Skinners

Skinners, a sock that thinks it’s a shoe!

At first glance I thought “I’m a cyclist, what do I need Skinners for?” Skinners are a novel combination of sock and lightweight bare-foot shoe. This shoe/sock was invented by Petr Prochazka after a friend injured his foot and couldn’t wear traditional shoes. Petr grabbed his sewing kit and created the prototype Skinners in 2016. Two years later and the final product was ready after Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns that raised $2.3 million!

So he had a good idea, but what are Skinners?

Described as “lightweight backup footwear”, they look like a pair of socks that have been dipped in heavy-duty rubber crumble. Skinners say they combine the best features of shoes and socks into “one compact and truly innovative product.” By removing all the bulky parts of a shoe like a rigid sole, closures, etc you end up with just the basics; a protective layer for your foot.

You pull the Skinners on like a normal sock; there are no laces or zips to deal with. Made from a mixture of natural and synthetic fibres using a 3D StretchKnit™, consequently the sock is seamless and glue-free. And the company says that no phthalates are used in it’s manufacture, for a lower environmental impact. Inside there’s a removable 2mm perforated insole for added comfort and moisture-wicking.

What is the sole made from?

The sole is a made of a flexible 3mm layer polymer. This looks a bit like the crumbly surface you get in some playgrounds; probably not the same, but just what it looks like to me! As the sock is seamless and glue-free, I’m assuming the sock is ‘dipped’ into the polymer; like the vinyl grips on a pair of pliers. This would give that bare-foot feel to the sock. Skinners claim you’ll get something like 500 miles out of a pair; presumably that will vary depending on what surface you’re walking on. In their videos you can see wearers quite happily running over forest trails.

Removed of all the normal shoe restrictions, Skinners say this allows “tendons and muscles in the feet to be activated, providing a natural and grounding feel and second skin sensation.” I’m guessing this would be something like the bare-foot shoes that you may have seen. Slipping a pair of these on after a long day strapped into restrictive cycling shoes would probably feel heavenly. I certainly would appreciate a pair of these post-race when wandering around a race HQ.

Bike-packing anyone?

Another cycling use I can envisage for Skinners is when bike-packing or touring. Weight and space are always at a premium when carrying all your essentials. So foot coverings that weigh next to nothing and can be stuffed or rolled into a small space would seem ideal.

Another use is for all that gym work we cyclists are encouraged to add to our programmes. I must admit I prefer to be shoe-free when doing my stretching and yoga, so these could be quite useful. I generally wear trainers to the gym and then remove them for my stretching. Having a pair of these could mean I could just wear a pair of Skinners for the whole session.

Skinners come in three versions; Kids, Comfort and Compression. All three use the same materials and construction. The Kids (£42.90) come in four sizes from 26 to 35, handy for those kids that hate seams on their socks! The Comfort (£53.90) comes in six colours and seven sizes, so you should be able to get a perfect fit. The cut is low, just below the ankle. Last is the Compression (£62.90), this has a higher cut and a narrower toe-box for additional support. The Compression comes in five colours and six sizes and is recommended those taking part in “dynamic activity”. All of the Skinners are machine-washable, can be worn with or without socks and come with a cloth storage bag.

I’ll be trying out a pair and will let you know how I get on. Skinners are currently available from the Wildbounds website.