Hiking Socks: Everything To Consider When Buying Socks For Hiking And Backpacking 

I was in the US Army Infantry. We were taught to take especially good care of our feet. We wore wool socks even in the summer. Some guys wore women’s thin nylon hose-like sock on their skin, then pulled on the issued wool boot sock, no blisters. I just wore one pair of wools in summer and two in winter, no blisters. Keeping the feet clean and changing socks helps a lot. Texas

Who knew that there could be an interesting 15 minute conversation on socks. Well done!

European hiker here, I've had great luck with Falke socks (german brand). And I really enjoyed the video, nobody ever wants to talk about socks with me :D

A tip from my military friends for blister prone people instead of sock liners, use a thin dress sock or silk sock under your normal socks, works great for me!

Love Injinji socks, not only do they keep my tootsies happy but the colours work magic, having a real trudge through rough terrain, just look down & they never cease to make me smile. Socks are really the only thing I will make weight sacrifices for, I carry enough to ensure I always have a clean pair each day & a spare pair. Small amount of method laundry liquid means I can wash them out on trail and hang them to dry from clips on the back of my pack. Night socks.. Alpaca/cashmere/bamboo blend which I hand spin & knit myself, there truly is nothing warmer & 0 bulk so your feet don't feel like they've been encased in a 15 tog duvet attached with duct tape, these keep my feet warm but not sweaty like down booties. Really sensitive skin on my feet too so my foot care routine is pretty thorough. If you keep your feet tip top the rest of you tends to get along better.

We used bread bags between our socks when kids. It made a difference in keeping our feet dryer.

Your suggestion of "lock laces" in past videos has helped my son and I tremendously.

I went through thin socks, thick socks, medium thick socks, liners, no liners, usually with Salomon trail runners and always got blisters. After switching to Darn Tough socks and Altra shoes haven't had a blister in 2 years. I think the Altras helped the most but the socks are fantastic and haven't warn a pair out yet. I learned all that from RU-vidrs like you. Thanks

A couple of your suggestions are spot on: bread bags and down booties. Bread bags are lighter than camp shoes. If my socks and shoes are soaked when I get to camp, I can put on dry socks, put my bread bags on over those dry socks, and then put my wet shoes back on. No need for camp shoes. And booties for sleeping in cold weather are a superb use of a few ounces. I've got a homemade pair, ugly as hell but warm and weighing less than 4 ounces for the pair. They're insulated with climashield, not down, but they pack down well and are within the sewing capabilities of most anybody who owns a sewing machine (if you practice a bit first). Speaking of which - when are you going to make a video on DIY gear? hint hint hint

Bridgedale socks are excellent too 👍🏻

Omg! I can totally relate to the scratchy wool! My papa used to always wear this long wool coat and it would always scratch my face when I would hug him! That brought back a lot of memories!!!

You were the first person I ever heard mention Darn Toughs, a few years ago in one of your videos, and now I swear by them. Thank you!

Injinji toe socks rule, love Darn Tough as well!

Dixie, great break down on socks to wear. To me their the second most important part of my gear next to shoes. If your feet aren’t comfortable your hike will be miserable.

Down booties are expensive. I bought a childrens name brand down coat at a recycle shop. I then used the sleeves to make down booties. Love them! My boys wore REI wool socks . they are as good as any other, and are usually on sale in May.

One of the biggest causes of blisters is having a sock that's even slightly to large that causes the sock to rub on your food instead of the sock rubbing on the shoe. If your foot is between sized then go with a smaller size that fits tight so it wont move against your skin. The point of having two socks is so the rubbing happens between the socks but with good socks that fit, that wont happen so you don't need two socks. Elect socks for car/truck camping would be worth a try in cold weather :o)

I love my Damascus farm to feet socks! Great lighter weight sock with excellent cushioning, the only socks I wear when backpacking

You really gave a college level lecture on socks.

