Granted, the summers here in the Pacific northwest probably aren't even as bad as Florida winters, but all this last summer I wore wool socks from CostCo over sockliners from... I actually have no idea where I got these. Maybe eBay? They're some kind of generic CoolMax-ish material. Just around the house I don't wear the liners, but out and about, the wool socks + liners kept my feet cooler and drier than the wool socks do on their own, plus they make my shoes fit a little more securely. I understand it's something about how the liners wick sweat away, so it's absorbed by the wool without holding sticky moisture against your feet. One of these days prehaps I'll have to bite the bullet and try SmartWool or Darn Tough.
went from smartwool to darntough.... lot more durable. Rei ones are good too but a little too thick so they are just sitting in the drawer these days
I've been wearing Smartwools exclusively for 5-6 years, cold and hot weather. I love them. Getting moisture away from the skin is the key to temperature regulation, so in the hot weather dry foot will be cooler and in cold weather dry feet will be warmer, which is why wool socks work year-around, even if it doesn't seem to make sense.
ordered a pair of smartwool socks thanks to you guys.. should be here by the end of the week my feet are always cold and i think its because they sweat in my cotton socks and then the moisture in turn makes them cold. it would be nice to wear my canvas shoes and have warm feet at the same time!
I love how Smartwool socks perform, and I use them for hiking, but I don't find them durable enough for day-to-day use, or for running. Strangely, the C9 brand of socks sold at Target have been some of my favorites recently.
Same for me at least at work in my work boots. I also wore them with my sandels in the summertime, and they were very comfortable, but they looked wired. I normally wear calf length. I bought some anklet sized smartwool PhD socks in a neutral color to fix that. The thing I really like about the smartwool socks are that they have a smaller size range compared to standard cotton socks so they fit much closer to your shoe size. The PhD smartwool socks also fit more like a sock that was custom fitted to your foot, which to me is important because it doesn't slide around in my boots causing blisters. So to the OP, anklet smartwool socks or even wigwam for your summer climate will be fine. They have antimicrobial built in and also wick moisture away from your foot. Sent from my PG41200 using Tapatalk 2
I have four pair of the PhD smartwool socks that I have been using in my work boots for the last fourish years and haven't had them wear out. I also use them during non work times as I like how they fit my foot. In my experience, average of six days per week for fourish years at 15+ hours per day usage during work and non-work in boots, these socks have held up rather well. I haven't seen any rips, snags or wear spots at all, and they don't get any special treatment in the laundry either. So, I guess in summary, for my experience they are plenty durable. Sent from my PG41200 using Tapatalk 2
I made a quick stop to wally world and i found some syn socks. Starter I think is the brand, supposed to help with sweaty feet. They are worked really well, I have noticed a huge difference in everything. I'm still going to buy some other brand that you guys are recommending. I'm liking the smartwool socks. I like the bright green socks, awesome.
The "bamboo" rayon is quite comfortable, breathable and absorbent. Downside is they stretch out easy, and can take on a funk. Also, cellulosic fabrics such as bamboo sourced rayon are extremely flammable. I'd say merino. Smartwool quality has been going down fast, look elsewhere for your dollar. I have heard good things about Point6 brand, but yet to try it.
Didn't like the smartwool socks I got. They didn't seem to do anything about wicking moisture so both times I wore them my feet were just damp the whole day. I got annoyed with it yesterday and tried taking them off but that wasn't very comfortable either so I just dealt with it until I got home from school. Maybe I'm wearing them wrong?
Good to hear. Are the work socks you use the thicker ones? My experience has been limited to the thinnest socks Smartwool makes, which may be the difference.
They are the PhD Smartwool socks. I like them cause they feel like a custom fitted sock. I would say they are roughly the same thickness of a good grade of athletic sock. Sent from my PG41200 using Tapatalk 2
I have only recently understood the true value of a good quality pair of socks. I have tinkered around with a variety of manufacturers including 5.11, Danner, and Smartwool. Each has their own strengths for sure although none seems to touch the quality of Darn Tough. I picked up a pair a few weeks ago and wow. Well built, good cushion, and tough. Smartwools wear out, Danners are a bit stiff and scratchy, and 5.11 are lightweight and not as versatile. I should know more at the end of the winter but for the time being Darn Tough are the tops. I still find it hard to believe that the company actually guarantees their socks for life! Anyone know anyone who has used this warranty?
Wool absorbs moisture. It's not a wicking fabric like some of the "tech" fabrics on the market. The benefit to wool is that it still retains nearly 100% of its insulation factor even when wet. Depending on your use, you might want to wear a thin running sock or a sock liner that wicks moisture away from your feet with a wool sock as an outer layer. This is what I do when hiking or covering much of a distance while hunting. On a somewhat related note, I'm curious if anyone here has used Gore-Tex socks. If so, what brand? What did you think? This is my first year running in snow (we got almost no snow last year) and I'm trying to keep the snow moisture off of my feet. Most of my fellow trail runners eschew Gore-Tex shoes as they fill with snow which then melts but does not drain out because of the Gore-Tex membrane in the shoes. Some of them have used gaiters with some success. I'm thinking of adding Gore-Tex socks to the gaiters as an additional layer of protection.
