lazy hunters, he said) and use the waterproof oversocks all the time along with some sturdy (non-waterproof) tactical boots. At the beginning of the day, they wear the boots with no waterproof socks. If they come across water, they just plow through and quickly change into their dry pair of socks and add the waterproof socks to keep the wet boots off their (now) dry feet. They carry on, plowing through any water that is shallower than their waterproof socks. If they hit deeper water, they stop, switch back into the wet socks and cross, reinstalling the dry sock/waterproof combo on the other side.

This way, they don't care what happens to their boots and they always have dry feet.

That’s what I do as explained in post #6 on the thread I don't think I explained it as well as you did though.

On the same army course as the sealskinz glove folk (see post #6) a large number of folk had invested in shiny new gortex lined lowa boots (the "in" boot to have at the time), they soon realized the error of their ways when they were crawling along waist deep water filled ditches on day 1 effectively rendering the gortex useless. By day 5 their feet were a smelly mess as their boots never fully dried out. Those of us with plain old nikwaxed leather boots and sealskinz were laughing all the way to the mess as they dried out overnight!

On another note, for those with gortex lined boots I’ve heard quite good things about the Dampire Boot driers. Take them out with you, stick them in your boots overnight and they are dry (I won’t go as far to say bone dry) by the following morning. I suppose they are only really effective used once in the field (as you have to put them on a radiator to dry out the crystals), but hey, two days dry boots is better than one!

[Voivode]

That’s what I do as explained in post #6 on the thread I don't think I explained it as well as you did though.

Err... Yeah, so you did. My bad.