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I’ve let Captain Cheap Charlie loose again on a madcap mission to find affordable motorcycle boot socks. (p.s. I’ve been to the Captains beach at Baler, Philippines too)
I really liked my Alpinestar Coolmax boot socks that were lost in shipping. I’ve had other products from them that let me down but their socks were comfortable, great in all temperatures, would dry overnight on tour and lasted for years. I wanted to buy them again but holy guacamole batman they now sell for $25 US a pair which with the weak aussie peso is about $37 AUD a pair.
My mate said go get some bamboo socks. Very comfortable but they are like sponges with moisture and when you wash them will not air dry over night, actually they would not air dry even over two nights inside a hotel room on tour. If I was in Japan no problem as every hotel has a coin laundry and dryer which I often used for the thick ski boot socks I used there but here nothing.
I tried getting them dry at the back door of the pub in Glen Innes but even that didn’t help. (get those pegs from Aliexpress very cheap for a pack and terrific on tour)
A reader suggested Darn Tuff socks and these look very good but Captain Cheap said hold on there son those are almost as much as the Alpinestars, lets look further.
I tried Coles Mighty Tough boot socks, simply because they were easy to buy on tour. They are a nylon blend and not as comfortable as the bamboo socks and they would let my upper boot edge rub my skin as touch short for motorcycle boots but they would dry after hand washed on tour ok.
I then tried Woolworths Tradie boot socks, again because country towns that was easy option. These were a longer sock so the length should have been ok but then during the day they would not stay up thus again letting the upper part of boot rub my skin. Shame as otherwise these were not too bad comfort wise and dried ok too.
Back home I checked the online rider shops and moto-x boot socks start at $20AUD a pair for nylon stuff which is not really what I want for touring. I need a coolmax type of blend that wicks away moisture to keep my feet dry when riding for 7-8 hours a day.
Captain Cheap said forget motorcycles who else needs long boot socks and on Amazon I ended up finding Wrangler boot socks which had great reviews from horse riders so I ordered some.
These are terrific. A proper full length boot sock so no problem with them sitting below the top of regular riding boots. They are a blend of materials like Coolmax to wick moisture away that Wrangler call Ultra Dri. They are all day comfortable, do not end the day soaked in persperation and they air dry overnight when washed in hotel hand basins.
Shop around but I got 3 pairs for almost same as what one pair of Alpinestars would have been. We could do with a few more hacks like this in Australia at the moment with the inflation genie out of the bottle. If you have one would love to hear it!
Ask Captain Tightarse to add up how much he wasted on all those socks, then divide that by a couple of pairs of A* jobbies….?
Aldi motorcycle socks are pretty damn good and meet all those parameters for about $9 a pair. I have 4 pairs as a result.
Ha-ha, that thought did cross my mind, but captain cheap was firmly in charge by that stage.
Aldi finally reached Townsville about a week ago. Once the crowds subside I will go for a gander.
Captain Cheap Charlie will be overwhelmed by how good the Aldi socks are!
Really! Ok I am have to get my butt out to the new Aldi shop in Townsville.