Every Day Winter Socks

I am so impressed with some new socks I wanted to pass along. Let me preface by saying I switched to merino wool only socks during the winter about 4 years ago. I invested heavily into Kane 11 and they are still going strong even though the company has since failed. Given how long these have held up and the lifetime warranty its not surprising they went under.
Im talking about wools socks that fit into all my regular shoes just as a pair of white tube socks would. Not heavy. Not even medium.
I have a pair of Darn Tough and one or two other brands as well. My wife is into Smart Wool but I never made the jump.
Kane 11 sold merino wool socks by the shoe size, which was really neat, and like I said they were not thick so they would fit all my shoes. I have about 8 or 10 pairs but decided to try something new so I went with Bombas merino wool. Got them yesterday but so far I am impressed. They come in 3 sizes and the xl fit my foot better than the (tight) sized Kane. A little heavy on the bottom but they fit my shoes. Definitely warmer than my others and they pull WAY up the calve. They seem SWEET!! Thinking about getting a bunch of them so I will be set for a few years.
All these lighter wool socks are fantastic to pull a heavy pair over for winter boots.
They can be worn many days between washes if necessary. Let them air out and good to go. I alternate two pairs during the day on weekends when working or playing hard. Because, why not, I dont like damp feet.
Also you can get super light merino for summer use. I have one pair of booty socks but they just dont feel right in the summer so I mainly stick with cotton. Just passing along some of my experiences with these products.

I’m going on about 3 years with exclusively merino wool socks. Using various weights year round depending on the weather. Darn Tough and more recently Smartwool. Both are well worth the money. They are warmer when you need them, wick sweat, and dry quickly. I remember my old man wearing wool socks year round and I thought he was crazy!

Im new to the wool sock game, However I took the plunge and tried the Hollow brand, they are alpaca wool, and I love them! Best socks I have ever used.

I love me some good merino wool socks for everyday use. It’s pretty much all I wear these days. I favor the darn toughs but will have to give bombas a try as I’ve heard a gazillion advertisements for them.

The best thing about darn tough socks is they are a lifetime purchase. I’ve ripped 2 of their socks over the years (always from pulling them on when I am in a rush) and you can walk right in to anywhere that sells them (Duluth Pack is my go to) and grab a new pair off the shelf for free. I think they’re usually around $18 for a pair of them and while spendy, if you factor in the lifetime warranty, it’s really not bad at all considering regular cotton socks of mine get worn out and thrown out after a year or two of use.

If any of you guys have access to a Snap On tool truck, they sell the best hands down work socks, thicker but fit any shoe. At 6.99 a pair they are a great value.

What would you guys recommend for socks and wearing rubber muck boots in the winter. I like the muck boots as I often need to step in the water while loading and unloading the boat. My feet do get cold during the long day in the boat. Thinking this is from my feet sweating. I do wear wool socks and it helps a lot. Was thinking of just bringing a second pair and change them out midday. That or maybe finding a thinner base sock to wear under the wool pair. Any other ideas?

Mike W wrote:

What would you guys recommend for socks and wearing rubber muck boots in the winter. I like the muck boots as I often need to step in the water while loading and unloading the boat. My feet do get cold during the long day in the boat. Thinking this is from my feet sweating. I do wear wool socks and it helps a lot. Was thinking of just bringing a second pair and change them out midday. That or maybe finding a thinner base sock to wear under the wool pair. Any other ideas?

Changing them helps tremendously. My feet sweat a lot too. On weekends every time i make it in the cabin i throw on the dry pair and hang the damp ones by the fire. They dry in no time. Rinse and repeat. Wearing thick wool or even synthetic socks over my base wool socks has worked well in my Mucks. My feet still sweat but as long as I keep the sweat warm it’s ok.

Darn Tough is the best sock out there in my opinion. I wear them almost exclusively for everything now. I’ve wrecked one pair in probably 3 years since making the switch

My wife got me some Bombas socks a couple years ago. I don’t think they are wool but they are top noch socks. Very comfortable. Will have to check out their wool ones. Would love to put them on the list up with Duluth Buck Naked Underwear and Ballroom blue jeans and of course right behind crocs.

Another fan of Darn Tough . Great socks .

Great thread. I primarily use Smart Wool, and they do sell lighter midweight socks that can work for what you’re describing Suzuki. Smart Wool isn’t cheap but no complaints from me and occasionally you can find a deal.

Mike – for the sweating, I have gone to using a sock liner, and then heavy wool socks, when using Muck boots. Seems to work. But very important….invest in a boot dryer and air out/dry the Mucks after each use.

I only have one pair, but I bought a pair of alpaca socks last year and they are they are the warmest socks – and most comfortable – I’ve tried so far.

shockers wrote:

Mike – for the sweating, I have gone to using a sock liner, and then heavy wool socks, when using Muck boots. Seems to work. But very important….invest in a boot dryer and air out/dry the Mucks after each use.

