Liners? Liners!!!

“I tried a pair of REI liners for the first time this week. I went on a 20 mile hike and wore Zamberlan hiking shoes with Gore-Tex XCR. I have had these shoes for a year and they are uncomfortable but cost me so much that I hate to quit using them. Several people advised me to use liners under my socks but I keep putting it off. Now that I have tried them I will start using them on every trip. Before I buy more can anyone make any suggestions as to which brand and style is the best?”

“I just use a lightweight cool-max liner. I don't know what brand they are.”

“Same here. Whatever's on sale at Sierra Trading Post.”

“I tried a new pair of shoes on and wore them around REI for an hour. I liked them and was going to get them until I discovered a sleeping bag that I thought I just had to have, so I got it instead. It worked out good because the liners prevented the blisters that my present shoes were causing. I hate getting new shoes because they cost so much and you never know if you are going to like them until after the first trip. I liked my present shoes until after my first long trip with them.”

“ditto. i only use liners with my goretex hiking shoes. no socks. i got some nb ones at tjmaxx 2 pairs for $2.99. others from my work uniform supplier. both work great. coolmax is what counts.”

“Panty liners? You put panty liners in your boots?”

“Miss Anne Thrope check this address out.
http://www.rei.com/online/store/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=40000008000&langId=-1&storeId=8000&categoryId=4501316”

“Socks? I thought someone had a foot odor problem or something.

Hehehe”

“Always use liners under my wool socks.

Look for any thin "dress" sock you can find, as long as it is synthetic. I use some of the "gold toe" brand - thin, high-wick, and very cheap. Think I got a 3-pack a few years ago for 3 or 4 bucks.”

“The light weight Cool -Max is what i use too the breathe great and wick away the persperation. Nice thing is they are really thin so should not make fit a issue. Ive had boots that rub my heals raw turn into really nice boots with just that liner change.”

“no socks? daaaang, Sass!

i heart liners, too. i have no idea what kind i have, though!”

“Oh, and when I say "dress" socks, I don't mean the nice cushy ones. I mean the thin flat type.”

“Yeah good liners are like..........the best way to describe it is elastic silk very thin. If someone tries to sell you a "liner" thats as thick as say a regular white athletic sock don't do it its too thick. A very thin(like someone said) dress sock is another good way to put it.”

“Livers? Livers!!”

“A woman at work was giving away nylons. I have no idea why. I got some black nylon ankle things that work great. I guess they sell them in ladies hosiery.”

“Nylon stretch socks from Wally world.Ugly old man socks work great.”

“Wally world Home Depot and REI get all my money. What does that have to do with anything? I don't know but that is what you made me think of. I think I will try the cool max.”

“New Balance makes a great low top sock liner (the ones Sass mentioned). They are a really thin coolmax on the bottom and a thin coolmax mesh up top. VERY comfy.”

“I've used liners off and on for a couple of years now. I would suggest that seeing yer feet are the most important thing, it wouldn't matter to me how much i paid for them, I wouldn't struggle with them on the trail. Either take them back, or wear'em around town and chalk it up to a learning experiance. There are no points awarded for "gutting it out because yer shoes don't fit".

That being said, I'm a little disturbed at the fact bacpac just came out of hte closet.”

“Wigwam used to make a great liner called the Sahara, I think it was. Silky and thin, worked great but the elastic wore out and they wouldn't stay up. They were so silky that they'd just start slipping down inside the other sock if it wasn't snug enough, and that's no good.

I bought some liners at REI that have a microbial silver treatment that I tried with my GTX Asolos, but I still had a blister on my right heel. Didn't feel as silky to my foot, and I think that the friction issue is as crucial in the material as the wicking.

OTOH, I've been wearing, and loving, SmartWool liners as regular socks. Seem a bit thick for summer liners. Great for my boots which I've lost volume in due to adding supportive insoles, and great for use with regular shoes in winter.”

“Teckntrek is right. The really thin stretchy nylon ones are great with sandels and trail runners.Use a couple pairs when the temps drop.On a warm dry day, they dry after wash in 10 minutes.”

“Sierra Trading post sells polypro liners that are pretty nice for $2.75 per pair.”

“Cool I will check that out.”

“I tried several and have settled on the ones I get at Sports Authority, may be wigwam, but they are cheap, but the best I've used so far.”

“nice article on keeping your gear dry

http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/DryGear/index.html#Update%205-22-06”

“Thanks for the link. There is a lot of useful info.”