Santa Cruz Volleyball Forum

I recommend the FEETURES! brand Bamboo & Wool Hiking socks as volleyball socks for those hot sand days
Myself and several other players in our group of friends spent some time and money last year experimenting with different socks that might work better thatn the traditional volleyball socks. The traditional socks get a lot of complaints about colecting and retaining sand inside the sock next to your foot, not keeping the heat of the sand away completely and the sewn seams fron the construction of the sock being annoying and irritating. So I embarked on a experiment to find a better sock after a representative of a wool sock manufacturer indicated to me wool fabric will insulate from heat or cold, we decided to try a few wool sock. They did work great for heat resistance depending on the thickness and weave of the sock. Then we came across the FEETURES! bamboo & wool hiking sock, the bamboo added seems to help even more with keeping the feet cool on hot sand and makes the sock even more soft and comfortable. The standard seamless manufacturing construction techniques of hiking socks makes them very comfortable as well. All things considered the FEETURES! bamboo & wool hiking socks are much cooler and more comfortable than traditional sand socks. I cannot speak to weather they collect and retain more or less sand since, because of all the complaints about trational sand socks I have never owned a pair of traditional sand socks. And someone who has owned several pairs of traditional sand socks and after owning several pair of the FEETURES! bamboo & wool socks, can eventually speak to how long (life expectancy) of these socks. THese socks are available for $15 on line, at Outdoor World, and from Phil directly, at his tournaments

Chris Thomas

Of the currently available "branded" sand socks, Feetures keeps out the sand much, much better. I've tried every brand ever created, (my favorite, ICHIBAHN, was discontinued several years ago), and Feetures have the best sand resistance.

They also have the best heat resistance UNLESS they get wet, in which case the have no resistance to heat. I keep a couple of pairs in my bag, in case they get wet.

Oddly enough, they aren't very good for cold sand; my feet get cold! "Branded" socks are warmer; go figure.

According to Marisa Belger of the "Today Show", bamboo fabric offers a wide range of benefits. These include breathability (bamboo is naturally porous), antimicrobial properties (bamboo contains "kun", which is known to inhibit bacteria growth), it is absorbent and it is quick-drying.

On the other hand, we should be sure the bamboo products we purchase are grown in environmentally safe ways. Because bamboo has gained worldwide popularity some suppliers are cutting down ancient forests to replant with bamboo. Some farms use heavy fertilizers to produce incredible growth. Independent certification programs are developing to guarantee that products are harvested sustainably. Is the Feetures brand eco-friendly?

Mike

Mikey,
That is a interesting point.
Since you seem to be up on the subject, maybe you could look into it for us,
thanks.

Jennifer Parrish, Go Green, Jan. 17, 2009: Have we been bamboozled?
By JENNIFER PARRISH - SPECIAL TO THE SENTINEL
Posted: 01/17/2009 01:30:05 AM PST

I have to admit that I'm impressed. According to an article by MSNBC, bamboo is the "Vegetal Steel," the superhero of building materials. Admired by environmentalists and contractors alike, this amazing weed is five times stronger than concrete, absorbs four times as much carbon dioxide as timber and can grow at the rate of several feet per day. Moreover, it is one of the most versatile substances on the planet, used to make everything from clothing to paper to buildings -- and anything in between. Plus, it's a nutritious dietary staple in Asian cultures. Is there anything that bamboo can't do?

Currently, bamboo is one of the hottest "green" materials on the market. Environmentalists love it, not only because of its carbon-storing capacity, but also because bamboo grows abundantly without the need for fertilizers and pesticides. Moreover, it's a renewable resource that matures in seven years, according to Scientific American, compared to 30 to 50 for a stand of trees, and can yield 20 times more timber than the equivalent acreage of hardwood.

Has bamboo been greenwashed?

Nevertheless, bamboo's reputation as an eco-friendly resource has been called into question. Dr. Jim Bowyer, professor of Bio-Based Products at the University of Minnesota and chairman of the Tropical Forest Foundation, published a study in 2005 about the environmental impact of the bamboo industry that called for a "re-evaluation" of the "green status accorded to bamboo products."

His study highlights several negative consequences of bamboo production, including the destruction of "protected" native bamboo forests by commercial harvesters, the clear-cutting of wood forests to make way for bamboo farms and the use of pesticides and fertilizers, which in theory are unnecessary, but in practice are often applied to obtain those incredible yields that are so oft-cited by environmentalists -- including myself in an above paragraph.

The problem is only exacerbated by bamboo's growing worldwide popularity, which is putting a strain on suppliers to keep up with demand. Dr. Bower calls for an independent certification system for bamboo suppliers, to serve as a guarantee that their product is harvested sustainably.