Not sure what the liner is made of but I have been using a very thin nylon under sock, then a wool over that. It keeps them drier and stays toasty with the right boot.

I sell socks at my business and Swiftwick and DeFeet make some great wool options. I also have switched to wool only and the weight of the socks aren’t that big of an issue in cold or warm weather. They all wear well for durabiltity and handle moisture and comfort better than other fabrics.

I love my Darn Tough socks, and I also am impresssed by the Farm To Feet Ansonville socks. They call them a wader sock, and they are great for waders, but they are also excellent for hunting.

Do you wash and dry these wool socks like cotton? For Ice fishing have Alpaca and
they are great. For daily use my feet just have to stay dry, like the bamboo socks I was given but the fabric is not very flexible. looking for a good sock for work-also like the copper fits I have.

I have been wearing nothing but darn tuff merino wool socks for 10 years now. Best sock out there with the best warranty as well.

I still to this day have a couple pairs that were purchased in 2014.

Just wash and dry. No need to do anything special.

I bought some Dickie Merino Wool socks at Fleet Farm, they were like $8 for a 2 pack. So I figured at that price I couldn’t go wrong, and they are awesome. I’ve burned thru Darn Tough, Bombas and Smart Wool’s too, turns out I need to take a grinder wheel to the callouses on my feet every once in a while. But I like those brands too.

Fair warning to those whom still may be rocking cotton, don’t try on a pair of darn tough or comparable merino socks, there will be no going back

I burn through Darn Tough socks about as fast as I do a regular cotton sock. They are not tough at all and the warranty thing is a PITA. Send them in, wait a month for a code, pick out new socks, wait 2 weeks to get socks.

If I had not invested enough money into them I would just quit buying them/warrantying them, but here I am!

I just sent in 5 pairs about 3 weeks ago and still do not have any reply with a warranty code. The only way to make it work is to have about a dozen pairs and wait for a few to get holes and then send them in together or the shipping will kill you.

royalfish wrote:

They are not tough at all and the warranty thing is a PITA. Send them in, wait a month for a code, pick out new socks, wait 2 weeks to get socks.

did they change how the warranty process works? The last few pairs I’ve exchanged, I just went right into a retailer that sells darn tough socks, took a new pair off the shelf, handed them my ripped pair, and was out the door about 15 seconds later.

I switched almost exclusively to Darn Tough about 6 months ago. I love them and they are holding up great so far. The Duluth Buck Naked Boxers n Double Flex jeans are also great but, I really like the Firehose Pants too. They have sales quite often.

I hate to say it, because the bombas merino socks are my most comfortable daily merinos, but they don’t last. The heel will be bear within a year or so, and the forefoot won’t be far behind. I have bought replacements because they are seriously the most comfortable socks I have to wear with regular shoes (not boots).

These socks are 30 bucks a pair ? Or am I seeing that wrong. I guess my pockets are not deep enough for that

My work socks are the darn tough steely, highly recommend bc of the extra fabric. As mentioned b4 when they go out bring em in to any retailer and exchange for new.

We can only expect so much from fabrics, they are gonna wear out. I’m 6′ 200#, imagine fellas who weigh more are gonna go thru more socks, as the guys who move alot on their feet during the day, or don’t keep their footwear clean with dirt and sand breaking down all those fibers faster than others. Lots of factors.

Comfort and quality menswear for me is at the end of the day I don’t want to notice things. Whether that’s sweaty head, feet, legs, sack, or opposite, cold. Certain fabrics excel in certain conditions and typically they’re more expensive bc of it. But if it lasts longer and is more comfortable all the while it just makes sense.

Bearcat89 wrote:

These socks are 30 bucks a pair ? Or am I seeing that wrong. I guess my pockets are not deep enough for that

I buy the Darn Tough ones on sale for $16-20. That’s about where I draw the line.

I have maybe 8 pairs with the oldest maybe going on year 3 or so.

Even random athletic branded crew socks that make up the rest of my daily sock collection are $5-$6 a pair in bulk. The Darn tough ones probably last 5x as long (while only being 3x as expensive).

buckybadger wrote:

The Darn tough ones probably last 5x as long (while only being 3x as expensive).

and they’re 5X more comfortable

I wear Fun Toes wool socks. Wear them year round, but I mainly wear Keens and Solomon boots for everyday. I like them a lot.

I have Darn Tough, LL Bean, Farm To Feet for every day year round. Light weight for shoes, hikers for boots. The Smartwool have more wool but those soft fibers break down and you end up with just the nylon mesh. Keen socks are ok. But the others last longer and there are lots of different weights from ankle socks, crew length, boots and waders. Farm To Feet are made in the USA. So are Boardroom dress socks. Put a thickly cushioned boot sock over a thin everyday sock and stay warm. And my feet sweat a lot.

Forgot to mention Ingenius socks from Wigwam. They have an inner liner woven into the fabric. Buddy said he wore them in Iraq. They are long wearing too, I have light and boot socks from them.