As an Alaskan veteran, foot care is something I know about especially in the winter months. With waterproof socks, another thin layer is required to keep the sweat from being trapped inside the sock. I use gold toe dress socks and it does a good job of preventing this. Keeping that in mind, it’s important to try on boots that feel comfortable with all three socks on, but it may be a dedicated winter boot depending on the person. Order I put on is below. 1. Gold Toe 2. Sealskin Sock 3. Wool Sock

I threw away all my regular socks and made the investment in Darn Tough! They’re the only socks I wear now, hiking and every day use! Their customer service is second to none! Made in the USA!

Thought I’d mention another high end wool sock brand that I rarely see talked about in hiking groups/forums. They are probably not as durable as the Darn Tough, but I have a number of pairs that are 5 years old and get worn often (I’m not a thru hiker so take that into consideration). I pretty much always have a pair of Fits Socks Light Hikers on my feet. I also like their mini crews. They don’t have a lifetime guarantee but will replace socks for two years after purchase.

Darn tough all the way! I even wear them in my "regular" life. Darn tough? Darn right !!

One item already mentioned are Wright socks, which are two layers essentially providing that friction reducing function of the sock liner. They have been my go-to sock for run, hike, ski for 25 years and hardly a blister. While plastic/bread bags can work, nylon vapour barrier socks re also sold. Warmlite was probably the first 40 years ago. Best winter system seems to be liner sock, vapour barrier, regular sock - creates an "insulated boot". An additional big added advantage is the inside of your boots don't get wet from sweat so don't freeze up overnite. Of course you really should give consideration to putting boots in a dry bag (inside-out if you use it for other things) in the bottom of your sleeping bag overnite, so you have warm morning boots. Getting out of a warm sleeping bag is hard enough. Alternately if you have the water bottles and fuel, put a hot water bottle in each boot, plus one in the bottom of your sleeping bag for your feet.

Darn Tough's are great for people that work in jobs like the post office/delivery! My husband is a mail carrier in Minnesota and I got him a pair of Darn Tough's last year because his shoes kept shredding his socks/ankles. They very quickly became his favorite socks!

Dimethicone-based 'dry/powder lotion' anti-chafing gels are also excellent for reducing toe-on-toe violence, if toe socks aren't your thing. I use the Chafing Relief Powder Gel from Monistat (aka 'anti-chub-rub'), but any similar product should work just as well. It's fairly cheap, doesn't weight much, works super well, hangs around for most of the day with one application, and you only need the tiniest amount for each contact point, so it lasts forever. I just keep it in my pack for touchups (or if I forget to put it on before I leave), and I'm golden.

I have a pair of socks that I bought about 3 years ago that have outlasted all of my other socks. I wanted to buy more but the one part of the sock that wore out was the brand name that went across the toes. Only a few of the letters were legible but after doing a good bit of searching brands I finally figured it out. "Farm To Feet". I got five more pairs a few weeks ago and they seem to have the exact same firm weave and durable feel as my first pair. Not cheap but if they last as long as my first pair I will end up saving money in the long run by not needing to replace my socks so often. They are also American made which makes me feel good about supporting.

Smartwool PhD socks are awesome. I used the same two pairs for my entire 2018 AT thru-hike.

I told my parents and my wife's parents that all I want for Christmas is a $20.00 pair of socks. That year I got a bag of tube socks from each of them.

I’ve been using 2-3 pairs of Darn Toughs for at least two years now. I’m not though hiking in them. I wear one pair and wash and rinse the other each day. I no longer need a drawer full of socks. I love them. I would not have known about them unless you had told me about them.

Love the labeled red timeline for the video! Really helpful. Thank you Dixie!

Last spring the last day of our hike was in a downpour. We walked about 30kms through creeks, massive puddles and rivers. We were so wet we didn't even bother trying to get around the water, just went right through it. I expected my feet to be a mess but my Darn Tough socks were great. I'm completely sold on them (I have zero affiliation with the company). When asked about my favourite piece of gear, I tell people it's my socks. Who knew? I love your videos btw. You're a great inspiration!