The many faces of bamboo

Bamboo is truly a paradox. It's as hard as steel, and as soft as cashmere, both eco-friendly and environmentally destructive. A glance at some of bamboo's incarnations reveals other advantages and disadvantages to this fascinating grass.

Fabrics: The bamboo-cotton towels I purchased as Christmas presents this year were some of the softest I had ever felt. In fact, bamboo is justly celebrated as a miracle fiber, and not only because of its luxurious texture. According to Marisa Belger of the "Today Show," bamboo fabric offers a wide range of benefits. These include breathability -- bamboo is naturally porous -- and antimicrobial properties -- bamboo contains a substance known as kun, which inhibits bacterial growth. Moreover, it's both absorbent and quick-drying, making it ideal for towels and workout wear.

Unfortunately, everything has a price. In the case of bamboo fabric, not only can it cost you more at the point of purchase, but it also takes a toll on the environment. There are two processes that can be used to convert bamboo pulp into fiber, one environmentally friendly and the other not. The former is a mechanized process that crushes the bamboo and then breaks it down with natural enzymes. The latter is a chemical one, which involves cooking the bamboo in chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide, both of which can have harmful effects on human health and the environment.

Unfortunately, it is this chemical method that is the most cost-effective, and, thus, the most widely used. Nevertheless, as National Geographic observes, despite its flaws, bamboo is still less damaging to the environment than its counterpart, cotton.

Paper: As our forests are being rapidly depleted by the paper companies, there has been considerable interest in finding an appropriate substitute to wood pulp to fuel our paper habit. With its speedy time to maturation, bamboo seems like a clear alternative. However, a 2006 column by Earth Talk in the Illinois Times disagrees.

The similarity in consistencies between wood and bamboo would make the transition to bamboo easy for mills, which would not need to replace existing equipment. And yet, as the article points out, there are better options. Quoting Aaron Lehmer, then of ReThink Paper, the demand created by switching to bamboo paper would create tremendous stress on the bamboo industry, overwhelming existing supplies, and forcing suppliers to convert wood forests to bamboo crop land -- the very thing we are trying to avoid. Lehmer foresees a better solution: the use of agricultural waste, such as rice straw and wheat, to manufacture paper cheaply, ecologically and locally.

Flooring: There's no doubt about it, bamboo floors are beautiful. I recently admired the bamboo floors that a friend installed when she remodeled her Felton home. They look exquisite, but what is their environmental impact?

The University of Tennessee's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Reserves observes that, in contrast to hardwood, which is easily converted into wooden planks, bamboo is a hollow reed, which must be sliced and glued together to make flooring. The adhesives used in the process contain formaldehyde, a volatile organic compound that is linked to irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, asthma attacks and possibly even cancer, reports the Environmental Protection Agency. Moreover, since most bamboo flooring is manufactured in Asia and shipped to the U.S., it comes with a high carbon footprint. Even so, bamboo flooring is a more environmentally friendly than other flooring products, such as the ubiquitous, but insalubrious, vinyl.

Reed or weed?

According to Gilberto Cortes, regional director of Bamboo of the Americas, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of native American bamboo, there are over 1,200 species of bamboo. And, while my family always thought of bamboo as an invasive weed in our garden, it turns out that 450 of these species are native to the Americas. In fact, bamboo is native to every continent except Europe and Antarctica.

These facts give me hope. The truth is that I see a lot of positives in bamboo, and a lot of potential. As it stands, bamboo offers many clear advantages, such as rapid regeneration, absorption of carbon dioxide and a great deal of versatility. But, it's not perfect. As Joe Brantley, owner of Integrated Home and Garden, a local green home remodeling company, said, "When something is made in China, with lots of glue and heat, can it be considered green?"

For bamboo to live up to its green reputation, we need to start cultivating suitable native varieties here, sustainably, and manufacturing them, sustainably. Only then can we reap the true rewards of bamboo.

Jennifer Parrish writes a biweekly column for the Sentinel on environmental issues. She works for the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments Energy Watch program,

Feetures website does claim their bamboo/wool socks are "Comfortable for the Environment" but no mention is made of the use of sustainably-certified bamboo. I emailed the company with the question and I will post the reply if I hear back from them.

Mike

The FEETURES! packaging I have in my hands has two point of interest for the
environmentally concerned:

Eco-friendly packaging: This package is composed of recycled paper and
printed with soy inks. We encourage you to recycle the package.

Carbon-Neutral Footprint: In our efforts to neutralize our "carbon
footprint" FEETURES! has become a Friend of the Forest. A portion of the
sales of these socks will be donated to the Natural Forest Foundation to
replant trees. Please visit www.becomeafriend.org to find out more.

Chris