Tired of having wet feet? I had a chance to receive a pair of LeakDry waterproof socks to do a review for the company. I have had these socks for the past two months and I enjoyed trying out these socks. Below is a long read about some information on waterproof material and my personal thoughts on these socks. For people that don’t like to read and only like short answers…yes, they kept my feet dry while walking in a stream and river………. but…….

Inclement weather, river crossings and sweat while thru-hiking come with the territory. Prepping for that moisture will save you some serious misery on the trail. If you walk through pouring rain, ford a creek, or a river your feet and your shoes will get wet. Waterproof shoes/boots will hold the water/moisture longer, but once they get wet it takes days for them to dry. Meanwhile the skin on your feet will start to prune, become soft, red, and itchy, if not cracked and bleeding from the moisture and, no, unless you have packed specific water shoes/Boots, you should never ford barefoot. Forging barefoot you risk injury, cutting your foot open, and making your hike that much harder. Forget rain and rivers, what about foot sweat? It is not the most pleasant subject to address, but if you are hiking all day in high humidity, your feet are going to work up a sweat. If you are wearing wool socks and breathable shoes, the moisture will wick away from your feet and evaporate. If you are wearing waterproof shoes/boots your feet will become damp with perspiration. Wearing waterproof boots/shoes take longer to dry out and when they are wet and stay wet that is added weight on your legs with every step you make, and nobody wants added weight.

What Happens if you Hike with Wet Feet? When moisture gets into your shoes and socks, it tends to stay there. If left unattended, it can potentially lead to several serious ailments that may require medical attention. Wet feet can result in:

1)Softening, or pruning skin

Results from the outer layer of skin absorbing moisture. The skin becomes sore, itchy, and soft, which makes it prone to blistering.

2)Cracking of the skin

As it dries out after being softened, because the skin has been robbed of its natural oils by the moisture. These cracks can be very painful and difficult to treat, depending on the size and location on the foot.

3)Fungal Infections

You could get several fungal infections if you hike with wet feet. Athlete’s foot/Trench Foot/Jungle rot is some of the fungal infections you can acquire if you hike with damp feet. Athlete’s foot can bring cracked, scaly skin that can become inflamed and irritated. You could also get a fungal infection that you can get from hiking with wet feet. It is an infection that can cause your toenails to distort, crumble, and flake. I had this happen in the Army. This type of infection is less common but can have lasting effects on your nail bed if not treated properly.

4)Blisters

When your feet are wet in your shoes, you run the risk of developing blisters due to the consistent friction you get from hiking with wet feet, shoes, and socks. If left untreated, blisters can potentially lead to a more serious infection and not to mention the pain of hiking with blisters.

So, what is one thing you can try to help prevent all this from happening? I am going to test out a pair of Leakdry waterproof socks. The company says that there socks are and I'm reading exactly what they responded to me with about the Hydrostatic Head and the MVTR which stands for moisture vapor transmission rate or simply Breathability:

"the waterproofness of all our products has reached 15000+mm

H2O (JIS L 1092:2009; Section 7.1; Method B- Hydrostatic Head)

and the breathability has reached 38000+g/㎡/24H (JIS L 1099: 2012 Method B-1)"

What is Hydrostatic Head and MVTR you ask. Well Hydrostatic Head tells us the waterproofness of a fabric/garment. It is measured in millimeters and indicates the pressure of water required to penetrate the fabric. Fabrics with a hydrostatic head of up to 10.000 millimeters are suitable for light

water crossings while fabrics with a hydrostatic head higher than 10.000 millimeters are suitable for moderate water crossings. Only fabric with a hydrostatic head higher than 15.000 millimeters will keep you dry in heavy water crossings and Leakdry says there's is at a 15,000+ according to the message they sent me, but the package the socks came in says the water proofness is 8,000+ mm.

MVTR rate tells us how much water vapor can pass through the fabric from the inside out in grams per square meter per day. A waterproof garment should be able to transfer perspiration (water vapor) to the outside as it would otherwise make you soaked in your own sweat.

In general, with a MVTR of 10.000 g/m²/day or less are suitable for skiing and for around the camp activities with a MVTR of more than 10.000 g/m²/day are suitable for hiking, trekking etc. Only gear with a MVTR of more than 15.000 g/m²/day perform superbly for highly aerobic activities such as mountaineering, alpine climbing etc. And Leakdry says they are at 38,000, but the package the socks came in says the breathability is 10,000+ g/m² /day.

So with the numbers Leakdry gave me they are suitable for a descent waterproof sock to do water crossings in.

Let's now look at their socks and the material they say they are made from.

