Kit review: Teko socks – among many other socks
There was a time when three pairs of different sock styles did the job. In those days, you had a sock style for wearing to work, a pair for sports (of all varieties) and a pair to wear in walking boots. There was little that was technical about these socks and as far as I can recall the socks simply seemed to be thicker and more cushioned as they went from work to sport to hill walking.
In the 21st century there are socks and styles to suit every single kind of activity and for each activity there is a choice of numerous different brands. Socks are also made in many different materials and claim a host of different advantages.
In my own sock drawer there are socks to suit work, road running, hill running, cycling, snowboarding, hill walking, mountain hiking, winter walking and even playing tennis! I have single skin socks, double skin socks, socks with cushioned forefoot and heel, socks that claim to support my arch and other socks that are seamless to avoid toe rubs. The socks are made of many different materials, each of which claim to offer the perfect amount of support, cushioning, breathability etc.
The sock brands I know and trust
I like all my socks for different reasons and some of my favourite brands are:
For walking: Regatta, Brasher, Heat Holders, Wool Power and Bridgedale
For hill running: Inov-8, Smart Wool, Asics, Hilly
For general running: Go Outdoors, Ron Hill, Nike
For cycling: Falke
And then the kind people from Anatom, who sell Teko socks, sent me a few pairs of Teko socks to try. Teko socks are made from Organic Merino wool. Merino is a bit of a buzzword in the outdoors industry. It’s a fab wool that manages to keep you warm and dry, allow sweat out and somehow not get whiffy. I love my Merino Icebreaker baselayer for all those reasons.
But non-whiffy socks? I couldn’t imagine that happening?!
Teko make lots of different styles of socks including light hiking, ski light, low style for running, mid-weight hiking, heavy weight hiking, eco-lifestyle, expedition, casual, liner, light minicrew and ultralight min crew.. . There are socks for men and women. And wow! Teko do socks for 17 different activities form ice climbing to wandering around the shops. Some socks would be ideal for a range of sports so you don’t need to buy a different pair for every activity but it’s certainly good to know that different sock designs are there to suit different activities.
Each pair claims lots of things, such as Organic, chlorine-free and seamless. They also say: “We not only make the best socks on the planet we make the best socks for the planet.”
Slipping your feet into a Teko socks just feels so lovely. The hiking socks are nicely cushioned in the right places, especially the heel. The running socks feel light and somehow more supportive than ordinary socks.
The ankles of the socks stay up nicely, too, which can be a hassle of other walking socks.
The seamless design of the socks is perfect. I usually feel as though some part of the socks is rubbing on my toes when I’m running or walking but not with Tekos. I also like the fact that there is a type of Teko sock to suit all my activities.
Looking around the outdoor shops the shelves seem to be filling up with these socks. This means Teko are good at selling into shops, or people are buying them and so shops are stocking them.
Teko socks put to the sniff test
In the interests of this blog I wore a pair of heavyweight hiking socks for an entire three-day walking and wild camping expedition. I didn’t take them off, not even to go to bed (we were wild camping!). The socks were put to the test getting wet, sweaty, hot and then wet and sweaty again. Amazingly they still smelt just about ok when we got back into the car. (This couldn’t be said for the G-Force’s socks, which stank!).
The price of these socks also seems fairly reasonable with midweight hiking Teko socks at around £14. Shop around for the best bargains.
See here to find out more about Teko socks.