KREAMER SPORTS HEATED FLEECE SOCKS and ELECTRONIC CONTROLLER

Kreamer Sports Heated Fleece Socks
Product Review

By Sam Lepore

Bottom line at the top of the review? If you want a moderate amount of heat in an inexpensive, heavy weight, heated sock that can be worn without other layers, and you are willing to make a few concessions ... then this is a good choice, and a very good value.

When I bought my K bike after 10 years of riding an R100RT, the first thing Brian ("Data") Curry said was: "Your feet will be colder." He was right, of course, but not because the K fairing offered less protection. It was because the airflow over the R cylinders aims right at the riders ankles, offering just enough heat to make the feet feel 'not cold', whereas the K heat airflow extraction is higher on the body and the feet are left to the elements, so to speak.

Thus I have been considering electrically heated socks for a few years. This year I decided to see what other options there might be beyond the gold standard for motorcyclists - Gerbing. Not that I had any objection to Gerbing, except the price seemed a tad high for a pair of socks - $59.

There are various battery-powered "hunter's socks". I found them at the bigbox -Mart stores and some sporting goods outlets. These tend to be heavy socks with minimal wiring in them and are designed to be used only occasionally to warm the foot, then be turned off. Some use rechargeable batteries, but most use D cells and last only a couple of hours at most. My style of long distance riding needs something that will go for at least 12-16 hours, so these did not seem to fit my need. And at an average price of $27 a pair, they weren't much of a value for the cost.

Next up I found a foot sole heating pad that is inserted into your boot and can be powered by its own rechargeable lithium battery or optionally by a vehicle hookup. It looked interesting until I saw it in hand ... it was nearly one-half inch thick, which would have been a problem for getting my feet into my boots. And its thickness is inversely proportional to the resultant thickness of your wallet: $149. No thanks.

So finally, wandering the Net as I like to do late at night, on a whim I entered "electric socks" into the Yahoo search field, and lo - up popped Kreamer Sports in Shreveport, Louisiana. http://www.kreamersports.com/

    Heated fleece sock, black. Plugs into suit
    or into special adapter harness for stand
    alone use. $39.95

Sounds good ... so I fired off a few questions to the contact address Kreamer Sports <ksports@bellsouth.net> . To my surprise, and unlike most businesses selling on the Net these days, I got an immediate (next business day ... remember, I surf at night), courteous, and complete answer. The more I thought about it, the better these socks seemed, so I arranged for Kreamer Sports to send a pair with the understanding that I would be writing this review.

Although relatively new in the market, Kreamer Sports also makes other heated clothing, including (would you believe?) heated underwear, and heated sleeping bag liners, and the only heated leather jacket I've heard about yet. Their original intended customer base was sportsmen who need portable power, so they offer a 'wearable battery pack', but also have developed their own variable thermostat with a vehicle (12 volt) power plug. To avoid modifying anything during my test, I asked for their thermostat too. Given the recent discussions about Gerbing, Widder, Heatroller, and homemade thermostats, I thought the Kreamer version would be another good inclusion to review.

The Kreamer socks are a heavy weight fleece with the soft nap on the inside. They bear a label "Crafted With Pride In USA", and indeed appear well made. They are composed of two flat panels of material, sewn together at the sides (of the foot) with cross stitching over the top behind the toes, and with two tuck stitches on either side of the ankle to induce a slight pouf for the heel. The cross stitching anchors an inside pocket made of another layer of fabric into which the heating wires are looped and fixed by a 3 inch circular stitch directly above the toes. They have a doubled (folded) 2 inch elastic rib sewn to the top. They are available in sizes Medium and Large. Despite the red photo on the web site, the text (above) says the socks now only come in black, but Kreamer Sports responded: "Our socks are available in black, blue, green and Grey."

Unfortunately, I have to report that one of the pair I received was flawed. The ribbing on one sock was mis-stitched, leaving two large open gaps which would tear if tugged. Manufacturing problems can happen everywhere ... but it was a surprise, so as with any mail order item, check yours carefully on receipt. Because this did not affect the performance of the socks, I didn't go through the effort of returning them before writing the review. When informed about the flaw, Kreamer Sports responded:

"The manufacturing defect in the sock would have been a warrantee replacement and would have been shipped to you on the same day, via UPS 2 day service."

