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In partnership with Endura
Nothing quite compares to a new pair of socks so, when I was asked by the team at Endura if I wanted to try out their Hummvee Waterproof Socks II, I was excited. But, to be honest, I was also a little nervous. That’s because I was worried that Endura’s claim of waterproofness might be more like wishful thinking and less like actual fact.
Normally when I’m feeling nervous I’ll jump on the bike and head out for a spin to clear my head and you would’ve thought that this would have been an ideal opportunity to trial them. Instead, I opted to make a sock puppet and go paddling down at the beach.
Whilst this may sound as if I’ve lost the plot, it was actually a series of rigorous tests that I carried out in order to test the socks. The Hummvee socks offer a lot to be excited about on paper, but I wanted to see how well they’d perform in the real world. Let’s take a look at the results.
What do Endura say
“Dry feet on a wet ride”
“breathable waterproof membrane that stops water getting in while letting sweat out”
“super soft yarn lining”
“perfect balance between comfort and performance”
Endura Hummvee Waterproof Socks II – color options
What do I like
When I first heard about the Hummvee socks, I pictured something that was a cross between a plastic bag and a wetsuit bootie, so I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the package to find what appeared to be a normal pair of socks.
They’re black, soft, stretchy and not thick and bulky. Pull them on and they feel good – they’re comfy and warm, and they reach up to around mid-calf on my hairy legs. With either my bike shoes or regular sneakers on they feel just right, without any extra thickness in the fabric that would cause bits of my feet to press up against the insides of the shoes.
The pair of socks I’ve been testing are the black in size L-XL. They’re available in three colors – black, forest green, and rust red – and in two sizes – S-M (to fit US 5.5-9) and L-XL (to fit US 9.5-13). The black pair I’ve got are stylish and understated – they’ve got the Endura logo in contrasting green, but this is inside your shoe.
They look good, they feel good, but how do they perform? Well, that’s when I started doing the sock puppet thing and heading to the beach for a paddle. I wanted to test out the waterproofing on these socks before I tried them out on my feet whilst cycling. If I was going to be disappointed then I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t going to spoil an otherwise great bike ride.
First up, a full immersion test featuring a large beaker of water and Mr sock puppet. It sounds silly and I did get some funny looks from the rest of my family, but it’s actually quite a challenging test for the socks because the water is at substantially higher pressure than you’d get with standard rain water or splashed puddles. And, how did it perform? Well, my hand went in dry…and came out dry. This was a full minute under water, not a quick dip, and yet there was no hint of any moisture getting into the sock. The outside of the sock was soaking (you can see this in the dark patch on the photo below) but none of this got past the waterproof layer to the inside.
The Hummvee socks passed the beach paddling test with similarly high marks. The outsides of the socks were wet but the insides (and my feet) stayed dry and warm.
With confidence I then took the socks out for a spin on the bike. It was the morning after a full night of rain and there were puddles everywhere. Normally I’d give these a wide berth but instead headed through the deepest parts of each of them. After the ride my feet were dry, and that was a surprise. Yes, I expected the waterproofing to work and keep the puddles out, but I didn’t know if I’d pay for that with sweaty feet and it was great to find that they were as breathable as Endura say.
Who’s it for
I’m usually looking for the small niche group of cyclists who’d particularly value a certain item of bike gear. Fixie bikes for hipsters, full face helmets for hard core MTBers, and ear-splittingly loud sirens for kids bikes.
In the case of Endura’s Hummvee socks though it feels as if they’re perfect for all cyclists. Well, any cyclist who likes to keep their feet dry, which is about the same thing. Roadies will love them. So will Mountain bikers. Long-distance cyclists will really appreciate them. Oh, and my mom wants a pair too.
Verdict
I have to say that, despite my earlier nervousness and scepticism about the waterproof claims on the Hummvee socks, I’m a total convert. They look fantastic, they feel soft and comfy, and they keep the water on the outside so your feet stay dry. I love them.
Grab yourself a pair now and go find some puddles.
