Laura Lancaster

Best Overall		Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew Midweight Hiking Sock	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary A durable, moisture-wicking, all-around quality hiking sock.
Best for Moisture Management		Royal Robbins Venture Crew Sock	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary The best sock for keeping feet dry and cool on hot days.
Best Budget		REI Co-op Merino Wool Ultralight Crew Hiking Socks	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary High-quality merino at an affordable price.

It only takes one blister on the back of your heel to discover the importance of a good hiking sock. More than almost any other piece of gear in your kit, a quality hiking sock can make the difference between a fun day on the trail with friends and a crippling sufferfest that no amount of moleskin can fix. To help you avoid such a sufferfest, testers and myself tried socks on everything from day hikes to thru-hikes across the country to find the best hiking sock for your next adventure.

• Best Overall: Darn Tough Light Hiker Micro Crew
• Best Made in the USA: Farm to Feet Damascus ¾ Crew Light Targeted Cushion
• Most Comfortable: Happy Yak The Purist
• Best No-Show: Feetures Merino 10 No Show Tab Cushion
• Best for Rugged Conditions: Point6 37.5 Hiking Peak Light Cushion Crew
• Best for Moisture Management: Royal Robbins Venture Crew Sock
• Best Synthetic: Swiftwick Maxus Zero Tab
• Best Knit: Tough Cutie Merino Wool Hiker Crew
• Best Budget: REI Co-op Merino Wool Ultralight Crew Hiking Socks

How I Tested the Best Hiking Socks

I’ve tested dozens of socks from major brands like Balega, Swiftwick, Thorlo, Lorpen, Wigam, Royal Robbins, Farm to Feet, Icebreaker, Injinji, Orvis, Fox River, Wrightsock, and more. To find the best of the best, testers and myself have taken the best hiking socks on everything from dayhikes to trail runs to thru-hikes in a variety of climates and regions, from the damp foothills of the Cascade Range to the arid chill of the Rockies and the blistering heat of the deserts of Southern California. For this review, I considered features such as durability, moisture management, comfort, and fit. These picks had hundreds, some thousands, of miles put onto them over the course of one or more seasons to provide unique insight into the lifespan of each.

OL’s best overall pick, among others, is based on a section hike of the 362-mile Oregon Coast Trail with five testers whose experience levels ranged form 500 miles of lifetime backpacking to 11,000 miles. We took seven pairs of the best wool-blend socks in that trek to determine which was the best wool sock. We additionally considered price and warranty policies in our selections.

Best Hiking Socks of 2023: Reviews & Recommendations

Best Overall: Darn Tough Light Hiker Micro Crew

Key Features

• Available Sizes: Men’s 5.5-17, women’s 4.5-11.5
• Fiber Content: 43 percent merino wool, 54 percent nylon, 3 percent spandex
• Lifetime warranty
• Made in the USA with some imported materials

Pros

• Comfortable
• High performing
• Great warranty
• Fits a wide range of foot sizes

Cons

• None that we’ve found yet

No surprise here, our top pick for the best wool socks, based on a testing trip along the Oregon Coast Trail, is also our best hiking sock pick: the Darn Tough Light Hiker Crew. The tightness of the weave is comfortable in beach grit and forest mud alike. It hugs your foot just enough to stay perfectly in place, but not so much to restrict movement or blood flow. It’s got plenty of ventilation out the top and a nice cushioned underfoot.

And when they eventually give out (no sock is truly built for life for a thru-hiker), Darn Tough will replace them (multiple of us had tested that part out, too). That takes the price tag of these socks from being on the steep side to a total steal. And plenty of day hikers may never need to replace them at all: A single pair can easily go for 800 miles or more.

Most of us on the Oregon Coast Trail had used Darn Tough Light Hikers before, and this trip reconfirmed our commitment to this sock. It’s one of the biggest no-brainer choices when I’m packing for a trip. They are such high-performers that they typically pull double-duty for me as everyday socks, too, and they are even what I wore on my first deer hunt.

