Back in 1985, Industrias Savidai S.L. was basically what we would consider an OEM supplier, making socks for brands like Reebok and Adidas in Spain. When those companies shifted their production to China and Turkey, Industrias Savidai S.L. decided it was time to launch their own brand of technical socks. Lorpen (which means “achievement” in Basque) was the result of their efforts. From humble beginnings in 1997, the company quickly achieved success in Europe, then expanded to Canada in 2001, and the rest of North America in 2004. They’re now leaders in technology and performance footwear, sold in 59 countries worldwide, with the original founding families still part of the day to day operations.
The socks I’ve reviewed are their new Tri Layer Trail Runner socks. They’re constructed of three layers of yarn, with Coolmax against the skin for for comfort and moisture wicking. The middle layer is Tencel, which is a natural fiber utilized for its ability to hold the moisture that has been passed through the Coolmax. The outside layer is nylon, with extra material in the toe, heel, and shin, for maximum strength. Besides size options, they are available in men’s XTR, which is lightly padded, and XTRU, which is ultralite. Women have the same options in the XTRW and XTRWU. Despite the name, this is an excellent cycling sock.
A highly technical piece of footgear, I’d consider this a middleweight sock – it’s got some cushion, but not a lot of bulk. You can clearly see the difference in thickness at the front, from the the toes to the ball of your foot, and again at the heel, with a thinner middle section. This makes for a sock that fits well while regulating temperature, maintaining all day comfort. The tri layer design works as advertised, and that cushioning is appreciated when going for a run, or if you’re the kind of mountain biker that has frequent (sometimes emergency) dismounts. After two months of testing, they’re still quite soft and show no signs of wear, and I fully expect them to hold up to plenty more use. I found sizing to be accurate too. While Lorpen is hardly a household name in the states, they’re certainly worth trying. If you can’t find them locally using the Store Locater below, there are plenty of online retailers as well.
For more information about these and other great Lorpen socks, please visit Lorpen.com
This post and related comments can also be found on Twospoke.com