Browning Merino Boot Sock - Gear Review

The older I get, the less I take certain things for granted. For the better part of 40 years I barely noticed my feet, durable and reliable as a hammer in spite of having more moving parts.  And then one day they had enough of the unsung hero thing. Since then, Dr. Scholl's makes house calls in nearly every pair of my shoes.

Fitting, then, that I close out Gear Review January with the most mundane and under-appreciated of equipment. Rob at Uplanders.com said these were the best socks he'd ever worn. If somebody's gushing about socks there must be something to it, so I rolled the dice.

No, I'm not getting compensated by Browning for back-to-back posts about their gear. These and the Hell's Canyon jacket are the only two pieces of their clothing I own, although I did try a pair of their boots once. They pinched my feet like that old aunt used to do your cheeks, and that was back when my feet could take a beating with little more than a "thank you sir, may I have another?"

There's only so much you can say about a tube of wool. These have just the right thickness, wick perspiration, keep your feet warm on cold days and aren't unbearable when the temperature rises.  Most importantly they don't bunch, ride, twist, sag or otherwise get all wadded up in your boots.  That doesn't bother some people but it annoys the dookie out of me.  If I can't get my socks tight and right I'll take my boots off and fix them.  And that annoys the dookie out of whoever I'm with.

Maybe the best feature is that they are dirt cheap, around $10 a pair.  Look around and you'll see boot socks going for $30-40 and I'm here to tell you that unless they put themselves on and fart on command they're not any better than these.

Socks that don't have me thinking about my feet are doing their job.

Your money's worth:  At $10 it's hard to go wrong.

Where it comes up short:  Tends to pill a bit when your wife runs them through the dryer instead of hanging them to dry. And they're not waterproof.

Get a pair if: You don't want to notice your socks.

Look around before shelling out the bucks:  Your boots leak and you need Gore-Tex.

Browning Hell's Canyon jacket - Gear Review

Occasionally when I'm not in the market for something but find it on sale I'll find a way to justify the purchase. I say occasionally because the majority of the time I'll make do with what I have, and for the most part I have the gear I need. Until recently, when I needed a windproof jacket I'd grab one of my waterproof shells, which kinda sorta do the trick but usually require an extra layer underneath.  It's gotta be a hell of a breeze to be a problem on a warm day, right?

High back neck

A sale ad for a Browning Hell's Canyon windproof jacket caught my frugal eye about this time last year.  I get some of the worst cases of buyer's remorse know to the CDC and I went back and forth on this until I couldn't stand it any more.  They retail between $100-120, I got mine for about $65 and I've seen them as cheap as $50 since then.  You'll have to measure the value by your aversion to wind.

No breeze in here

It's built to be windproof and that is where it excels. Neoprene/velcro wrists do an exceptional job of sealing that area without cutting off circulation or restricting movement. The neck extends an extra inch or so in the back to keep the wind from swirling down your spine, a nice touch that you don't find on many jackets, and the storm flap at the zipper works as well as any I've used. Zero wind gets through here.  I should mention that the zipper is extremely smooth, smooth like it was engineered by Germans.  I'm not sure I've ever used one that moved so effortlessly and didn't catch on the material.

ZIpper genius

Enough of my zipper fetish. The hand pockets on each side are heavy mesh and aid in ventilation if you get too warm.  The mesh might cause a problem carrying certain items, certainly anything with sharp edges (shouldn't carry these in your pockets anyway) or small pieces like loose BBs.  There are vertical- and horizontal-zippered chest pockets on either side that I've never used but also aid in ventilation and would be good for carrying a license, a map, a compass or any other small, flat item.  Bulkiness could interfere with gun mount.

I thought about shooting some video of these features until I found this one on YouTube-

As a single layer, this jacket works fine between 35-55 degrees, wind or no wind.  Below 35, you'll want to start layering depending on your exertion level.  I wore it in 20 degree weather with the wind blowing 25-35 mph with a capilene layer next to my skin, an LL Bean polyester blaze orange shirt on top of that and a Filson tin cloth vest outside the jacket and never got a chill.  The jacket did an extraordinary job of keeping the wind out and never felt restrictive.

Things it's not so good at? Hiding dried blood. Be careful wringing a bird's neck or reaching behind to put a dead one in your vest.

It's a good looking jacket in its own right.  You won't scream hunting dork! wearing it around town although there is a camo pattern available if that's your thing.  I suppose dried blood can have the same effect.

Your money's worth:  It's as windproof a layer as I've ever worn.  Ventilates well if you get too warm, adequate number of pockets, and plenty of room to move around or layer underneath.

Where it comes up short:  It's not completely waterproof and won't double as a rain jacket and the material wouldn't do well in briars.

Get one if:  You need a good windproof layer that doubles as a cool weather shell.

Look around before shelling out the bucks:  You need something that's waterproof (not just water repellent) or you spend a lot of time in thorny areas.