Best Made in the USA: Farm to Feet Damascus ¾ Crew Light Targeted Cushion

Key Features

• Available Sizes: Men’s 6-14.5, women’s 4-12.5
• Fiber Content: 44 percent merino wool, 52 percent nylon, 4 percent spandex
• Lifetime warranty
• Made in the USA with American wool

Pros

• Comfortable
• Uses U.S. wool in addition to U.S. manufacturing

Cons

• Padding on the upper was a touch much for our testers

While nearly all of the best sock brands are based out of the U.S., Farm to Feet takes this to the next level by sourcing the raw materials (merino wool, nylon, and spandex) from U.S. suppliers as well. That supports American workers and businesses, and cuts the overall carbon emissions by shrinking the distance raw materials travel to Farm to Feet’s North and South Carolina manufacturing facilities.

Farm to Feet’s Damascus sock is well padded on both the top and bottom. They are made from a high-performing blend of merino wool and nylon. For our testing crew, the elastic along the upper was a hair tight on our calves (serious backpackers rarely have skinny legs), and the extra bulk from the upper padding took up a noticeable amount of space in our shoes. While this sock doesn’t quite have the versatility of the Darn Tough Light Hiker, it’s an excellent mid to late season option. When the temperatures run even colder than that, check out Farm to Feet’s Kodiak.

Best for Trail Runners: Smartwool Athlete Edition Run Mountain Print Crew Socks

Key Features

• Available Sizes: Men’s 6-14.5, women’s 4-12.5
• Fiber Content: 49 percent merino wool, 45 percent nylon, 4 percent elastane, 2 percent polyester
• Lifetime warranty
• Made in the USA with imported wool

Pros

• Great performance
• Fun designs
• No slip

Cons

• Expensive

Trail runners need socks that can put up with abuse after abuse and still perform. The Smartwool Athlete Edition Run Mountains start with a big chunk of of merino wool (excellent for moisture management and temperature control) and then add in almost as much nylon for durability. To tackle one of the biggest failure points for running socks (the toes), these also have an extra chunk of cushioning—useful if you bang your toes on an errant root during a run. I’ve also found during testing that these socks stay in place better than anything I’ve tried. I never think about them when I’m running, which also means they’re always the pair I reach for before heading out.

Most Comfortable: Happy Yak The Purist

Key Features

• Available Sizes: Men’s 4-14.5; women’s 5-13
• Fiber Content: 80 percent yak cashmere, 20 percent acrylic
• No warranty
• Made in Mongolia with Mongolian wool

Pros

• Next-level comfort
• Retains heat better than similar-weight merino socks
• Wool alternative for those with allergies

Cons

• Less durable than other socks
• Pricey

The Purist turned me from a merino die-hard to a yak cashmere evangelist. Whereas wool fibers are naturally scaly, yak cashmere—the fancy term for the hair that is closest to the yak’s body—are smooth. They’re also completely hollow. This traps warm air inside to warm your feet and (merino fibers are semi-hollow) stay warmer for longer.

I tested these socks on a 250-mile section of the Colorado Trail, and they kept my feet warmer than wool socks and wicked moisture equally well. The only ding was that they were showing more signs of wear than my other hiking socks (although not enough to be retired from rotation). For those looking for the performance benefits of yak cashmere with greater durability, Happy Yak makes The Adventurist, which incorporates nylon. Air drying these socks also helps improve their lifespan (which you’re doing for your on-trail hand washes anyway, right?).

The only thing keeping The Purist from taking over my sock drawer is the high price ($55 at the time of testing). For that reason, this sock usually stays in my pack until the last day of a trip. That’s when my feet need a little luxury to get through those final miles.

Best No-Show: Feetures Merino 10 No Show Tab Cushion

Key Features

• Available Sizes: Men’s 6-15.5, women’s 4-13
• Fiber Content: 43 percent nylon, 28 percent wool, 27 percent Tencel, 2 percent spandex
• Lifetime warranty
• Made in the USA with imported materials

Pros

• Doesn’t slip
• Great moisture management
• Light compression at the arch helped reduce fatigue

Cons

• Too warm for year-round use

Feetures’ Merino 10 is one of the few no-show socks that actually stays in place on all-day adventures, without slipping under the arch or tugging on the tab. The secret here is extra spandex woven into the arch for a fitted feel that, I was happy to discover, also helped my feet feel fresher over the long haul. The merino and thin weave ensured that moisture wicked out as soon as it built up and kept one tester’s feet dry on a drizzly day in muddy conditions.

This sock has a high nylon percentage, which makes it unusually durable. It only showed slight fraying under the balls of the foot and at the toes (back of the heel looks like new) after a full season of use in the Oregon Cascade Range. The tester said that this sock was just a hair too thick to wear on blistering trail runs during the height of summer, but that their feet appreciated the padding during the rest of the year.