I was hiking in regular And1 ankle socks and walmart hiking shoes. I didn't have a whole lot of problems but my feet would get wicked funky and hurt at night after a day of hiking in Rockselvania. I reluctantly bought a pair of Darn Tough, did a 13 mile hike with them, came home and ordered 4 more pair, same cheap shoes but no funk and no foot pain. I work in a warehouse 10 hours a day and wear Darn Tough's 2-3 days and still no funk. Love them!

I wear Darn Tough every day, backpacking or the job. They are the best socks ever. I used to wear Smartwool.

Recently switched to injinji toe socks. They relieved almost all of my foot pain!

Regarding cold weather, sock fit in the boot itself makes a big difference. Learning the hard way skiing, and trying to cram on mountaineering socks in my fit-for-thin-sock boots on a pre-dawn hike to 18000 ft, either cut your losses and go with a thinner sock that fits despite the cold, or gradually tighten your boots as your feet adjust.

I do trail maintenance, wildlife habitat development, and clear dead, fallen, and other hazard trees for three land trusts. Because I run chainsaws on state, county, city, and land trust properties I took Game of Logging chainsaw training. The instructor mentioned that he sprays his feet with anti-perspirant in the cold weather. It dramatically decreases the moisture in his socks and that keeps his feet warmer. Having done long distance bicycle tours where temperatures dropped into the teens and twenties at night I am all too familiar with cold feet while riding and tent camping... I'm going to try this out and perhaps others can too and let Dixie know how it works out.

I found farm to feet to be a middle ground between darn tough and smartwool and they also have a lifetime warranty

Hello! I work in the outdoor outfitting industry and I have some thoughts on the "life-time guarantee" tid-bit that was mentioned. Warranties with socks like Smartwool or Darn Tough typically pertain to the life of the product - not the person who is wearing it. So if you are a hiker who is really putting their gear to the test, I encourage you to take that into consideration when noticing the wear-and-tear of a product. Just like footwear, socks also have a certain amount of miles to give before they begin wearing out - naturally all products do. While I cannot speak directly for the brands that were mentioned, I do outfit a lot of thru-hikers who unfortunately abuse this return/exchange policy, so I think it's important to educate others on how this warranty is intended to function. Of course, if you discover snagging or genuine failure of a product, these brands are very reliable and stand by their products! Thank you Dixie for all of your great educational content - I'm always learning so much from your videos! Cheers!

I have used Eco Socks for the last 3 years exclusively and love them. They are bamboo socks that are sold to diabetics typically. You can usually find them in drug stores or pharmacies.

A few comments on socks mentioned here: 1) Darn Tough: My go-to when hiking. 2) Smartwool: My go-to when running bc they have more of a selection of thinner socks than does Darn Tough. 3) Wright Socks: Being two-ply is a nice gimmick that makes sense, but they were so tight around the ankle that I had to give them away. Some of the lighterweight, fancier Darn Tough mid-calf models tend to be a little tight there as well. 4) Walmart socks: Mixed bag here. The ones in the regular socks area that have wool are fairly low wool content and do not last long at all. The ones with higher wool content tend to be very thick as well. They don't really have a great wool option in that midweight category. Of course, if you avoid wool, WM may have some options that work. 5) REI: I tried their midweight socks when I first started hiking, and never will again. They start breaking down fairly quickly. I was using more of an economy low- and mid-cut, but if you want some of their models that might be higher quality, you're pretty much at or near the Darn Tough price so you might as well go with DT.

Dexshell hytherm pro waterproof breathable socks are the best I've found, feel like normal socks. However if rain is running down your legs guess where its going to end up? Hint- not in your hat. Wear rain pants if its raining. They are great in snow and a must have for the Tasmanian highlands. Possum merino socks for dry weather are silky smooth. Never got a blister with those. Possum fur is hollow like polar bear fur. Made in NewZealand where the super cute little Australian possums are feral, numerous and a blight on the land.