Leaving the toe area, the wires are sewn into the seam of the top and bottom fabric pieces along the right side of the foot. The wires run up to 2 inches below the ribbing where they exit through an un-reinforced snip in the fleece and extend another 5 inches. The wire is a thin pair which ends in a polarized, pointed box pin plug - a standard snap connector available in electronics supply stores, but not one used by any other clothing manufacturer (that I know of). The wire juncture with the plug is covered in heat shrink wrap, and the connector itself looks much more substantial than the wire. I suspect (but decline to test ...) that if you forgot you were connected to a bike and walked away, this connection would hold firm, but the wire would not. To be used without a suit, a Stand Alone Sock Adapter ($12.99) is necessary. It is a 4 feet long Y cable to connect to a power source at waist level. Being so thin and flexible, the Y wire easily and unobtrusively fits under pants legs with length to spare. Note: The wire thickness has changed. See the supplementary comments from Kreamer Sports, at the end.

Wearing a size 11 shoe, I chose the size Large sock, which measures 16 1/2 inches laid flat (plus the 2 inch rib). While that is more than enough for even my high-top combat boots, the ankle tuck stitching is only 8 1/2 inches from the toe - which is too small for my feet and causes the ankle pouf to be positioned under the heel (and in turn causes the boot to "eat" the sock). This is already a large volume sock, so ordering the larger size if you don't really need it might make it too much for your boot. The first time I tried wearing the socks in my half boot, I could not comfortably tie the laces even though I have worn two athletic weight socks in them before. These fleece socks are THICK! If I am going to wear them, I have to use footwear with a wide toe box, like my combat boot. The problem I see is the socks are not tapered at the toe ... they are just rounded, which makes the fit more like a mitten for the foot. The first time I walked across the floor with just the socks and no shoes, my observer chuckled and said "You look like a duck getting ready for a scuba dive." These fleece socks are BIG!

Ok, so how do they work? Truth is, they are so thick and so warm on their own that unless you are in extreme weather (or ride an unfaired bike) you may not need the electrics at all. Once turned on and warmed up, because the wiring is a single loop above the toes, and because there is a full layer of fleece between the wire and your skin, the delivered heat is moderate, not "hot". It is more than enough to keep the cold away, but it is not so much that it really needs a variable regulator. The fleece offers such good protection against heat loss through airflow (and incidentally, wind protection on the shin above the boot) that you may not even need the heat on all the time. My feet did not feel sweaty as they have with some high plastic content (nylon, rayon, etc.) socks, but neither did I get the socks wet, so I can't comment about wet weather response.

In trying to compare the Kreamer Sports Heated Socks, I asked a series of questions to list members who have used other brand socks. There are two brands that are best known among motorcyclists - Gerbing and Giali. Gerbing has been making electric socks for several years, whereas Giali has begun more recently. Both those brands take a different approach than Kreamer Sports. The Gerbing sock is a white ribbed-cotton winter weight sock, but most riders tell me they either wear a thin sock under the Gerbing because the wires are close to their skin, or they wear another winter sock over the Gerbing because it is not enough by itself. The Giali sock is a very thin poly-something fabric that I can not imagine wearing alone (although I have not tried one). I suspect it is intended as an undersock ... it would barely protect me from boot chafe.

Here are the questions I asked of Gerbing wearers, and my relation of them to the Kreamer Sports Heated Socks.

• Where are the heating wires?

  The Gerbing wires wrap around the foot, top and bottom, and extend up the neck about 2 1/2 inches above the heel. The Kreamer wires are a single 3 inch circle above the toes. The Kreamer wires deliver most of their heat where loop begins and ends - over the "knuckle" of the toes and the shank of the foot. I felt very little at the toe tips, but the localized warmth did keep the foot comfortable. While Gerbing has an advantage here of generating more heat over a wider area, there is a disadvantage too ...

• Do you feel the wires when you walk?

  Several Gerbing wearers said the wires are uncomfortable when walking and they do not like to wear the socks if a lot of walking is expected. One even said "that's why they were in storage". Although the Kreamer wire loop is right where the upshift lever pressure point is on the left foot, there is so much fleece fabric that I can't feel the wire at all. If you plan to do a lot of walking, Kreamer has the advantage.

• Where do the wires come out and are they long enough?