Leakdry say their socks Key Features are:

100% Waterproof

Windproof

Breathable

Keep Warm

Anti-Bacterial Moisture-wicking

Breathable Ultralite Dri-nit ankle Socks material

Interlining: waterproof & breathable membrane

Inner: 70% bamboo; 30% nylon

Outer: 98% nylon; 2% elatic

Waterproof Breathable Socks Mid-Calf Thermal

Interlining: waterproof & breathable membrane

Inner: 70% bamboo; 30% nylon

Outer: 98% nylon; 2% elatic

Waterproof Breathable Socks Ultra Compression Knee High

Interlining: waterproof & breathable membrane

Inner: 70% bamboo; 30% nylon

Outer: 98% nylon; 2% elastic

Also looks like they have a crew and knee high sock that offer Merino Wool to help with warmth for cold weather.

Ok so enough talking about this and time to test out the socks. So, after having these socks for 2 months I have been wearing them around to try them in different settings. I wear a size 10.5 to 11 pending on a make of shoe. The size guide for these socks I needed a size large and that covers 9.5 to 12 shoe size. When I first put them on, they did not feel really snug on my feet like regular hiking socks do. Where the toes and bottom of the foot come together (MCP) after walking around that area of the sock just seem like it was loose and bunching up and the back of the ankle seemed loose. Rest of the foot felt good. At first glance when opening up the package I was a little concerned about seeing the seams where the sock was stitched together. My experience with seams is they create rubbing/hot spots that lead to blisters. But overall, with just normal wear out in the streets, stores, bicycle ride the sock was fine for all day wear and kept the foot dry and warm.

Ok now for the trail and water crossings. Will this sock keep your feet dry......Yes, but to a certain depth of water you are walking in. I wore these socks with sandals in the side bank of a river that had fresh snow melt. I was actually amazed on how well the socks made the water tolerable to step in and walk around. As soon as I took them off and put my foot in the water though, it was super cold to where it started to hurt from coldness so the sock keeping my feet warm was good. Because the water was so cold though it did make it feel like my feet were getting wet but when I got out of the water and tested the inside the sock and felt my feet, they were dry.

So now I decided to go a little deeper and had the water come over the cuff of the sock. Once I did that, I noticed air bubbles coming out of the top of the sock. I walked around then got out of the water and tested the inside of the sock and my feet. The socks had water on the inside and my feet were wet.

I had to turn the socks inside out get the water out and let them drip/air dry.

Now let us fast forward a couple of weeks. I went and grabbed the socks where they were hanging up and felt them, good news is they were not crusty or hard like normal socks would be. I put the socks back on with my sandals and this time went and walked in a stream. Once again, the socks made the water tolerable to step right in and walked in the stream. After walking down, the stream making sure the water did not come over the top of the cuff, my feet did feel wet. I then walked a mile in the soaked socks back to my vehicle, took the socks off, somehow a rock got inside but my feet were completely dry, and the inside of the sock was dry also. Reason I mentioned the rock is for a brief second water did go over the top of the cuff so at that second a rock must have gotten in, but water did not. Also, while walking in the wet socks back to my vehicle, the area of the foot I mention earlier where the toes and foot come together on the bottom (MCP) It did feel pretty loose/bunching up. But walking in that creek and mile down the road in the wet socks my feet did stay dry.

In conclusion after having these socks for 2 months and trying them out....in a very short answer yes, they did keep my feet dry, yes, they did keep my feet warm for the short period of time in the river and creek. Longer answer these socks are great for walking around in wet weather to keep your feet dry, they are great to bicycle in wet weather to help keep your feet dry.

Joggers and trail runners I would recommend buy 2 sizes and return the one size that feels to loose on your feet. I am not a jogger but when I do go jogging, I like my socks to be nice and snug on my feet and I think that will be the way to get the fit you may like on your feet. But otherwise, they are a good sock when going through mud puddles and shallow creeks to keep your feet dry while jogging and trail running.

Day hikers and weekend warriors pending on the mileage you are going to do I would recommend you also order two sizes then return the one that feels too loose on your feet. I do not feel these are socks that you would want to wear on a hot day for over 8-10 miles, anything less pending on your comfort of hiking you could wear these for an entire hike. Anything more I do not think your feet would like you, but I do notice they have a coolmax waterproof sock, those may be good for hot days for longer distance. So, I would bring your normal pair of hiking sock just as long they are not cotton and use these LeakDry socks as water crossing socks just get the knee-high socks for water crossings.

Long trail hikers, I recommend getting the knee-high socks and then switching over to your water crossings shoes if you are one to have water crossing shoes. This would be the best way to keep your feet dry. Yes, it is annoying to change shoes and socks out for a water crossing but it is better than risking wet feet once you get out the water and continuing on for the next 20+ miles risking blisters, soft skin, bacteria, etc.

For fishermen, hunters, bicyclist, rainy day walkers, kayakers, snowshoers, snowboarders/skiers (anything in snow I would buy the mountain thermal socks for warmth) these socks will do you good at keeping your feet dry.

These socks price range are between $19.99 - $46.99 USD and yes, they keep your feet dry just as long the cuff of the sock is not submerged under water. Please check out the video on YouTube @Goodrows Adventures Leakdry Sock Review that will be posted on Sunday June 25th 2023

Thank you to LeakDry Socks for their patience with me in the long wait to get this review done.

Thank you and Happy Hiking.

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