Adidas Terrex Heat.Rdy Trail Running Speed Ankle Socks: first impressions
Part of the Terrex trail-running range (the outdoor-oriented wing of Adidas sport and leisurewear), Adidas Terrex Heat.Rdy Trail Running Speed Ankle Socks are quarter-length socks, extending to just over your ankle, which are designed specifically for trail running.
Happily, they are made with a minimum of 70% recycled synthetic material – and it’s certainly implied that this percentage is much higher across the two main ingredients (polyester and nylon).
They only come in two colorways, though, and bizarrely one of these is white – why anyone would think this is a good choice for a sock intended to be used on mucky, muddy trails is beyond me, but some people might like it. Putting this quibble to one side, I have been testing these clunkily named (fancy leaving out vowels…) but decent-looking socks to see how they compare to the best trail-running socks on the market.
Adidas Terrex Heat.Rdy Trail Running Speed Ankle Socks: design and materials
• List price: $31.50 (US) / £23 (UK)
• Gender specificity: Unisex
• Sizes (UK): 2-3.5 / 4.5-5.5 / 6.5-8 / 8.5-10 / 11-12.5
• Materials: Recycled polyester (77%), recycled nylon (19%), elastane (4%)
• Length: Ankle
• Compression: None
• Colors: White & Orange / Black & White
• Compatibility: Trail, road and mixed-terrain running
The socks are left/right foot specific, with an L and an R clearly marked on the big toe area. It’s tempting to dismiss this as a bit gimmicky, but actually, when socks feature positioned panels with different yarns designed to do something specific – like the looser-knit, highly ventilated sections that feature on the Heat.Rdy Speeds – then it does make more sense (they won’t work unless they’re on the correct part of your foot).
These socks are made with strong synthetics materials, woven into what Terrex call an ‘anti-blister’ yarn. The ventilated sections run across the top of the foot and beneath the arch. The elastane content – which includes a supportive band that extends right around the foot, running between the wearer’s ankle and toes – ensures the socks keep their shape and stay in place inside your trail running shoes. While there’s no cushioning under the heel, there is some extra padding around the ankles, which is intended to provide some protection when running on rocky, technical trails.
Meet the reviewer
Adidas Terrex Heat.Rdy Trail Running Speed Ankle Socks: on the trails
The Heat.Rdy Speeds are wearable year-round, but the heightened levels of ventilation do make them particularly good in warm, sweaty weather. That said, I’ve been testing these socks in the shivery conditions of early December, and aside from the fact that they obviously quickly lost their bright white look as a trotted through trail gloop, they have been performing well. I can break out in a sweat simply looking at a steep climb, and I’m surrounded by hills, so I’ve been appreciating the advanced ventilation built into the design of these socks.
A looser knit can impact on the durability of garments – especially those subjected to a lot of heavy abuse, like socks – but the synthetic materials used here are very tough and I haven’t noted any deterioration in the socks so far (I’ll update if this starts to happen). While they’re stronger and more hardwearing than natural materials like merino wool or bamboo, however, synthetics are far more prone to holding on to nasty smells, and as far as I can make out, the Heat.Rdy Speeds have not been treated with Polygiene or any other antimicrobial treatment to combat stink, so this could be an issue over time (even if you do sweat less in a well ventilated socks, and wash them after every use, eventually they will start to pong).
As mentioned, Adidas Terrex call the material used in these socks anti-blister yarn; I’m fortunate in that I rarely suffer from blisters, but I can report that these socks are very comfortable and stay firmly in place with zero in-shoe movement, and that, combined with less salty sweat being present (thanks to the increased levels of ventilation) definitely decreases the chances of blisters developing.
The additional padding around the ankles, although pretty minimalist, is a welcome innovation and helps protect the top of your foot from sticks and stones that often kick up from trails. Personally, I like a little cushioning around the heel, which is missing here, and the material feels quite thin in this area.