Swiftwick socks are my favorite. Best socks I've evrr worn.

I love Darn Tough socks! About a year ago, I picked up some irregular/defect Farm to Feet Damascus socks for crazy cheap at a local shop and have fallen in LOVE with them. So far they've held up as well as the Darn Tough socks that I've had for years and I love how well they hug my feet.

When I was a kid. My mom would make me wear bread bags inside my boots. Fit better than the grocery bags.

Talk about perfect timing! I'm just staring doing dayhikes to work towards section hikes, and just now trying to tackle socks. Thanks!

Been hiking, back packing, climbing, snowshoeing, etc. since I was very young. I'm 72 now. Used to live just a couple of miles off the Appalachian Trail and Long Trail. I was always kind of a gear nut but socks and boots were most important. Recently I found socks at WalMart, 68% Merino wool by Realtree for around $10.00. I love them! They also make a lighter weight sock with less wool. Don't get me wrong, I love Smartwool and Darn Tough but these are pretty good socks for $10.00.

I blister readily (I'm a hard sweater and live in northern Australia), but found that the combo of a pair of Injinji (toe sock) liner with basically any thick wool outer stock is true business! Since I started with this combo, zero blisters. It's freaking brilliant! I also change the outer socks every 2-3 hours to help keep things dry and comfy. 😁

For warm sleep socks, I love my Possum Down socks. Soft and warm!

I got used to wearing liner socks with scratchy wool socks back in the day. Still love my liners though, but now with coolmax or modern wool hiking socks. The thickness of your socks also affects the overall fit of your footwear. If you go with thick socks for winter, you may need a larger size boot or shoe. Be sure to try on footwear with the socks you plan to use. You are absolutely right. If your feet are not happy, it will detract from your enjoyment of the hike.

Crew length all the way, for me. Thin polypropylene or Merino base/wicking layer with medium-thickness Merino-synthetic-blend hiking socks on top. Around town, I'll just wear one pair of decent synthetic or Merino-synthetic socks but when camping I always wear a thin base layer as a liner. Either way, I haven't had a blister in years, not even when wearing brand new shoes (haven't bought or worn hard leather shoes or boots in years, either, which is probably a contributing factor). When camping, I always change into dry socks at night before settling down to sleep - take off the sweat soaked socks I've been wearing throughout the day, dry my feet and then put dry socks on... it's almost scary how much warmer I suddenly feel. Electric socks do sound interesting, though.

I've always wore the old wool sweatsocks from PE it's worked for me 60 + years

Just few inputs from my winter experiences on 3000+m mountains. One of the first lesions I learned is that making a camp at higher altitudes you either want to put your feet in a sleeping bag or have down booties. If there are several people in the tent and you are cooking meals in the tent the first option is highly unpractical and in a way. The second thing I would like to talk about are vapor barrier layer socks. Last year I bought them from Exped, but poor man solution in a form of plastic bags also works. Idea is to have a completely waterproof layer between your liner socks and main socks. Although it doesn't sound logical, but our feet will not sweat indefinitely inside wet environment of liner socks + plastic bags, but they will stop sweating after certain environment is formed inside. By blocking sweat to reach main socks and boot liners we are actually eliminating cold feet because sweat is a great heat conductor and wet socks + wet boots are recipe for cold feet. Also it takes quite some time for boots to dry so it is the best to eliminate this issue all together. Also in my experience there is no sliding inside of the boot even when climbing highly technical routes and during ice climbing with VBL socks.

I replaced all my socks with Darn Tough four years ago. Still wearing them!

I typically hike under 8 miles at a time. I wear barefoot shoes (Vibram Five Fingers most of the time) I don't like to wear socks. I will some times in the winter for extra warmth, but most of the time I'm sockless then too. However, when camping, I'll bring cheap thick ankle socks to wear while sleeping especially when the temps are to get below 50 at night.

