I got something I have to admit. When I am hiking or trail running, I sweat a lot. When I get done with an enduring run in the woods, I literally have to peel off my socks. It doesn’t matter if it is 80 degrees or 25, I still perspire heavily.

When I read the claim the Wigwam Company was making that there socks wick away the moisture I had to give them a try. By the way, the company is located in Wisconsin; My home state.

The Wigwam Company uses Cool Max technology for their socks. Cool Max polyester fiber is designed for wicking the moisture up through the top of sock. This design speeds up the evaporation of perspiration.

The trail that I tested the socks on is a favorite of mine. It is a long esker that was formed from the glaciers. An esker is a long mound of gravel that was formed under a glacier as a riverbed. When the glaciers retreated back north, the mound of gravel remained there. The temperature on testing day was about 30 degrees with a lingering snow and a cold stiff north wind.

The first half of the run I was running into the wind and it took a while to get to the point of staying continuously warm. But when I turn around and started to head back I could feel my cotton T-shirt getting wet. The interesting thing that I noticed in this run was that my feet were dry and warm. Also, the socks were soft and helped cushion my feet from the impact on the trail.

Final analysis

The big test of coarse is when I took the socks off. And when I did, my feet were completely dry. A first time event for me. Now I wish that I bought a couple more pairs.

The company gave some advice to help make the Ultimax hiker socks last longer:

• Turn socks inside out before washing.

• Wash in warm water.

• Do not use bleach. It will destroy the sock.

• Do not use fabric softener. It can lose the effectiveness of the wicking moisture.

• Tumble dry with low heat.

• Remove socks from the dryer promptly to prevent overheating.