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sgtdraino
09-16-2008, 10:01 PM
I know the answer to this question can vary depending on the climate, but as a general rule, what do you think?

Up until now, I have tended to prefer black all-cotton socks (specifically Gold Toe). All-cotton because my skin is sensitive to acrylic and wool, and black simply because I like black. But now I'm thinking white would be better, so maybe I can more easily see chiggers crawling on my socks.

So what about you guys? What sorts of socks do you favor, and why?

Gray Wolf
09-16-2008, 10:10 PM
Your correct, it will vary depending on the climate, I like thick white cotton socks when it's warm, and wool socks when it's cold out.

tsitenha
09-16-2008, 10:24 PM
Lighter wool in summer and heavy wool in the spring/fall/winter seasons.

DOGMAN
09-16-2008, 11:32 PM
In general I wear smart wool socks....different thickness for different seasons

sh4d0wm4573ri7
09-16-2008, 11:39 PM
clean socks lmbo (prefer wool and cotton

klkak
09-16-2008, 11:52 PM
I'm with Jason. I wear smart wool.

sgtdraino
09-17-2008, 01:19 AM
What is "smart wool?"

I think wool is a really neat fabric, I really wish I wasn't allergic to it.

crashdive123
09-17-2008, 05:29 AM
I too prefer the Smart Wool socks - very comfortable. Since you asked.... https://www.smartwool.com/default.cfm

Tony uk
09-17-2008, 10:55 AM
I prefer all wool socks, Very comfy in my opinion, And do not hold as much moisture close to the skin as a cotton sock.

rrsnook
09-17-2008, 11:15 AM
Holy smokes 16 bucks a pair are they that good?

klkak
09-17-2008, 12:23 PM
Smart wool socks.........................$16.00
Insulated/water proof boots...........$200.00
Walking in snow for hours..............$0.00

Not having to get frost bitten toes amputated......Priceless

Fletcher
09-17-2008, 12:39 PM
I like wool sometimes cotton but for outdoor use wool thick in winter thin in summer

Riverrat
09-17-2008, 01:01 PM
For winter, home knit wool socks, for summer, cotton or light wool.

sgtdraino
09-17-2008, 01:13 PM
I too prefer the Smart Wool socks - very comfortable. Since you asked.... https://www.smartwool.com/default.cfm

Very interesting, and supposedly they don't itch like other wool. I'm tempted to try them... though there is a good chance they will still break me out in a rash.

tacmedic
09-17-2008, 01:49 PM
sgtdraino- what if you wear a liner sock under the wool socks so it doesn't come in contact with your skin? Like a polypro liner sock? They are super thin and you can barely tell that they are there. I too favor smartwool socks for general hiking/wear and I have several pair of wigwam 40 below and Thorlos Expedition socks that I wear for serious cold.

sgtdraino
09-17-2008, 03:11 PM
sgtdraino- what if you wear a liner sock under the wool socks so it doesn't come in contact with your skin? Like a polypro liner sock? They are super thin and you can barely tell that they are there.

I thought the idea was that wool wics moisture better than other fabrics. Would a polypro liner defeat the purpose?

tacmedic
09-17-2008, 03:45 PM
polypro also is great at wicking moisture, that's generally why people wear them. The point of the wool is that it keeps you warm even though it may be wet. The inner sock wicks the moisture away from your foot fast so that you don't feel wet, and then the moisture is also carried away by the outer wool sock.

RobertRogers
09-17-2008, 04:06 PM
smartwool all year round. Cotton is just clammy - and cold if the temps even get down to 50F

trax
09-17-2008, 04:20 PM
If it was really smart wool, it'd still be on the sheep. Ha! But yeah, wool socks are the best....clean wool socks=bonus!

HaroldB
09-19-2008, 02:16 AM
Yep,
Wool socks, all year always.
Cotton is not for survival outdoors, sorry.

Sourdough
09-19-2008, 08:14 AM
I always grab the socks that have the least number of holes. Real men don't wear socks.

sgtdraino
09-19-2008, 12:12 PM
I always grab the socks that have the least number of holes. Real men don't wear socks.

Wait a sec... You grab socks... but real men don't wear them?

So either you carry socks around for fun, or you're not a real man???

Sourdough
09-19-2008, 12:43 PM
Wait a sec... You grab socks... but real men don't wear them?

So either you carry socks around for fun, or you're not a real man???

Congratulations you solved the riddle: I am not a real man.

hard county
09-20-2008, 08:41 AM
sgtdraino- what if you wear a liner sock under the wool socks so it doesn't come in contact with your skin? Like a polypro liner sock? They are super thin and you can barely tell that they are there. I too favor smartwool socks for general hiking/wear and I have several pair of wigwam 40 below and Thorlos Expedition socks that I wear for serious cold.

Thorlos make the best socks hands down in my opinion, as far as durability and warmth, an awesome sock.

Jendeere
07-10-2009, 09:21 PM
I also wear smartwool. They are a great all year sock. They make different ones for different seasons. I have gotten them at REI on sale for around $5 but are worth the $16 price tag.

Oasis de Tucanes
08-25-2009, 10:07 AM
Smartwool here. I don't own anything else and haven't, for about 12 or 14 years.

finallyME
08-25-2009, 10:21 AM
My winter sock selection is similar to others here, but I will tell you my favorite summer time socks...

Nylon dress socks. Some people will say they suck in boots. They are right. I don't wear them in boots. But, May to September, I hike in trailrunners. And trailrunners with nylon dress socks are awesome. If they get wet, they dry very fast. They also weigh half of what a normal hiking sock weighs. Goldtoe is my preferred brand. I bring three pair. One I wear, and carry two. At the end of the day, if I am hiking for more than three days, I wash one pair and they are dry by morning, or after a short trip on my pack in the sun.

In the winter I wear them with wool or synthetic socks over top, like a liner sock.

samfranklin
08-28-2009, 04:25 PM
I tend to wear cotton socks or woolen aircrew socks

crashdive123
08-28-2009, 04:30 PM
What type of environment? What type of climate? Those are really the important questions to answer when trying to determine what type of socks to wear.

doug1980
08-28-2009, 04:36 PM
The ones that don't stick real bad. Socks huh, that's the topic. Well, let me see. I wear white cotton socks for the most part. When I was a kid I wore them white tube socks with the red and blue stripes, they came up to my knees. :) When I was a logger in the winter I wore a single pair of wool socks. While deer hunting I would wear a pair of cotton socks to my tree stands then change into a pair of wool socks and a new (dry) pair of cotton ones.