  The Gerbing wires come out about 2 inches below the top, toward the back of the sock, but unlike the Kreamer wire, the exit point is reinforced. Since the Gerbing sock is shorter/smaller than the Kreamer, it has a longer exit wire to clear the boot, however at least one person said the Gerbing connector was still inside his boot. This doesn't seem to be a problem either way. Neither connector is obtrusive, and neither one gets hot during use. The Kreamer wire is so thin, however, that after an hour of full current I could feel the Y cable was slightly warm (but not uncomfortable) under my clothes. Note: The wire thickness has changed. See the supplementary comments from Kreamer Sports, at the end.

  (Speaking of connectors, the Gerbing connector is also available at electronics supply stores and can be found in the trailer-wire area as a "flat two prong".)

  One minor difference with the Kreamer design is the wire is sewn on the right side of each sock. That means it is on the inside of the left leg and the outside of the right leg. Not an operational problem, but it felt slightly awkward. Note: The location of the wire has changed. See the supplementary comments from Kreamer Sports, at the end.

• Returning to the location of wires, does your entire foot get warm, or does it just feel 'not cold'?

  Answers varied by whether the wearer connected the Gerbing socks to a suit or directly to a power source. They said when running off the legs of a suit, the suit drew most of the current and the socks were barely warm. Those who ran a direct connect said their feet got almost too hot without a variable controller or undersocks. I used the Kreamer socks only with direct connect, but with the limited heating area the result is 'not cold' rather than 'warm'. How much heat is enough will be a matter of personal opinion.

  One rider measured the wire resistance of Gerbing socks and calculated a current draw of 16.8 watts (on direct connect). In response to my question, Kreamer Sports claims their socks draw 11 watts each.

• When you put the socks on, do you have to be careful about pulling/stretching the wires?

  Gerbing wearers are careful not to pull by the heel, although no one reported a problem. The Kreamer sock has no problem because of its wire location. The biggest complaint about the Gerbing is again where the Kreamer excels, being the overall length of the sock neck.

• Did you (have to) make any modifications to anything to connect the socks? (Knowing there are several different plugs and connectors by various vendors.)

  The Gerbing style flat two prong connector was also used by Eclipse, and Widder has a adapter to attach that plug to its clothing, but the Kreamer plug is completely different. Although it is not difficult to do, you will have to make your own adapter to connect to any of your current clothing or thermostats. A package of 4 pairs (male and female) of the Kreamer style connectors is about $5 at an electronics supply.
  

• How are the socks wearing and washing?

  Some riders have worn the same electric socks for three winters and never washed them. One other said he washes them every single day. They all seem to be wearing well, although the disadvantage of the Gerbing, which comes only in white, is that it does not stay white for long. The Kreamer sock, being black, will not show wear the same way. It is labeled as "hand wash and drip dry only". After only a few wearings, the fleece is becoming compacted and shiny, but even in the highest wear spots it seems durable because of its thickness (these are thick!). I have had no problem washing other fleece clothing ... but again I am a bit concerned about the un-reinforced snip in the neck unraveling (where the wire exits).

• Do you wear them "in case" you might need them on a ride - or do you wear them only when you actually intend to use them?

  The general response is Gerbing socks are worn only when they are needed, but often with another layer. I could not get anything else in my boot with the Kreamer sock, so it is "the sock", not "a sock". That makes it tougher for me to decide ... do I want to wear them every day on a multi-day trip? Or would I stop and change socks when my feet were cold?

Overall, it is a tough call. If you plan to ride in sub-freezing temperature and/or you want *hot*, then, just like in gloves and jackets, Gerbing is still the king of high output. The Kreamer socks were not designed specifically for motorcycle use so it may be unfair to question their durability in this application, but given the choices of their construction they are suitable for all but the most extreme conditions - maybe even without being plugged in. The plugging itself may or may not be a problem (see the thermostat, below), but the price is a good value for the size and quality (indeed, if they are not TOO thick!).

Bottom line? If you want a moderate amount of heat in an inexpensive, heavy weight, heated sock that can be worn without other layers, and you are willing to make a few concessions ... then this is a good choice, and a very good value.

_________________________
Sam Lepore, San Francisco
With appreciation for their detailed answers to my survey from:
Pete Hoover, Tony Black, Rob Nye, and Randy Prade.

Addendum - The Kreamer Sports Electronic Thermostat Controller

Maintainer: BungeeBob Durrstein
Last Update: Monday, December 20, 1999