balance of yesterday article

MERINO WOOL SOCKS

The following description of a sock that the military is purchasing for their cold weather testing this winter is from a company I never heard of; Ellsworth & Company. They have created a very interesting construction for the bottom of the sock that supposedly has a unique way of getting the water from your foot out of where it is. But of course it does not get it out of the boot. As far as I could read on their web site they do not claim to get it out of the boot. The following I took directly from their web site.

“V-Channel Technology

US Patent #9226527

Just turn an Ellsworth sock inside out and you’ll see that it looks entirely different than any other sock ever constructed. Implementing a 3-Dimensional design of knit in Vapor Channels, the Ellsworth sock is the first to deal with moisture not only by way of fiber, but also most importantly by way of design!

The V-Channels create a passageway or a “path of least resistance” for sweat to escape from under the foot. With every step, air carrying sweat vapor is forced though the V-Channels keeping the foot drier, which in turn reduces blisters and enhances performance.

The V-Channel provides maximum comfort with cushioning unlike any other sock. The end result, a drier more comfortable foot. Feel the difference…”

What you have just read does not take place. I looked at the web site and looked for a phone number so I could ask how they accomplish what they claim. It is no different than calling gore and asking how they accomplish with goretex what they claim. Or call any company that sells close knit aerobic wear and ask how they wick moisture with polyester or close knit wool garments that they claim. In the event you actually speak with someone you will not get a coherent response.

The Ellsworth people obviously do not know that the moisture coming out of the pores of feet is liquid i.e. water. It is not vapor. Since the socks are made of wool the wool does with moisture what it does, it absorbs it. Once absorbed it goes nowhere. It does not convert to a vapor as they claim to be carried away.

If this action were possible where would the moisture go? Most of the time people are wearing boots that have goretex or a reasonable reproduction of goretex so the moisture has zero chance of leaving the boot. The same would be true if the boot did not have a goretex layer in it. Why because ALL of the moisture will have been absorbed by the wool the socks are made of. The end result is going to be wet feet and if in a cold environment wet and cold feet.

I think all of the purveyors of wool socks should offer them to people who do not go into the woods when it is cold. But, to wear them while being active athletically in warm conditions.

In cold conditions there are no socks comparable to Lamilite socks.

LETS SCREW UP COTTON!

Researchers work on “next generation” cotton

A team of research at Australian science agency CSIRO is working on a kind of cotton that has the properties of synthetic materials, including being stretchy, non-creasing and waterproof, while maintaining its natural qualities.

"We're looking into the structure of cotton cell walls and harnessing the latest tools in synthetic biology to develop the next generation cotton fibre," CSIRO scientist Dr Madeline Mitchell said.

The researchers have first worked on better understanding what determines the length, strength and thickness of cotton fibres. They are doing this by growing a range of different cotton plants, some with long, thin fibres and others with short, woolly fibres.

The motivation behind their work is the microfibre pollution caused by the washing of synthetic materials like polyester and nylon. These are not biodegradable and so can have a serious impact on waterways.

“CAN” have a serious impact on waterways? Synthetic fiber has been used since the 1940’s and so far there has not been any negative impact on the waterways! Synthetic fiber does not shed microfibers the way cotton or wool will do.

According to CSIRO, in 1995 synthetics made up around half of the global fibre market. By 2015, this had risen to 77%.

"Synthetics may be cheaper to produce and require less ironing but people like natural fibres - they would just prefer they didn't crease so much or they could stretch," Dr Mitchell said.
Cotton has been used for several thousands of years because it has proven to work, perform extremely well and in the past few years I have read articles from Cotton Inc. who promotes cotton pertaining to methods to “improve” it. They are trying to make it just like synthetic fiber; why? As far as I am concerned it is to possibly get companies that use 100 percent synthetics to change to the cotton. So now the Aussies are attempting to grow synthetic attributes. They will not succeed!

I love cotton, pants, shirts, underwear and socks for warm weather wearing. Lamilite socks in the colder months. I am a walking testimonial for cotton shirts over fishnet underwear in extreme cold conditions as I found out when I was lost. My cotton short was bone dry after three days of trudging through waist high snow when the temperature was -20 F.

It all boils down to marketing and making sales to make profits and as I have noted that seems to be the way of the outdoor industry and probably other industries where production is NOT in the USA.

I think the Aussies should spend their time and money on other ventures and stop trying to screw up cotton.