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Are there any?
Mine seem to be like normal socks, but more expensive. [sealskinz and dexshell]
Is there a knack to this?
sealskins are waterproof, ime, but they do let water in via the hole in the top.
I've worn long waterproof trousers and ended up with shoes swimming in water but still had dry feet.
wearing them with shorts or 3/4's my feet stay warm as although they get wet inside it's not a constant flow so it warms up and my feet don't get cold.
I got some from Aldi. Tested them Sunday, in very wet conditions. Worked excellently, until the rain was biblical and water ran down legs into the socks. There is no way around that of course.
They are £9.99 at the moment in store.
All socks that I've seen have a big hole in them!
Unless you get something like knee length SealSkinz then any sock will let water in when they are immersed. It may only be a little bit with the better makes but each time will let more in. Also if you get bits of grit in your shoe then you need to remove it ASAP as it will wear a hole in your sock pretty quickly.
Generally I don't worry about it - socks that act like wet suits will retain any water that ingresses but your body will warm the water up. What you don't want is a flow of water over your feet with water that you've warmed up being replaced by fresh cold water.
Wwaswas +1, all waterproof socks have a big hole at the top. I've never had a pair of sealskinz actually leak.
Same applies to waterproof boots, although some people claim success with drysuit cuffs worn the wrong way around to divert water over the top of the sock.
I've got some polypropylene socks for sailing which are great as they don't retain any water, the opposite idea to whitestone's idea that they should work like a wetsuit, they're freezing cold when stood in a puddle, but dry out almost immediately, which is great in a goretex boot which keeps most of the water out but allows the damp sock to evaporate out.
I use knee length sealskinz and a couple of wraps of black (you can use other colours) electrical tape to keep them in place, wear thin pair of merino socks underneath for toasty toes
No problems
Don't bother. Walkers have had the solution for years - big merino wool walking socks. You can be down at minus ten and have warm feet. If you get wet feet in cold conditions they do the job of being wet-but-warm.
I swear by brigdales myself and ride in all temperatures.
My newer Seal Skins have a righter rubber seal inside the cuff, which is better at keeping the water out. Probably not as effective as a drysuit cuff or taping it up, but works ok. Knee length would work even better.
The knee length Dexshell's have a seal at the top. Probably not to the level of a full drysuit but good enough if you have waterproof trousers over them.
those look good but they want £15 postage!
For that reason, I'm out.
Found them on ebay...
Is there a knack to this?
Yes. Wear a thin pair of cotton sports socks under the sealskins. this stops the socks getting damp from your own sweat and to some extent the inner socks cuff soaks up the small amount of wet coming in through the top of the sock. In extremely wet weather trousers that cover the cuff stop them being filled up from above.
also. don't do your shoes up tight, but that's for circulation and keeeping your feet warm when your shos are soaked through rather than keeping water out of your sealskins.
I've worn genuine sealskins for well over 15 years on every proper ride wet or dry summer or winter and found Aldi's ones slightly better than genuine Sealskins.
Water doesn't matter. All socks have a hole in them. Sealskins let you get water round your feet but it will warm up.
The problem is wind. If you are out in cold windy conditions then your feet will get cold.Solution is to accept wet feet but keep the wind off them. Overshoes or suchlike.
These are as good as you need.
https://www.inmotionproducts.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=94&cat=OZZO+Cycling+Overshoes
I wore sealskinz with a pair of gaiters over them but under my knee pads one winter. Looked absolutely stupid but kept my feet dry. One of my worst mornings on an uplift was with waterproof socks holding water and not having to do enough pedaling to warm up. Stuck normal socks on in the afternoon and although wet were so much more pleasant.
Last winter solution was waterproof trousers with a fairly tight cuff over the waterproof socks which worked too.
Am currently preferring the fit and feel of the Aldi ones to Sealskinz.
Those gripgrabs are going on my christmas list!
thisisnotaspoon
Wwaswas +1, all waterproof socks have a big hole at the top. I’ve never had a pair of sealskinz actually leak.
Make that +2.
One thing though, make sure you get a relaxed fit, not a tight one.
Another thing to watch for is to make sure that some numpty has not pierced the toes for the swing tags in the store...
I have a knee length pair of sealskinz and a pair of the Aldi ones
I wore a thin pair of synthetic socks for a bikepacking trip in the lakes that I knew would be wet. Wore a waterproof jacket and shorts, but normal socks
I find they get wet anyway, so if I can keep them walk enough (wasn't particularly cold) then I'm OK. I put on dry socks for bed, but put wet socks back on the next day, they soon warm up
Ive no issues with sealskins if working within the limitations of the hole at the top....with this in mind, ive found the longer ones better and, if particularly wet, ive got rubber wristbands (think livestrong charity bands and the like) and put them on over the top of the sealskin socks near the top to improve the seal (does depend on how massive your calves are though)
Dexshell seem longer lasting than Sealskin. I use lengths of motorcycle inner tube as a gasket. Just like those things in the pick but free.
The cuff of a sock is not a hole. Basic topology 🙂
I have goretex bootliners. Ex mod. I use them to inspect bridges which involves standing and moveing around alot in water.
I have sealskins and have had success with cutting the cuffs off a pair of Wilko heavy duty rubber gloves and using them over the top of the sock. Nice cheap solution. Think I read about it on here a while ago.
Sealskinz work up to a point, but when you start riding along trails that have turned into streams they do wet out, as I found out this weekend.
Camaro neoprene. Even the thin ones are so warm you'll sweat in them midwinter though. Warm and wet rather than cold and wet.
Ordered a new pair of Sealskins from Merlin earlier for ~£5, along with some other winter gear, they have 10% discount applied to basket for some brands including Sealskinz and Funkier.
I never have this issue with water running down my legs into the waterproof socks - maybe because I have trousers / tights over the socks? Worn them in some very wet conditions. I love them. One thing i do tho is get them slightly too big so you don't stretch them too much. I wonder if that makes them last better?
I've stopped using waterproof socks as a sock full of water is grim. After a few commutes getting to work and being able to pour water out I put some holes in the bottom for drainage. Worked better at keeping the cold and grimness away. I ended up with elastic bands on the cuffs. Now I just use a couple of pairs of socks to stay warm and just get wet.
Very pleased with my dexshells. Fit's really important though, and high tops will always work better.
even if they leak, like my knackered ancient sealskinz, it's still miles better than the alternative- sure you get wet feet but you'd have definitely got that anyway, the difference is you get one dose of water that you can warm up, instead of a constant fresh stream
IIRC Sealskinz used to use the same membrane as Dexshells until they each went their own way.