Blisters? - Not this time, Sue tries Injinji hiking socks with success

Blisters, hot spots and sore feet, Sue's hiking curse!

Ever since we have been hiking together Sue's feet have caused her problems. She has an odd shaped little toe that curls under her fourth toe and she always gets blistering and severe pain. Following one long walk, the skin on one little toe "de-gloved" to her dismay, and it took several weeks to heal. She has tried many solutions to prevent this problem including visiting a podiatrist, taping, padding, vaseline and bandaids. She has also replaced her boots twice to see if different styles might help. These have been successful to varying degrees but can be time consuming and , unless she was vigilant, she often received blisters anyway.


Franks's feet at the end of a recent hike - blisters, dirt and tape



One Sunday she was reading "Great Walks Magazine" magazine and saw an ad for Injinji socks that make the claim of reducing blistering and sore feet for not only hiking but runners, athletes and other sports people.



The blurb on the website describes the Outdoor Series tetratsok :

as an interface system specifically designed to perform and adapt to any type of terrain. Engineered with AIS:technology and constructed with Injinji’s exclusive natural wicking Nüwool™, the tetratsok provides exceptional comfort and performance unlike any other athletic wool sock.

She immediately tracked down Paul, the Australian Injinji guru by phone , and subsequently ordered a pair by email . They arrived in time for our November trip into the Walls of Jerusalem. The socks are quite a wierd configuration, more like toe gloves than socks.

They were invented by two brothers in the US. Again, from the website:

In 1999, the Romay brothers set out to redesign the basic structure and shape of the regular sock. Their intentions were pure and simple: “We wanted to create the best possible interface that allowed the entire foot to perform naturally and freely inside our shoes, just like being barefoot. There had to be a way to combine the comfort and dexterity of bare feet with the protection of a seamless sock. Everything about the conventional tube sock works against your feet’s natural form and function.”
Consider the difference between gloves and mittens: Mittens keep your fingers together to create a warmer, oven-like environment, while gloves offer less warmth but more dexterity. The same principles can be applied to our feet. Conventional socks force your toes to work together as one unit, creating unprotected friction, heat and moisture build up, and constricting the circulation of the foot. Have we been wearing mittens on our feet all this time?


So, what was the result? Excellent according to Sue. No blisters. No taping or padding. Just the tetratsok's and her normal boots! A VERY satisfied customer.

These wierd looking injinji tetratsok's on Sue's feet after walking from the carpark up to Wild Dog Creek platforms.

With an incredible coincidence we met some other hikers from Queensland on that same walk. Howard and Jo BOTH wear injinji socks!! They have been using them for a while and were very happy with them. Pictured below are Howard's feet in the socks. Howard reckons they are great, and have saved his feet from blisters and soreness on many occasions.

Howard's feet resting at Wild Dog Creek just outside the Walls of Jerusalem.

So two positive testimonials on the same socks, they sound like a winner to us!

Paul, from Injinji socks ,is offering a 10% discount to "Our Hiking Blog" readers when purchasing by email, so check them out, and if you order any use the promotion code "Franksblog" to receive the discount

Paul was also kind enough to agree to advertise on "Our Hiking Blog" so, as much as we love the socks, we are also received a small donation for the advertisement.

Related Posts
Injinji Socks and blisters - an Independant review
Blisters? Sore feet? These socks really work!



8 comments:

Miguel said...

Toe socks have been sold in Japan for a long time now, like these:
http://www.natashascafe.com/html/5toes.html

It's a good idea to apply the idea to hiking socks.

Frank and Sue said...

Yes, it was a great idea. Sue was very happy with the ones for hiking. Our kids have some non-hiking toe socks that are all bright colours. Thanks for the comment.

goinggreen said...

These socks are by far the best socks I have ever worn for any activity and the more dificult the activity the more valuable they become. You can also check out www.injinjistore.com for more products by Injinji.

Frank and Sue said...

Hi Harold,
Definitely agree. Keep an eye out for a post about Sue's recent hike. Injinji socks = NO blisters!

Anonymous said...

These are awesome socks, I wear them around the house, and when I'm out running!

Unknown said...

Hi,
I just ordered some of these socks, and am looking forward to trying them out. I have the same problem Sue does! Anyway, if you order online, you can't get the 10% discount because you need a "promotional code", and "our hiking blog" was not accepted in that field. Maybe you guys should contact Paul again, and post the code on your blog. Liz in New York

Frank and Sue said...

Hi Liz,
Sorry it has taken so long to get back to you, been distracted by work.

Sorry to hear you have the same foot problems as Sue and I really hope the socks help. I have contacted Paul and he has given me a code BUT I have lost the email so will recontact him (I feel really dumb about this)

btw, where do you hike around New York? Have you ever been to Oz?

Hope you feet get better and I will get that code up.

Frank

Anonymous said...

Check out ENGO Patches too! They apply on your footwear, not your skin - wherever friction causes painful rubbing and blisters.

Injinji socks are great. When I have ENGO patches on the heel and tongue of my shoe, blisters don't stand a chance. Injinji socks for toe blisters and ENGO for the rest.

Check out their website: www.goengo.com