I am in the military and I have a pair of gortex socks that I have used for a couple of years. All I can say is that they're worth their weight in gold! $40 is a bargain because when you have cold and wet feet, you'll spend your last dime for warm and dry feet. Many times I have walked through water and or rain for hours and at the end of the day when I show my collegues how dry my feet are, they usually just give me one fifth of the backhand wave.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> That or some other vulgar remark. So buy a couple pairs and have happy feet. Hope this helps and good luck.