I wear the Darn Tough socks for curling. They are so comfortable and quite a bit softer than my other wool socks. My feet get cold very easily. The Darn Tough socks with the hot hands toe warmers in my shoes is a winning combination. They down side to toe warmers is that they only last so many hours and you have to throw them away. Otherwise they would be great for winter hiking.

I think only hikers spend this much time talking about socks. Don't get me wrong, I love it and I have my own sock opinions/preferences as well. I just find it funny that I just watched 16 min of sock talk.

Totally love your vids! Cheers from Sweden 🇸🇪

I use light bread bags for keeping my feet dry in the snow. They don't last forever but much better than shopping bags.

Appreciate the advice. I haven’t tried Darn Tough nor Smart Wool brands yet. However, I bought 3 pairs of Icebreaker medium cushion crew length socks. I did a 13 mi day hike in them a few weeks ago and found them delightfully comfy and supportive. I bought them through REI for less than $20 a pair. I wear La Sportiva boots and have gotten hot spots on my feet from lesser socks. I would recommend these socks as a slightly less expensive alternative. Lifetime warranty.

Lightfeet socks. They're the most comfortable socks I've ever worn. It's an Australian brand. They fit so well, just the right amount of cushion, no riding down at the heel. Just great socks.

Yeah, you gotta love those wool brillo pad Army blankets! I have no idea how the hell they made that wool so incredibly scratchy! Wool can be so wonderfully soft. I really think that wool is the original performance fabric, for many reasons, and it has been used by humans for thousands of years.

I'm obsessed with socks and very picky, and have tried everything. I've found that high quality synthetics are better than Merino wool when it comes to cushioning, comfort, moisture and temperature control, and durability. The only real advantage wool has is odor control, but that can be a real big one on longer backpacking trips. My go-to favorite socks for hiking and just life in general are the Thorlo light hikers and ultralight hikers. They are really outstanding, and I've had pairs last me 10 years getting worn and thrown in the wash every week. I have a couple pairs of Darn Toughs, and when I go backpacking I like to take one pair of each (DTs and Thorlos).

Thank you Dixie. I buy 70% Moreno wool sockets at a flea market, that are second's from the factory. I was told by a manufacturer that some of the cheap stores will indicate "70% Moreno wool YARN" but that yarn only contains 30% Moreno wool. You want the sock to contain 70% Moreno wool.

Icelandic Wool boot socks. I wear them exclusively while hiking in outside temperatures down to minus 35F below zero (-35F ). Dark brown in color and sometimes sold by the Big names - REI and Sportsman Warehouse. Wear them inside as a slipper and your feet will never get cold. Very fluffy and comfortable. A little bit pricey but no too bad on the wallet. Maybe $25 bucks/pair. Fairbanks Alaska winter hiker.

if you get blisters and don't have a sock liner - buy some women's ankle stockings/nylons (or cut pantyhose to appropriate length). Accomplishes the same thing but you can buy stockings a lot more easily than high falutin' sock liners :)

Darn Tough socks for the win! Great video!

I wished we had an REI, here in Louisiana. Feel a road trip coming on.

Totally satisfied with Darn Toughs for hiking, trail running, etc. Usually sleep in Filson Heavy Weight Merinos. Soft and the warmest socks I’ve ever worn.

The REI brand socks are pretty good. I still have some I use for day hiking now and again and just for daily use in cold weather. My most recent ones are a few years old, but based on them, I'd say they are a small step down from Darn Tough or Smartwool.

Farm to Feet...pretty much like Darn Tough but on sale more often. I use a lot of Cool Max socks here in Florida, but lite wool works too. I can't find the Mizuno Breathe Thermo anymore, but they were a synthetic that felt warmer when you were active and sweated in them.

