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Connaught Ranger
05-07-2010, 03:04 PM
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100507/tod-swiss-military-socks-unveil-new-high-7f81b96.html
Swiss military socks unveil new high-tech socks.
2 hours 50 mins ago
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The Swiss defence ministry on Friday unveiled new high-tech sweat-absorbing socks that were tested by dozens of soldiers roaming the countryside with a different sock on each foot. Skip related content (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100507/tod-swiss-military-socks-unveil-new-high-7f81b96.html#ynw-article-part2)
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http://d.yimg.com/i/ng/ne/afp/20100507/16/1729160351-swiss-military-socks-unveil-new-high-tech-socks.jpg?x=310&y=231&q=75&wc=389&hc=291&xc=25&yc=1&sig=WTxmNdWit565m7citdyplQ--#310,231 (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100507/img/pod-swiss-army-troops-are-g-bce572b5c8b0.html)
Swiss Army troops are getting high-tech socks Enlarge photo (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100507/img/pod-swiss-army-troops-are-g-bce572b5c8b0.html)





Sixty recruits equipped with a pair of boots and 10 socks each of three different types were sent off on a "merciless" five-day test mission, with orders to wear odd socks, the defence ministry said in a statement.
"The recruits were not informed beforehand about the socks they would wear, in order to obtain results that were as objective as possible," it added.


Feet were tested every day after a six kilometre (3.73 mile) march to check for humidity, irritation and blisters, while the soldiers themselves were quizzed about the experience.


The novel wool and synthetic socks -- developed by a sock maker and the Swiss federal laboratory for materials science and technology (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/technology.html) -- should pamper recruits by warding off blisters, the military procurement agency concluded.


"The prototype socks made with different fibres reduce rubbing on the heel and toes, absorb sweat and are particularly pleasant to wear," it noted.


The Swiss army's "Sweat Management" project has already come up with a four-layer army clothing system. Boots are also being tested to match the socks.


Earlier this year the Israeli (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/fc/israel.html) newspaper Maariv revealed that Israeli soldiers had been testing socks that could be used for two weeks in a row without a stink.

Connaught Ranger.

STGN
05-11-2010, 10:29 AM
Sounds like x-socks, not my favorite sock but their "trek expedition" model is okay.
STGN

pekka elo
05-17-2010, 02:23 PM
Wearing a thin moisture-wicking sock with a thicker wool sock over it always worked for me. Never had any blisters on marches.

EDIT: Wearing double socks is common sense to me. What's the custom in other militaries and personally with you, is there a high-tec enough sock to work on its own?

flanker7
05-17-2010, 02:50 PM
Fox River Blisterguards worked fine for me during long marches but their elastic wears out fairly quickly and they don't stay up which annoys me.
I now use 5.11s and I like them. They dry out quickly and during 9 hours of walking with 20kilos of bergen they didn;t gave me a single blister