SealSkinz makes a number of kinds of waterproof socks.  This is a review of the WaterBlocker sock.  The socks are described as follows.


Quote:

An in-cuff seal* blocks water from entering over the top of the sock, even when wading through deep water. SealSkinz® socks have a patented fabric structure of three highly engineered layers including a membrane capable of allowing perspiration to escape while not allowing water to penetrate.

I used these socks on an 8-day trip through the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.  Under them I wore a thin liner sock.  I thought the liner sock would increase comfort but as it turned out it probably was not necessary.  The inner layer of the three layers built into the Waterblocker is itself a liner sock.  So I was essentially wearing two liner socks.  Over the socks I wore my self-draining wading boots

For the first 7 days, I was thrilled with the socks performance.  I "wet footed" throughout the trip, I even went swimming in my boots and socks.  However my feet stayed drive, no matter how I immersed my legs in the water.  When I removed the boots and Waterblockers, the liner sock and my feet were just minimally damp from perspiration.  The system worked great giving me the convenience of wet-footing but the dryness of dry-footing.  The only negative was after three days, my liner socks were rather aromatic.  A quick wash dealt with that issue.  I did not wash the WaterBockers themselves, except for a quick rinsing in the lake.

On the last day, however, there was a problem.  The Waterblocker sock comes to mid calf.  The built-in liner sock only comes to the top of the ankle.  So the upper portion of the sock only has two layers.  The water proof "inner" layer is exposed for a few inches above the built-in liner sock.  By the 8'th day, that waterproof layer had become as brittle as tissue paper.  So when I put the socks on, the layer ripped and the socks were no longer waterproof.

I wrote the company when I returned home.  They replied "It is a common defect and is covered under our warranty."  They are sending a replacement pair of socks.