The Fan Hitch Volume 3, Number 3, June 2001

Newsletter of the Inuit Sled Dog

Table of Contents

From the Editor
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Featured Inuit Dog Owner: Brian and Linda Fredericksen
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Lake Nipigon - Solo
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Inuit Dogs in New Hampshire, Part II
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The Inuit Dogs of Svalbard
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Update: Uummannaq Children's Expedition
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Update: Iqaluit Dog Team By-Law is Official
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Poem: Instinct
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The Homecoming: Epilogue
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Product Review: Sock Sense
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Tip for the Trail: Wet Equals Cold
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Janice Howls: More Than Meets the Eye
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Page from a Behaviour Notebook: Hunting


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Editor's/Publisher's Statement
              Editor: Sue Hamilton
              Webmaster: Mark Hamilton
The Fan Hitch Website and Publications of the Inuit Sled Dog– the quarterly Journal (retired in 2018) and PostScript – are dedicated to the aboriginal landrace traditional Inuit Sled Dog as well as related Inuit culture and traditions. 

PostScript is published intermittently as material becomes available. Online access is free at: https://thefanhitch.org  PostScript welcomes your letters, stories, comments and The editorial staff reserves the right to edit submissions used for publication.

Contents of The Fan Hitch Website and its publications  are protected by international copyright laws. No photo, drawing or text may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Webmasters please note: written consent is necessary before linking this site to yours! Please forward requests to Sue Hamilton, 55 Town Line Rd., Harwinton, Connecticut  06791, USA or mail@thefanhitch.org


Extreme Weather, Environmental Sock System

Product Review: Sock Sense

by Mark Hamilton

On two occasions now Sue and I have been fortunate enough to sit through a presentation on cold weather clothing and foot care by Dr. Murray Hamlet, an internationally recognized cold weather-clothing expert. His presentations are anything except boring, mixing of fast paced narrative and humor with a ghastly slide show, When it comes to caring for your feet, especially in cold weather, his advice is always the same, "Do what I say, or be in my slide show".  You might not want to see that slide show and you definitely don't want to be in it. With skin colors and toe shapes "modified" by disease and trauma, it's a graphic documentation of the consequences of poor foot care.

Some time back Murray came to the conclusion that there were not any socks on the market that did everything he thought a sock should do. He wasn't just concerned with socks that would help keep your feet warm; he was looking at the biomechanics of the foot/sock interface as well. He worked with a manufacturer to do something about it. The results are the "All Weather Environmental Sock Systems". The "All Weather" lightweight boot sock is guaranteed for comfort in a temperature range of 0°F to +100°F. The "Extreme Weather" heavyweight boot sock is guaranteed for comfort from -50°F to +130°F. The socks carry a one year money back (or free replacement) guarantee if you experience blisters, chafing or wet, cold/hot feet or should the socks wear out. See their web site [http://techspun.anthill.com] for details.

Blisters while you're on the trail can represent a lot more than just an inconvenience. There is a significant risk of infection without proper care, yet it comes at a time when professional care is not likely to be available and resting the affected foot may be difficult or impossible. Blisters are a consequence of friction between the foot and sock, a situation worsened by wet feet. Environmental Sock System socks have Cool Max inner liners to move sweat quickly away from your foot. They also feature an inside-out appearance, with the smooth, comfortable side against your foot and the nubby side against your boot [see photo above: left hand sock is inside out, right hand sock is right-side out]. What that does is reduce or eliminate the friction between your foot and the sock, shifting it to the sock/boot interface instead. [Ed. - This desirable feature can be replicated with other heavy socks that have a nubby interior by simply turning the socks inside out.]

The sock is made from a tightly woven, triple weave of a wool/polyester blend, making them very dense, thick and warm. The inner liner, however, is so efficient at moving moisture away from your foot that the socks can be worn in hot weather, assuming your shoe is one half size larger than normal. These socks were actually worn by some of the troops during Operation Desert Storm, a fact that may serve to further convince you of their suitability for year round use. Of course this all assumes you don't mind wearing olive drab colored socks year round.

OK, I can tell, we're all in the same boat here, feet that get so cold on occasion that we're willing to pay any price for relief. So what do these socks cost, and where can you get them? First the where: as previously stated, WWW cruisers can navigate to http://techspun.anthill.com. The web site tells the whole story about these socks, plus gives you a secure site to order on line and downloadable order forms for mail order purchases. The "Extreme Weather" heavy weight sock is $14.75 US/pair, the "All Weather" lightweight sock is $13.75 US/pair and Cool Max liners are $5.00 US/pair. Prices have not increased since 1999. For those who prefer to conduct their commerce by more traditional methods call 1-800-392-8500.

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