SOCKS!!!

barley wilkerson

barley wilkerson

Location
baltimore
we wear boots all the damned time... i'm looking for the BEST breathable in the heat and warm in the winter socks, that have decent thickness but aren't too restrictive... and breathable! Comfy, non-sweaty, durable, breathable socks.

GO!
 
Layers

That word has been overused and under understood unfortunately

Start with a light wicking fabric which will likely be a synthetic. After that choose your insulation layer.

In cold weather I use vapor barrier liners. Do some reading on VBLs. There is A little info in my 'Cold Weather Comfort' article

There's no physiological way to not sweat. Staying comfortable is all about water management
 
Merino wool. Expedition weight in the cooler months, mid weight in the summer. I usually just buy what's on sale at sierra trading post but my favorites are darn tough and farm to feet. Darn tough has a lifetime warranty. Wear em out and they'll send you a new pair. I have yet to wear any out and had a few pairs for 5 or 6 yrs.
 
ROYCE said:
Vermont Darn Tough Socks!!!!Lifetime warranty. Do I need to say more?
Click to expand...
Darn Tough is a fine sock.
I just prefer a sock that is thicker; I like the extra cushion (summer or winter).
e.g. Wigwam Rugged Hiker; or SmartWool equivalent.
I've been wearing these for more than 10+ years ! [Not the same pair ! ! ! ;-) ]
 
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I bought wigwams as my first merino wool sock. Thick enough to use for winter slippers here in Florida, and I enjoyed them for the first year. I'm sad to say that the elastic at the top of the socks got all crunchy and stopped working shortly after the first year. I purchased several sets of Kirkland (Costco) mens merino wool hiking socks at about the same time and they've worn like iron for about 3 years now, with no sign of giving up.

I wear them year round. In Florida, when it's 92 degrees and 85% humidity, they still keep my feet dry, and dry is as close to cool as it gets around here in the summer.
 
X3, or whatever we're up to, on the Merino wool. I have all the different sport specific varieties of Smart Wool, and run in them (all seasons), hike in them, ski in them, work in them, etc, etc and keep buying more, despite the somewhat staggering prices. Worth every penny. And yes, everyone is trying to get me to convert to Darn Tough.
 
I have a bunch of the rei mid weight hikers merino wool.socks and love them as well. Just have to watch mismatching colors. The brown and blue are hard to distinguish sometimes.
 
During the summer i wear winter socks and insulated boots seems to keep my feet happy...a little extra comfort when on the hooks...but during the winter its always a constant issue. I have tried alot of things but byfar the best, and keeps my feet dry. Gold toe thin dress socks, followed by a loose fitting, thin VTDT or another high quality sock. For me high quality fibers & layers are the determining factor between warm happy feet, cold wet feet, and ice cubes

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
GregManning said:
Darn Tough is a fine sock.
I just prefer a sock that is thicker; I like the extra cushion (summer or winter).
e.g. Wigwam Rugged Hiker; or SmartWool equivalent.
I've been wearing these for more than 10+ years ! [Not the same pair ! ! ! ;-) ]
Click to expand...
Actually, I haven't seen the Wigwam Rugged Hiker in the store for a while, so I contacted Wigwam, and got the following response:

"Unfortunately, style Merino Rugged Hiker was discontinued in 2016.

The closest styles would be:
Merino Silk Hiker -- https://www.wigwam.com/products/p-merino-silk-hiker-socks.aspx?productid=2296
Merino Comfort Explorer -- https://www.wigwam.com/products/p-merino-comfort-explorer-socks.aspx?productid=2295
Merino Comfort Sportsman -- https://www.wigwam.com/products/p-merino-comfort-sportsman-socks.aspx?productid=2302"

They also make some VERY thick, heavy winter weights:
http://www.wigwam.com/products/p-canada-socks.aspx?productid=2275
(I have several pair.)

Probably than you wanted to know ! ?
 
SWIFTYCLMBR said:
During the summer i wear winter socks and insulated boots seems to keep my feet happy...a little extra comfort when on the hooks...but during the winter its always a constant issue. I have tried alot of things but byfar the best, and keeps my feet dry. Gold toe thin dress socks, followed by a loose fitting, thin VTDT or another high quality sock. For me high quality fibers & layers are the determining factor between warm happy feet, cold wet feet, and ice cubes
Click to expand...
I agree w/ Tom Dunlap (above) & Swiftyclimbr, on 2 pair of socks; I have frequently done that !

1. If you have a boot that is not a perfect fit, a liner sock & an outer thick sock can provide cushion & friction relief !

2. Before retirement, I used to frequently walk on very high temperature electrical bus work (200+ °F), while wearing very heavy dielectric rubber boots.
I would ALWAYS wear 2 pair a socks; one thin, and a second very heavy wool for cushion, and heat insulation.
 
ROYCE said:
Vermont Darn Tough Socks!!!!Lifetime warranty. Do I need to say more?
Click to expand...
I've got so many pairs of darn toughs my wife thinks I have another problem aside from buying tree gear! I just sent 3 pairs back with holes in the heals, got 3 years out of them and they are sending me new ones as we speak ! Truly are the best sock and you can get them in different thicknesses as well! Plus don't stink at the end of the day like cotton / polyester.
 
GregManning said:
I just ordered 2 pair of Darn Tough, Mountaineering Micro Crew Extra Cushion, to try.
These sound thicker & heavier than other Darn Tough sox I've seen.

https://darntough.com/collections/m...-micro-crew-extra-cushion?variant=30180511623
Click to expand...
Update on my New Darn Tough Socks:

I called Darn Tough, and confirmed that these are the thickest socks, w/ the most cushion, that they currently make:

Style # 1940 - Mountaineering Micro Crew Extra Cushion
73% Merino
25% Nylon
2% Lycra

They were not as thick, or "cushy", as I had hoped when I order them.
However, I have other (thinner) Darn Tough socks that "fluffed" up significantly, after washing & drying.

These did not "fluff-up" significantly.
Also the relatively thick stiff seam at the top of the toes is slightly irritating.

My guess is that they will wear like IRON.

It seems that most of the nylon is on the outside, where most of the boot friction will wear the sock.
Most of the Merino is on the inside (but not enough for me).

So ...............

My current favorite sock would be:

#1 Thick Smart-Wool (lots of synthetic fibers outside for friction wear; LOTS of Merino inside)
#2 Wigwam, Rugged Hiker (equivalents are listed in above post) [Merino is evenly distributed, inside & out, wear is good]
 
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