My feet. I’ll admit…they’re not my favorite piece of camera equipment. Heck, they’re not even camera equipment…but I find more and more they’re so vital to ensuring I get good images.
When I decided to head to Iceland this past June for 67 days of hiking and photography I knew without question my feet were going to be in for an ordeal…which is where my Wigwams’ come into play. I use primarily the Hiking/Outdoor Pro model and the Outlast Weather Shield. I pick these socks for 3 primary functions.
1. Comfort. When people think of photography they don’t usually associate it with much hiking. For landscape and wildlife photographers, it’s all we do. Getting the perfect shot requires walking, and lots of it all over uneven and punishing terrain; during my Iceland trek I walked nearly 450 miles…averaging 10-15miles on a typical day…and longer days of 20-25 miles thrown in for fun. It was hard on my feet. If I wore any other sock, I’m convinced my feet would’ve just fallen off in protest. The socks I used kept them padded and comfortable…ALL the time.
A great example: One day I had pushed hard through inclement weather and near the end of the day there was a river I needed to cross….in the interest of time I opted to leave my boots and socks on. OK, it was more because I was lazy, and didn’t want to stop…but long story short. If you get wet feet and wet footgear, you’re going to get a blister…no matter what shoes or socks you have on. I got a nice blister from walking the last 3 miles of a 24 mile days with wet and tired feet. The next morning was another 20+ mile day…and the weather was going to get bad near the end of the day…so I had to move. I put on dry socks in the morning and made the entire hike the next day with no pain from the blister…due primarily to the padding and comfort provided by the sock. When socks help compensate for my laziness…they get bonus points. (read more)