Best for Rugged Conditions: Point6 37.5 Hiking Peak Light Cushion Crew

Key Features

• Available Sizes: Men’s 6-14.5; women’s 4-12.5
• Fiber Content: 54 percent wool, 40 percent nylon, 6 percent elastic
• Lifetime warranty
• Made in the USA with imported materials

Pros

• Endures the most rigorous trails
• Keeps feet dry and blister free in hot conditions
• Hold their shape well on multi-day trips without washing

Cons

• Less comfortable skin-feel than other socks on this list

Keeping your feet dry during the heat of summer is one of the most important things you can do to keep blisters at bay. Usually, that means choosing a thin sock so heat isn’t trapped next to your skin. But these midweight socks buck the trend by incorporating carbon (from volcanic ash, of all things) into the knit. This sped up the natural wicking properties of the already high merino wool content—which made these some of the least smelly socks I’ve tested.

I was also impressed by this sock’s durability. One pair of 37.5s got an unfortunate first hole when a perfectly positioned stick jammed through the undersoles of a tester’s shoes during a trek through Southern California. Rather than ditch them for a new pair, they took a stroll for another 150 miles. That hole never got any bigger, so they kept the socks.

Best for Moisture Management: Royal Robbins Venture Crew Sock

Key Features

• Available Sizes: Men’s 6-14.5; women’s 7-12.5
• Fiber Content: 56 percent polyester, 37 percent hemp, 7 percent elastane
• Limited lifetime warranty
• Made overseas

Pros

• Excellent wicking ability
• Textured feel is surprisingly refreshing
• Hemp is an eco-friendly wool alternative

Cons

• Holds onto more dirt and grime than other socks
• Prone to pilling

Hemp is not a traditional fiber for hiking socks, but the Venture Crew shows that maybe it’s time for that to change. On a humid overnight in Nebraska when the mercury broke 90, these socks kept the sweat away from one tester’s skin better than their merino counterparts. This is because the channels running down the fibers help move sweat away from the body unlike merino.

The texture on this sock is hard to describe. It isn’t soft—at times, it almost felt like it was exfoliating my skin—but it ranked high for comfort compared to traditional wool socks and ended up as a top choice to take on a section of the Pacific Crest Trail. My only complaint is that trail debris tends to hang onto the cuffs on longer treks, making trail laundry more of a chore than I’d like.

Best Synthetic: Swiftwick Maxus Zero Tab

Key Features

• Available Sizes: Men’s 3-15, women’s 4-16.5
• 52 percent polyester, 44 percent nylon, 4 percent spandex
• Lifetime warranty
• Made in the USA from imported materials

Pros

• Great skin feel for a synthetic sock
• Affordably priced
• Stay put fit on hikes and trail runs alike

Cons

• Some pilling after long-term use
• No merino wool content

After thousands of miles of hiking, I’m confident in saying that most people will be happy with socks that incorporate merino wool. The performance of these natural fibers for moisture management, temperature regulation, and odor control are outstanding.

But there are a couple of reasons why you might want to choose a synthetic sock. The first is cost: high-quality merino wool is just more expensive than synthetic materials like nylon and polyester. But a second, surprisingly common reason, is sensitivity to wool. While the merino wool used in the best wool socks is treated to minimize the scratchiness of the fibers, for some people these socks will still result in rashes or other skin irritations.

No matter: there are plenty of great synthetic options available. One of my favorites is the Swiftwick Maxus Zero Tab. After wearing it for hikes, trail runs, and as an everyday sock for months I’ve been impressed by its comfort and no-slip fit—even on the steepest trail runs. It’s even managed to resist picking up unwanted smells (at least for now). My only nitpick is that this sock pills more than the other (merino) socks in my lineup, suggesting some long-term durability issues.

Best Knit: Tough Cutie Merino Wool Hiker Crew

Key Features

• Available Sizes: Women’s 4-13
• Fiber Content: 45 percent merino wool, 51 percent nylon, 4 percent spandex
• No warranty
• Made in the USA with imported materials

Pros

• Extremely comfortable
• WRAP-certified factory
• Women-owned business

Cons

• No warranty

It’s tough to convince our testers that there might be a sock that they like more than Darn Tough, but the Tough Cutie Merino Wool Hiker came close. The Tough Cutie Hiker has a great fit, wrapping around the arch with just a touch of spandex to stay in place. It’s cushioned across the heel and the entire ball of the foot. There is great venting and flex across the top of the ankle, maximizing range of motion.

