Product Review: Skins Socks

When Skins contacted me and asked if I wanted to review some of their products, I just jumped at the chance.

I bought my first pair of skins back in 2012.  A pair of leggings, which I still own, and are still going strong.

Those leggings got me through countless runs, including my first half marathon at Run Melbourne.

Skins have come a long way in 5 years.

The range of clothing that they now offer has tripled in size since.

One of the items that I chose to review was the Skins Socks.

SKINS Essentials Active Compression Socks are where function and performance meet ultimate comfort. Using a mix of high-tech fabrics and SKINS Engineered Gradient Compression technology, the Essentials Active Compression Socks are designed to protect your feet and stabilise your calves to reduce fatigue and risk of injury.

Having owned a few other brand compression socks, I was interested to see the comparison.

While tight, these socks were not a pain to get on, compared to other compression socks I own.

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Tip

Own compression socks?

Hate getting them on?

Then follow these easy steps:

1. Turn the socks inside out (make a note which is left and right foot)
2. Put the toes of your foot into the toe part of the sock
3. Roll the sock over your foot and heal
4. Gently slide the stocking part of the sock over your leg
5. Wear them with style

Bonus tip: keep them inside side out when you wash them.

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The Skins socks come in 2 colours, black (boring), or strata.

I, of course, love colour and went with strata. A swirly pattern of pinks and reds.

These socks are designed with the left and right foot in mind, giving you the support you need in specific places.

Other compression socks I own, don’t have this design.

My first run with my new socks was with our local club run.

The Telstra Shop Handicap in Horsham saw me cover 6.5km in these socks.

It was a cold start, and these socks kept my legs warm, but more importantly, I didn’t overheat around the ankles.

Impressed from the start, the true test would be how they would perform during my trail run at Surf Coast.

I actually had two outfits packed for Surf Coast.

Outfit 1: Skins socks with shorts and a short/long sleeve top, if it was going to be sunny and warm.

Outfit 2: Skins leggings with short/long sleeve top, if it was going to be overcast and cold.

On the day I picked outfit 1.

I won’t lie, these socks got a beating during this event.

Within the first 1km of my race, I got hit by a wave and got wet feet.

By the 7th km, there was a river crossing, again wet feet.

Then there was the 4km of beach running from around km 11.  With an incoming tide, there was no avoiding the surge.

So while my feet got wet numerous times during this run, my feet actually stayed dry.

Needless to say, I am super impressed with these socks.

They fit snuggly and don’t have excess fabric around the toes.

They stayed up, are super comfy and I had no aches or cramps in my legs during or after my run.

These skin socks will be a regular feature on my future training runs.

Thanks again Skins.