12-12-2016, 03:54 AM
It may seem trivial, but what you choose to put between your foot and your motorcycle boot may be as important as the boot itself. Not much thought about socks is needed for a trip around town -- something that goes with your pants and doesn't slide down into your boot is fine, but a long day trip or a multi-day tour is another matter. You want your feet to be dry and as comfortable as possible relative to the riding temperature.
I recently was introduced to the marvels of alpaca fibers (some in the alpaca biz want to avoid using the word "wool"). Alpaca fiber is not itchy, hypoallergenic, and is warmer and more durable than (sheep) wool. Last summer, my wife arranged for our family to spend a weekend on an alpaca ranch in Wisconsin. The ranch is also a B&B and would be an excellent motorcycle destination for a motorcycling couple. We had a great time and I bought three pairs of socks there; one for golfing and the other two for hiking, snowshoeing and/or motorcycling (mostly motorcycling, of course).
There are many styles of alpaca socks from which to choose even from this one supplier. I opted for a lighter weight one for summer/warmer days and the thickest one I could find for cold riding, hiking, or snowshoeing days.
Lighter Weight Sock - Click Here
I used this sock all summer and on my trip to West Virginia in the fall. I think that I may have opted for the thicker sock a particularly cold morning on the WV trip, but aside from that these socks kept my feet comfortable in both the heat of the summer and the cool of the fall. They naturally wick away moisture which is why they kept my feet so comfy.
[url=http://www.sabambaalpaca.com/store/productDetail.php?id=36]Winter Sock - Click Here
I wore these on my 24 degree ride this past Saturday. I will confess that my feet did get cold, but not cold enough to cut my ride short. In fact it was my fingers, even with heated grips that lead to my decision to head home. They are very warm and, like the others, wick moisture away from your feet which keeps you comfortable. I have used them snowshoeing on a couple of occasions in very cold temps.
The great thing about both of these socks is that they don't get smelly and rarely need to be washed. Sally explained why this was, something about structure of alpaca fiber and the percentage of that fiber in these socks, but I was skeptical. However, both my wife and I can attest that the socks have remained odor-free and that we have only washed them when they got dirty (as in actual dirt in the fibers). I wore the lighter weight socks for 9 out of 10 days in a row on our West Virginia trip. I just wore different socks in the evening so that my riding socks could air out. Yeah, it may sound less than hygienic, but I am hear to tell you that they definitely lived up to Sally's hype.
The only downside is that you should wash them by hand and with a mild shampoo and then air-dry them. This doesn't take very long, but it's not as easy as just tossing them in the washing machine.
[Incidentally, the ankle-socks I bought for golfing work great, too, but they do not have as high a percentage of alpaca fiber and therefore need to be machine-washed after each use, just like regular sock. It's still better to air-dry these, though. ]
So, if you're in the market for some durable and comfortable socks, try alpaca socks. if you're going to try them, I recommend contacting [url=http://www.sabambaalpaca.com/]http://www.sabambaalpaca.com/ and maybe even calling Sally.
I recently was introduced to the marvels of alpaca fibers (some in the alpaca biz want to avoid using the word "wool"). Alpaca fiber is not itchy, hypoallergenic, and is warmer and more durable than (sheep) wool. Last summer, my wife arranged for our family to spend a weekend on an alpaca ranch in Wisconsin. The ranch is also a B&B and would be an excellent motorcycle destination for a motorcycling couple. We had a great time and I bought three pairs of socks there; one for golfing and the other two for hiking, snowshoeing and/or motorcycling (mostly motorcycling, of course).
There are many styles of alpaca socks from which to choose even from this one supplier. I opted for a lighter weight one for summer/warmer days and the thickest one I could find for cold riding, hiking, or snowshoeing days.
Lighter Weight Sock - Click Here
I used this sock all summer and on my trip to West Virginia in the fall. I think that I may have opted for the thicker sock a particularly cold morning on the WV trip, but aside from that these socks kept my feet comfortable in both the heat of the summer and the cool of the fall. They naturally wick away moisture which is why they kept my feet so comfy.
[url=http://www.sabambaalpaca.com/store/productDetail.php?id=36]Winter Sock - Click Here
I wore these on my 24 degree ride this past Saturday. I will confess that my feet did get cold, but not cold enough to cut my ride short. In fact it was my fingers, even with heated grips that lead to my decision to head home. They are very warm and, like the others, wick moisture away from your feet which keeps you comfortable. I have used them snowshoeing on a couple of occasions in very cold temps.
The great thing about both of these socks is that they don't get smelly and rarely need to be washed. Sally explained why this was, something about structure of alpaca fiber and the percentage of that fiber in these socks, but I was skeptical. However, both my wife and I can attest that the socks have remained odor-free and that we have only washed them when they got dirty (as in actual dirt in the fibers). I wore the lighter weight socks for 9 out of 10 days in a row on our West Virginia trip. I just wore different socks in the evening so that my riding socks could air out. Yeah, it may sound less than hygienic, but I am hear to tell you that they definitely lived up to Sally's hype.
The only downside is that you should wash them by hand and with a mild shampoo and then air-dry them. This doesn't take very long, but it's not as easy as just tossing them in the washing machine.
[Incidentally, the ankle-socks I bought for golfing work great, too, but they do not have as high a percentage of alpaca fiber and therefore need to be machine-washed after each use, just like regular sock. It's still better to air-dry these, though. ]
So, if you're in the market for some durable and comfortable socks, try alpaca socks. if you're going to try them, I recommend contacting [url=http://www.sabambaalpaca.com/]http://www.sabambaalpaca.com/ and maybe even calling Sally.
Yes, "Yak Socks in Dillsburg" is a Dr. Seuss book