For anyone putting in big adventures in the outdoors, the feet take on a lot of abuse and wear, so comfort and health of our feet, especially for type ones is critically important.
I was stoked when the quality assurance department at Stance asked me to field test a pair of their ‘Adventure Hike Lite’ crew socks.
I had a planned climbing trip coming up which involved a bit of hiking and a bit of climbing, so I made a point to pack these socks for the perfect one-day field test.
Full disclosure: I’m not paid by Stance for this review, I had signed up to be a field tester for a prototype product and review with them directly via a survey my thoughts on the product after using them for 6 weeks. This review is separate from that survey.
Expedition Beta
The one-day climb expedition to El Cajon Mountain in eastern San Diego County, California.
• 200+ feet of climbing on quality granite.
• A 2-mile approach hike with 700+ feet of gain.
• No water or facilities along the way, so everything needs to be packed in and packed out.
(with gear, it’s a nicely loaded backpack)
• A hike in to get to the base is locally known as “The hardest 2 mile hike in San Diego”
That’s just what I’ve heard, not sure if it’s official.
For many “multi-sport” activities, it often means a change in gear at some point during the activity, which means extra stuff, extra bulk in the pack, extra weight, etc. As much as possible I try to find versatility in the stuff I take out, more multi-use, less single-use for as many items as possible. You know, bring less stuff… Carry less weight!
So, if these socks can withstand a tough two-mile, steep hike on a rocky trail, with class 1 to class 3 scrambling with a heavy pack + a multi-pitch climb on high quality granite, AND hold up their comfort throughout, then that’s a win/win all around!
Let’s see how these socks fare shall we?
The Approach:
part I
Here we go!
6:00am, My partner in climb, JD, and I started the day with gear packed and sorted the night before. and the new field test socks on my feet before heading out the door.
Breakfast was a protein bomb of hard boiled eggs, bacon and espresso, all chowed down in the car during the 45 minute drive to the trailhead.
The trail begins as a nice, meandering single track though an oak grove, reminiscent of something you’d expect to see Sam and Frodo on just outside the Shire. But, don’t get too comfortable, this trail is about to turn on you.
Be warned!
The Approach:
part II
About a mile in, The trail seems angry. It just feels angry. Steep sections, stair-stepped boulders, sticks, tufts of Pampas grass, loose rock, sand and gravelly bits under foot.
Initial reports from the feet down below were pretty quiet. I hardly noticed the socks at all. Invisible to my mind, which is really fantastic. No hot spots, No cold spots. Nothing except for the occasional pebble in the shoe to even remind me that I was wearing new footwear. So far so good!
Finally, at the base
At the base of the climb, we rested our heavy packs and scarfed a quick bite to eat. It had been almost two hours of hiking by this point. nearly 2000 ft. of elevation gained, and roughly 2 miles of land covered.
We scuttled into our harnesses, donned the helmets, flaked out the climbing rope and switched hiking shoes for climbing shoes and squished the soft climbing rubber into the pink granite hillside.
Climb Time!
Keeping those feet happy
Most climbers have a preference about socks, and for me I prefer to wear socks while climbing outdoors and especially on multi-pitch routes that detain the feet in climbing shoes for a large part of the day. It’s a comfort thing, for sure, and I prefer to wear the thinnest possible sock material if I have any choice in the matter. I can usually go with low-profile running socks, that way, my shoes stay snug without too much movement between the foot and the inner shoe. It’s about friction, both inside and outside the shoe.
All day on the rock
Comfort is key while out in the airy, vertical world.
You’re out there.
Exposed.
There’s a lot of stuff going on while climbing and if the feet are happy, that’s a big win! If the feet stay dry, as in, not sweating in the heat, and stay warm in the cold wind, I can focus on important stuff, like safety, knots, protection, route finding, rope, my partner on the other end of said rope, and good climbing in general.
Final thoughts
Overall, these socks performed great! They were comfortable on the approach and during the climb. They never slipped down off my enormous calves, which most socks tend to do, by the way.
I could tell there’s a lot of tech that went into these socks.
I could tell these socks are built to be worked in, not so much for relaxation, a little too snug for my taste, but, that’s just me. I rarely wear socks around the house, or at the campsite, or backyard, or beach, so, of course once we returned to the car, yep, they were off. Off to join the rest of the climbing gear in the back of the car.
Welcome to the collection
I hand pick every piece of gear I take climbing and I’ll climb outdoors with these socks again, for sure. They feel tough, like they mean business, and I’m impressed.
Welcome to my gear collection!
Here’s a short video from the field test day up On El Cajon Mountain
Leave a comment in the section below if you have found the socks from Stance to be just what you needed for outdoor adventure, or perhaps any other style, brand, footwear in general that really makes a difference with multi sport activities in the outdoors.
