Skinners

menu_book picture_as_pdf book Matt McClelland Gear Australia

Issue_22_April_2017-42

Last year I ordered a pair of Skinners from a crowdfunding campaign. The best way I can describe them is that they are a sock/shoe thingy. Not all crowdfunded campaigns deliver on their hype, so I was sceptical. They delivered close on time, but I was still not sure they would be any good.

Skinners put to the test

SkinnersThe Socks You Can Walk In

Matt McClelland

42 | BWA April 2017

Much of my misspent youth was spent barefoot, whether collecting melted tarmac when crossing roads in summer or wandering around the uni campus. Over the past decade shoes have become a more common part of my attire. I do miss that barefoot feeling at times, although my feet are now pretty soft.

When I saw Skinners, I was thinking they could be good alternative for shoes around camp. I usually don’t bother carrying a second pair of shoes for the campsite or river crossings; the extra weight is just not worth it. If a walk is mostly dry then I will attempt to keep my shoes dry on river crossings, although if there are several river crossings or if there's wet weather I tend to just walk through. I generally walk in cheap runners most of the time and only use boots for alpine and desert walking. After a long day of walking I like to get the shoes off, but that has risks around camp.

My purchase scepticismOnline (and in real life) Skinners look like black socks with black softfall (little bits of rubber) stuck to the sole and around the edges. I had a few questions:

Would the rubber stay on, how quickly would it fall off?

Would the sock be firm enough to stop the Skinners rotating around your feet, especially on slopes?

Would they wash easily and would they get stinky?

Would they be firm enough to protect feet more than boots?

Would they actually be comfortable to walk in?

The campaign suggested I should relax as the rubber is strong: you can even walk on glass. They said that these are great for running on and off path, that they are silver impregnated to stop the stink, that they are comfy and could be used as shoes. I figured for the $US48 price tag (including delivery) that it was worth the risk.

UnpackingThe Skinners came in the usual plastic envelope that most online purchases come in, very little waste, no fancy presentation, just the pair of Skinners and a black carry bag. The Skinners were joined with that annoying plastic tag that all socks seem to be joined with. I was happy that they did not go over the top with packaging.

DescriptionSkinners are a type of lightweight minimalist shoe, that look like a pair of socks. Although they look like socks, they are not, they are simple shoes. When I unpacked them my son said they look like a pair of socks that someone had used to walk through a puddle of rubber. I am sure this would insult the designers, but I can see my son’s point. They are like a firm fitting black sock, with rubber sprayed on the outside bottom and sides. Your foot only touches the sock material and there is no rubber on the inside. The sock has antibacterial silver woven through and is very elastic. They roll up for packing, come in six sizes and weigh about 160 grams a pair depending on the size.

FitI think this was the thing that surprised me the most, I put them on and they felt really comfy. Like, really comfy. I walked around

“I do miss that barefoot feeling at times ...

BWA April 2017 | 43

indoors and they felt snug. I through the rubber would feel weird, and I guess it is different, but comfy. It was like wearing slippers but not flip/flopping. They prevent you from sliding on slippery floors such as glossy tiles, polished floor boards, carpet, outdoor timber and concrete but don’t stick as you walk.

Bushwalk in the wetThe real test I wanted to perform was how well they they performed on a walk on a rocky and sandy track in the rain. So during

a heavy downpour I put on the Skinners and took off. Wow, they actually work. As with all minimalist shoes you do feel the surface, the rocks and sticks but most of the sharpness is removed. You do need to be more mindful of how you walk than with boots.

Water in my socks?The soles of the Skinners are cited as being waterproof so you can wander along a wet surface and your feet stay dry. I am sceptical of the waterproof shoes idea - these just sound like buckets on your feel and more weight to carry when they fill up. This might actually be a handy feature to keep your feet try around camp. I crossed a few creeks in the Skinners, and it was like walking in wetsuit booties, but after leaving the creek the bulk of the water “pumped” out in about 3-4 steps. The wrung out wet weight of the the Skinners was 260 grams - more water retained then I would have liked. A dry weight of 180 grams.

Check Skinners video

“... during a heavy downpour I put on the Skinners and took off.

44 | BWA April 2017

Sand build up?With ankle socks I sometimes get sand building up in the socks in both wet and dry conditions leading to foot abrasion. I was surprised that in my testing the Skinners did not seem to catch sand on the inside, I guess because of the more firm fit. I was also expecting the rough rubber sole to collect clay and become clogged, so I jumped in a few wet clay areas and the Skinners only retained a small amount on the surface. They performed better than my normal walking shoes.

Durability?When washing my Skinners the first time I used a bag to collect the rubber bits that fell off - there were seven small pieces in total. In the second wash after heavy use there were none. It seems like a good idea to wash them first to minimise the amount of rubber left in the bush. All shoes do wear in the bush, the less we leave obviously the better. My early testing shows that the rubber is actually very stable and strong and the bits that fell off were just ones that did not stick as well during manufacturing. It is too early for me to make a call on longevity, but they do feel way sturdier then I was expecting.

