Meet our new best friends - they're Vara merino
wool socks from New Zealand and they're be appearing in the UK
for the first time courtesy of Chocolate Fish, one of OM's
shopping partners.
Merino, if
you've been asleep for the past couple of years, is a super fine wool
from - doh - merino sheep. The fineness of the fibres means that
there's no itching problems, as with coarser wool, and a whole lot of
other pluses.
We've found merino very comfortable in both sock and baselayer
form, warm when it's cool but still comfortably cool when it's hot,
which is an impressive trick if you can manage it. The other huge
plus with merino, is that its naturally odour resistant, so you can
wear your merino socks without ponging out the hut or tent in the
evening.
We have a few pairs of the Vara socks to try here and so far we're
very impressed. In the mode of modern walking socks, a lot of thought
has gone into the design and construciton as well as the choice of
materials. That means the sole, toe and heel area get thicker, looped
cushioned areas for comfort, while an elasticated arch support gives
a secure fit across the forefoot.
The 'walker' and 'hiker' ranges are probably most interesting for
hill and mountain walkers with the hikers being the more padded and
cushioned sock. One thing we really like is that the walkers come in
an ultra-low trainer liner type cut as well as an ankle-version -
both are ideal for anyone who's converted to approach shoes for
non-winter walking and can't locate a decent, low-cut technical sock
to suit.
The low-ankle version is particularly neat and sports a cushioned
tab behind the achilles, which both protects the back of the ankle
from the shoe's 'achilles protector' tab and also seems to prevent
the sock from slipping down, the bane of many lower cut socks. Some
of that is undoubtedly down to the overall cut of the sock as well.
Great for low-cut cycling shoes as well.
Definitely an option worth considering if you're in the sock
market. Chocolate Fish is also selling a full range of Supreme merino
baselayers and underwear, more about that soon.
Further details from
www.chocolatefish.co.uk
or via the link on our shopping section to the left of this page. See
also
www.varanz.com.