My favorite cold weather socks are alpaca wool over polypropylene liners. Alpaca is warmer, softer, and more durable than sheep wool. The big test was that I fly fished standing in a 33° ice crusted river in February for over 7 hours, and when I removed my waders my feet were steaming, dry and a lot warmer than my hands. The socks were laden with moisture and they were warm too. I gambled when I spent $25 on a pair of alpaca socks; I thought they were too pricey, but I will spend it again without regrets. Search the Internet for the virtues of alpaca over sheep wool; you'll be surprised what you find out.

If I think I need some extra warmth for my feet at night I throw a hand or foot warming pad (they’re 50 cents to $1 each at Walmart) in the bottom of my sleeping bag. Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it.

Sock liners saved my butt more than once with my leg braces while hiking!!!

My personal combo it's a pair of sporty ankle socks (as mentioned in tha video) and then a football/socker/rugby/hokey LONG pair of sitetic tough heavy duty pair of socks worned together. This combo has tha following benefits : 1. Prolonging tha lifetime of shoes (in the inside) and the socks that are in contact with the skin, because they absorbe the friction between them both even wet. 2. Keeping them down warmth your ankles and if you pull them up provides protection from dirt and vegetation til your knees. 3. They dry faster than any other materials so if you chose to cross rivers with with shoes on that is tha way to go. 4. If all tha socks are wet and you need to keep on walking you can use them without any other socks (for a while) eather wet or dry for being that they work as a second skeen. 5. Provides cushioning, and enlarges the size of your feet, so if you buy bigger shoe size to prevent nail problems, you fill tha shoe in a way you prevent nail injuries though. 6. If keep them down folded, you can bring the top of tha socks to put them over tha top of your shoes and so they can work as gaiters. And last but not least they are even useful as an "elastic pouch" inside the pack, if you wanna use the vertical space inside tha backpack and so you need a pouch that keeps small stuff tight in a "column/cylinder" shape, that is the use for your second or even third pair of this socks... because 7. They are ULTRA LIGHT WEIGHT...!!!

Hi Dixie 👋 Footwear is certainly most important to me. Shoes and socks are worth the extra money for the comfort in hiking. Alltra trail runners and smart wool socks,bc, the are softer is my only combo anymore. Three years of success, no foot problems. Thanks for your video

No show socks seem to have a way of working off my foot. I like ankle length or what some refer to as a micro crew. Feet do your stuff! 😂🤗🥳

Darn Tough socks crunched my feet and I developed some tendinitis on the bottom of my feet. I switched to Under Armour Heatgear Tech Crew Socks and couldn't be happier. If you are wearing trail shoes, Drymax socks are also great. 2Skin anti-chafing gel is my favorite brand for blister prevention. Trail toes is another great brand.

Thanks Dixie! We are going north for the holidays. That means my day hikes will be in cold weather with rain, sleet and snow! This is timely info for me.

So timely! I have been giving my dad a backpacking 101 recently because I want to take him on his first trip and socks are his main focus right now. I actually really like the REI brand Merino wool socks, so I use those and Smartwool for hiking and running. I am going to try sock liners and hydrcolloid strips on my next trip (in a few days) because I really struggle with blisters. I also recently lost a toenail (this morning) and have a few more threatening to come off, so I have new boots and am going to try putting dancers wool in my toe box for extra cushioning. We’ll see how it goes!

Get wright socks 🧦 they are available on the trail at local shops. They are super thin and lightweight and come with a built in liner for zero blisters. They are not wool either and worth the price!

Dixie, when you mentioned about using grocery bags to help waterproof one's feet, it reminded me of when I was growing up in Northeastern Ohio and we used plastic Wonder Bread bags over our socks in the winter to keep them waterproof against the snow.

Hello Dixie on my socks i wear a pair of sports cotton toweling foot bed socks under a normal pair of boot socks it was advised to me by my doctor when i was young because no matter what type of socks i wore i kept getting blisters so from the time i started wearing cotton toweling ones under every pair of socks my feet even walking in the snow for 8 - 12 hours they have stayed warm and dry and blister free always make sure when you have your boots on there is no movement of your boot which can rub your feet and cause blisters its my way try it

Used both Darn Tough and Farm to Feet and like them both. Discovered Ventury socks by Silverlight on Indiegogo and that’s all I’ve used since for hiking. Use the DT for sleeping with warm feet.