The only problem is that it doesn’t come with a warranty guarantee like some of the other sock manufacturers do. If you typically only purchase new hiking socks every decade or so, that isn’t an issue. However, if you regularly blow through your hiking socks in a single season then the cost for multiple pairs can start to go up.

Best Budget: REI Co-op Merino Wool Ultralight Crew Hiking Socks

Key Features

• Available Sizes: Men’s 5.5-14; women’s 4-12.5
• Fiber Content: 72 percent wool, 26 percent nylon, 2 percent elastane
• One year warranty
• Made in the USA with imported materials

Pros

• Low price given the high merino content
• No smell, even on longer trips

Cons

• Started to lose their shape after consecutive days of use
• Not as soft as other socks in the test

It’s tough to find a pair of high-quality merino socks for under $20, but I found during testing that the REI-branded merino wool socks ($16 at the time of testing) were just as good as many higher priced options. The bulk of the performance benefits comes from the high-wool content, which increases the sock’s ability to wick, retain heat on cold days, and avoid unwanted odors. And vents at the top of the sock and cushioning on the underfoot kept my feet happy and blister-free on longer slogs.

This sock is billed as an ultralight, but its thickness is closer to that of a lightweight sock. The price point also comes with some tradeoffs, as these socks tend to bag out after heavy use and are noticeably less soft than the higher-priced pics on this list. Still, I wouldn’t hesitate to throw them on my feet or in my pack for dayhikes or overnight trips.

Things to Consider Before Buying the Best Hiking Socks

While it’s tempting to grab any old pair of socks out of your drawer before hitting the trail, most socks designed for frontcountry life aren’t suitable for outdoor adventures. But sifting through all the different sock styles, from no-show to knee-high, and materials—merino wool, nylon, acrylic, spandex, Tencel, rayon, and more—can make the process of finding the best hiking sock daunting. Here are a few factors to consider before choosing a pair for your next hike.

Comfort

What makes for comfortable feet out on a hike can vary considerably. I considered a number of factors in the below picks, from moisture management (for hikers with sweaty feet), to merino alternatives (for hikers with wool allergies), to the quality of construction.

Conditions

There are very few climates where you’ll be able to get by with only one type of hiking sock for every season—for most, you’ll want to consider the types of conditions you’ll encounter before making a purchase. In the Pacific Northwest, for example, the mud and fog of the fall call for a sock that can keep the grit and grime out, while excellent moisture wicking is necessary during the hot and dry months of late summer.

Longevity

All hiking socks give out eventually, but some last considerably longer than others. The most durable socks are typically less soft and more expensive, so consider how important each of these factors are to you when making your selection.

Price Point

While an individual pair of hiking socks is (usually) affordable, small differences in price can add up when you need multiple pairs. That being said, I recommend aiming for a sock in the $20-$25 range for everyday hiking. The lifespan of these higher quality hiking socks usually justifies the higher price tag.

FAQs

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Final Thoughts on the Best Hiking Socks

The above best hiking socks are all great choices for dayhiking and overnighters. Some, like the Darn Tough and Point6 socks, I even pack for multi-night trips and thru-hikes. You’ll typically want multiple pairs of hiking socks, so I recommend buying several different kinds to see what works best with your feet, your shoes, and the types of hikes you typically go on.

• Best Overall: Darn Tough Light Hiker Micro Crew
• Best Made in the USA: Farm to Feet Damascus ¾ Crew Light Targeted Cushion
• Most Comfortable: Happy Yak The Purist
• Best No-Show: Feetures Merino 10 No Show Tab Cushion
• Best for Rugged Conditions: Point6 37.5 Hiking Peak Light Cushion Crew
• Best for Moisture Management: Royal Robbins Venture Crew Sock
• Best Synthetic: Swiftwick Maxus Zero Tab
• Best Knit: Tough Cutie Merino Wool Hiker Crew
• Best Budget: REI Co-op Merino Wool Ultralight Crew Hiking Socks

The post The Best Hiking Socks of 2023 appeared first on Outdoor Life.

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By: Laura Lancaster
Title: The Best Hiking Socks of 2023
Sourced From: www.outdoorlife.com/gear/best-hiking-socks/
Published Date: Wed, 09 Mar 2022 14:31:03 +0000

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