By: Blonde Two

If ever a day was going to give a girl sore feet, it was Day One (momentous enough to need capital letters) of our DofE Diamond Challenge Silver(ish) expedition. Wet ground, plenty of sliding around and more than a few miles are all favourite ingredients for that rotter Mister Blister.

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We knew what to expect so we dutifully donned our new ArmaSkin Anti-Blister socks before venturing out onto Dartmoor’s renowned North Moor. Like no other sock I have ever worn (except maybe something made of neoprene), the ArmaSkin was interesting to put on. The inside is made of clever polymers which repel water and prevent friction (friction, heat and moisture are the three blister no-no’s!) This means that the socks can be a bit tricky to pull tight over your foot, it also however means that there is no way that your foot is going to slip around inside the sock. All slipping (if there is going to be any) will be between the sock outer and your boot.

Or in my case, between the sock outer and my favourite merino walking socks (just waiting for the bra and I will fully under-merinoed!) The ArmaSkins are thin and I didn’t think that they would offer enough warmth (or take up enough space) for a minus degree windchill walk.

Blonde note: If I had watched this informative ‘How to Put on ArmaSkin socks‘ video first, I might have a) got them on the correct feet, b) found the foot insertion much easier, c) known that wearing your normal socks on top was expected. I believe that reading the instructions after the event is a Girl-Talent!!

And very soon I stopped thinking about the ArmaSkins. Once I was wearing them, inside socks and inside my boots, they were so comfy that I just forgot that they were there. Which I think is part of their success. Imagine slipping another skin on over the top of your usual foot skin and you would be wearing a pair.

When I got to the other end of our walk and removed my socks I noticed a few things:

a) I was wearing a pair of ArmaSkin Anti-Blister socks.

b) White is not the right colour for walking socks.

c) My feet were still dry.

d) The socks had been a bit tight around my (less than slim) ankles.

e) I had absolutely no blisters.

I will be wearing these again! (This weekend!!)