Darn tuff on my feet! Thanks to your RU-vid channel. Altras lp4 mids and darn tuff socks have relieved my bad arch and toe nail difficulties. The mids help with toe nails on down hills for me. Thanks for helping my feet!

..Back in my Boy Scout days ,, training was " Take care of your feet ,, They will take care of you " ... now that being said,, I have always used ,,and still do ....a nylon blended brand sock liner , called Ultimax (had to go look) for wicking moisture.....I still have 4 good pair over 30 years old .. then top them with a good wool sock , looks like knitted ,,even heavier type in winter.... never had a foot problem in over 45+ years on trail ... also good boots, with separate footwear for water crossings ... sandals or water socks (neoprene booties with soles) ... lately Crocs seem to be a popular choice....... key is keeping your feet dry... ..newer brands today sound pretty awesome ,, but why change now ?? ....If it ain't broke ,,,don't fix it ,,, right ?? ..love the down booties for sleepwear ,, over dry socks ,,,, cold feet during the night sucks,,,,,,, I don't think they were made for or meant for daily wear on trail....as I read some comments mentioning......In snow and winter conditions ,, use good waterproof designed boots along with gaitors .... again ,, keep the feet dry ...and warm... ....Always great information Dixie....... You're kinda like a hiking Guru ......except Pretty ...

Injinji liner toe socks with wool socks over the top. No more blisters!

My favorite sleeping socks of all time are the Zpacks possumdown socks. Very warm, very light, and VERY VERY soft.

Hiya Dixie! I don't care about socks, it's just I could listen to you talk about paint drying, grass growing, anything really. Oh, my mum hand knits my socks, pure alpaca wool. They are shown in my little photo thingy up on the left. Cheers

I haven’t done a lot of cold weather backpacking but when I do I put the hand warmers in my smart Wool Socks at night. It works perfectly and the packages are light weight.

Another fabric that seems to be becoming more common is bamboo. Only downside I've found is they do take an age to dry after washing but on the plus side they also seem to stay dry longer.

Injinji & smartwool all the way! I also pack a pair of cheapo "waterproof breathable" (sort of) socks for light use when cold/wet, and they've held up ...

Fox River makes some excellent socks; although I was not aware of them when I was on active duty, I learned about them from some buddies who had stayed in the service and really preferred them over the issue socks. I have several pairs of their copper thread socks as well as an older pair of silver thread socks. I can't speak about how well they work for thru-hikes, but I really like them for day hikes.

I have used Injinji and Darn Tough in the past, but now I'm into Balegas. Started testing their running socks and love them, well cushioned and perfect fit for my feet. Thanks for the incredibly informative videos!

I used Smart Wool for years until I discovered Darn Tough. Smart Wool does wear out fast. In warmer weather I use Balega socks. Also merino wool. Another plus for the merino wool is that it decreases foot odor! I don't always hand wash my wool socks and tend to dry in drier. Have had to go up size to compensate for some shrinkage.

1000 Mile socks. A British company. tactel liner with merino outer. Light and thin, yes, but I do use them with a gortex boot.

I’m a super cold sleeper and learned to sleep without socks. My body warms the bag and it actually gets warmer than my feet. The socks were actually keeping my feet cold so with a really warm bag I wear less and let the bag distribute the heat.

Just got stocked up on Darn toughs and injinjis for my big hike in the spring

I just completed my first 'big' hike a week ago. Over the 200km, I tried a few combinations and found that the Injinji coolmax liner sock and a merino light hiker over top was the best combo for me. Next time I won't need to take extras, ok, maybe one extra...

I love my down booties usually in the cooler months! I wear ankle socks when hiking because they offer a little protection against rocks and sticks.

The love of Darn Tough is about the only place where Bushcrafters and Thru Hikers agree on gear.