DryMax Socks

Did I mention how nice it is to have connections???? A tri buddy of mine has an online sports apparel company called Racing Toes. You may remember the logo on butt of my tri suit (not to be confused with camel toes EMZ!)

Anywho, they sent me some sweet trail running socks to try and review. I received the DryMax Maximum Protection and the Lite Trail Running socks.

Lite Mini Crew

Maximum Protection 1/4 crew

These bad boys were meant specifically for trail running. They have a few key components specific to trail running:

~Debris prevention~They intentionally left out the “vents” found in a lot of other socks to help prevent debris getting into the socks. There is also a special shoe seal around the ankle area to help keep debris from entering the top of the socks.

~Moisture control~Wetness is always a concern for trail runners. We splash through creeks on a regular basis, sometimes by choice sometimes by necessity. And can work up a serious case of swamp foot by the end of a long trail run. These socks are made with a fancy schmansy “Dual Layer Moisture Elimination System” to help remove excess sweat, creek water, and pond scum. ~Extra protection~These socks are densely padded but not thickly padded. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but just keep reading. Think extra protection, without the bulk.

I wore the Lite Trail Running socks this past weekend and I was a very happy camper. I wore them around the house for a bit just to make sure they fit my foot well. They felt just like any other sock, I honestly didn’t expect to feel any difference between these socks and any other sock. But once I put my shoes on, I could tell an immediate difference. I could feel the “dense” padding. They felt fluffy and comforting, just like little bunny slippers on my feet (how sweet!) With a sock this “fluffy”, I would normally expect to feel like my foot was crammed into my shoes, but these socks don’t take up the extra room that a THICK padded sock does. Weird….it almost defies the laws of physics! I also worry a fair amount about the toe seams of socks. If a seam is too pronounced (or there at all in some socks) it gets bunched up around my toes creating a blister friendly environment. Happy to say, these flat seams do not intertwine with my toes at all…..no blistered toes. As for moisture control, I did not encounter any bodies of water during my run, but they do their job moving sweat. I have mondo sweaty feet (ewwww!) It was a warm day out, and my feet were toasty in them, but not overly toasty. I would have expected my feet to be dripping with sweat, but they were bone dry after my run. I do wonder how they will fare in the sweltering NC summers. These may be reserved for sub-70ish degree runs. But these will now be my go-to socks for cold runs. Also happy to report that the anti debris system does indeed keep the trail trash out of my shoes. Basically, these socks ROCK!

Happy dance, for happy feet!

So hop on over to Racing Toes and pick up some socks, peruse the rest of their site, they have some pretty cool things. And for you NC locals, check out the link to the Lincolnton Biathlon on their website while you’re at it, I will be there….you should too! Thanks again Kim!!!!!