Foot movement?This was a big question for me, How can you walk in what are effectively socks with a rubberised outer and not slide about? Sometimes socks rotate a bit in my shoes, surely these will. Well, these fit really well, and are shaped to a left and right foot. The Skinners are nearly as firm as an ankle bandage. I walked up a wet sandstone rock on a 45 degree angle and was fine, better than my shoes. Forces along the length of the foot are fine. There is a small amount of turning when walking along a slope on the

edge of your foot, but again probably less than a shoe. They worked well with a small amount of rock hopping. It will be interesting to see how well they retain their elasticity over time but after the initial tests I am very happy.

With socks?They say you can wear your Skinners with socks. Socks with socks? So I figured I should at least try it, I must admit it did not even occur to me. Well, thin socks work fine, but I am not sure why you would, maybe a bit of extra padding. Okay, so the next obvious thing to try was do they work as socks in shoes - answer is don’t bother, it was just plain weird :)

Hot weatherUnfortunately I could not try the Skinners out on a hot day. I will be interested to see if there is an issue with the sole of my foot getting hot and sweating more than usual. The base of the Skinners are a reasonable insulator (handy in cooler weather), but since they are firm fitting I wonder if heat might build up a bit. I suspect this would only be an issue if running or walking longer distance. Although I could imagine some people walking in these all day, I do not plan to, so I am not too worried about this issue.

ImpactI am am interested in the local and global environmental impact products can have. Skinners obviously use less material than most footwear to produce and the company suggests that unlike normal shoes there is very little waste. Skinners are also produced in Europe and although not immune to human exploitation it is much less likely to occur than in other countries that have few legal protections.

We do not really yet understand the impact of nanoparticle materials like the silver used to prevent bacterial growth. This is helpful in stopping the socks from getting stinky, but I am not sure of the impact if can have if it builds up in a natural environment. These types of materials are becoming more and more common. Similar concerns exist with

“I walked up a wet sandstone rock on a 45 degree angle and was fine, better then my shoes.

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the rubber beads that can break off from the Skinners. I suspect in a low dose the impact in negligible, but I can find little quality research in this area.

I think having soft sole footwear like this makes the walker more aware of where they are walking and less likely to have the same heavy impact that leather boots can have in delicate environments.

Leech attackA few friendly leeches decided to hitch a ride on my Skinners. This was not in my test plan or even on my radar as a question, but I was curious to see how they reacted. Well, the leeches moved fine along the Skinners. I found it interesting that they were particularly hard to pull off the rubber. Leeches are always hard to pull off, but if felt much harder than normal. No idea what this means, if anything, but I was just intrigued. Also I was interested that whilst wearing Skinners I did not see one drop bear or hoop snake, perhaps the silver acts as a repellent - further testing required.

CleaningThe Skinners can just go in your standard wash or be rinsed in water. The only real downside I have found so far is that they do soak up a lot of water and take a long time to dry. You can wring them down to about 260 grams easy enough. I found that putting a towel or cotton T-shirt in the Skinners and squeezing them will remove another 40 grams of more water, and the shirt will dry quicker than the footwear, this will reduce the amount of extra weight to carry if they get soaked.

Walking in minimal foot wearI know it seems stupid to talk about how to walk, but I think it is worth a mention. There is some research in this area, although it's not really conclusive. When running in minimal footwear, using a forefoot strike makes sense to keep the shock from the heel, i.e., you run on the balls of your foot. This makes a lot of sense when leaning forward and running, or when rock hopping. When we walk our weight is much further back, and we do not lean forward in the same way. It seems that a gentle heel strike might makes more sense when walking, but avoid loading the foot until you have rolled down onto the ball of your foot. This way you still anatomically have a better walking gait, but avoid the harsh strike of the heel as well as giving your body more time to react if you step on something that is sharp.

I guess the point is that when walking with minimalist shoes that your walking style will need to change a bit, this takes time to build. Do not start off on a long hike with minimalist shoes until you have built up good strength and gait. Learn more about walking in minimalist shoes at softstarshoes.com

More info on camp shoesNow, this is a little embarrassing - when researching camp shoes for this article I found this thread that I had not seen before, looks like a really good bushwalking forum and website. Check out the thread for some various solutions for the camp shoe.

Will I use them?I am enjoying these and will use them more. I will see how they go in the longer term, but will definitely use them as around camp footwear. I envisage wearing them on shorter days or maybe on side trips. I would like to try doing more with them, like trying them on a canyon trip them, but will carry Vollies in case they do not work as well. In short, I am really happy with my purchase, I find them way more versatile then I expected, they seem to live up the hype of the manufacturers. They are not cheap, so I am just hoping they last. You can check out their website here Skinners.cc/

“... when walking with minimalist shoes ... your walking style will need to change a bit ...

46 | BWA April 2017