Looking for men's socks online for large & wide feet + special reqs
July 3, 2023 6:29 PM Subscribe
My husband needs socks and I am the online researcher. Please help me come up with socks that meet his requirements and will fit his large, wide (13 1/2 extra-wide) feet!
Mr Epigrams has diabetes and recently had a minor foot injury that sent him to the podiatrist. The podiatrist wants him to throw his current shoes (boat shoes) out and start wearing more protective shoes to prevent further injuries. new shoes will need to be worn with socks. Mr Epigrams has almost no socks and the ones he has are not great.
The podiatrist's office measured him and he's a size 13 1/2 extra-wide now, so at or beyond the normal sizes offered by shoe shops. Special sock requirements according to the podiatrist:
- Must not cut off circulation at the calf or on the foot below the ankle (circulatory problems are common with diabetes). Mr E has large calves along with his large feet.
- Must not be compression socks (we discussed this specifically).
Mr E's wants on top of that:
- Comfort for him includes the fact that he suffers from neuropathy and has trouble keeping balance when he has no sense of the ground by touch. This is one reason he's worn boat shoes without socks most of the time since I've known him.
- Fun and funky if at all possible. Bright colors and cute patterns especially welcome.
Where can I find these socks online or in person (Dallas, Texas)?
Mr Epigrams has diabetes and recently had a minor foot injury that sent him to the podiatrist. The podiatrist wants him to throw his current shoes (boat shoes) out and start wearing more protective shoes to prevent further injuries. new shoes will need to be worn with socks. Mr Epigrams has almost no socks and the ones he has are not great.
The podiatrist's office measured him and he's a size 13 1/2 extra-wide now, so at or beyond the normal sizes offered by shoe shops. Special sock requirements according to the podiatrist:
- Must not cut off circulation at the calf or on the foot below the ankle (circulatory problems are common with diabetes). Mr E has large calves along with his large feet.
- Must not be compression socks (we discussed this specifically).
Mr E's wants on top of that:
- Comfort for him includes the fact that he suffers from neuropathy and has trouble keeping balance when he has no sense of the ground by touch. This is one reason he's worn boat shoes without socks most of the time since I've known him.
- Fun and funky if at all possible. Bright colors and cute patterns especially welcome.
Where can I find these socks online or in person (Dallas, Texas)?
My husband, also Type 2 diabetic, has similar sock requirements. Although his feet are considerably smaller than your husband's, he especially likes these crew socks that happen to come in size 13-15. Alas, they are pretty dull-looking and only come in very boring colors, but Mr. DrGail can attest to them being nonbinding even if one has large calves. The other option, I feel compelled to mention, is to ditch the crew socks and switch to no-show or quarter socks so the whole issue of them binding hit legs is avoided altogether. For example, Darn Tough has a selection of quarter socks in XL and I assume SmartWool does likewise. But then, I'm a real aficionado of wool socks because they keep my feet much cooler than cotton or nylon socks.
Good luck. Finding the right socks is a difficult task.
posted by DrGail at 6:55 PM on July 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
Good luck. Finding the right socks is a difficult task.
posted by DrGail at 6:55 PM on July 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Mr. Biscuit has size 17 extra-wide feet and large calves, so I empathize with this challenge. Bombas has a large size range for men's socks and is the best we've found for everyday wear. They're spendy but do hold up a bit longer than cheaper socks. They usually have a variety of colors and patterns. I'm not sure how good availability is in larger sizes since my husband prefers neutrals.
posted by commander biscuit at 7:17 PM on July 3, 2023
posted by commander biscuit at 7:17 PM on July 3, 2023
Response by poster: Not to thread-sit, but Mr E is reading the thread and has advised that he'd just as soon avoid crew socks so ankle/quarter sock recs are great!
(Also I wear both Sock Dreams socks and Bombas, so spendy is OK.)
posted by gentlyepigrams at 7:41 PM on July 3, 2023
(Also I wear both Sock Dreams socks and Bombas, so spendy is OK.)
posted by gentlyepigrams at 7:41 PM on July 3, 2023
I am a woman with wide feet that get very swollen from meds. Even before the swelling issues, I found sockdreams extremely hit or miss. Their "wide" socks were wide enough less than half the time. Their "wide" calves were still way too constricting. I've gotten socks from them that should have fit according to their website that I couldn't put on at all.
Extra Wide Sock Company is the one place where I can count on the socks being wide enough and not constricting. Unfortunately, no fun colors. And my feet aren't particularly long so YMMV.
(I thought I found out about them from a previous Ask, but I can't find it.)
posted by FencingGal at 5:01 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Extra Wide Sock Company is the one place where I can count on the socks being wide enough and not constricting. Unfortunately, no fun colors. And my feet aren't particularly long so YMMV.
(I thought I found out about them from a previous Ask, but I can't find it.)
posted by FencingGal at 5:01 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Earlier this year I asked here how to loosen the elastic tightness of socks, and was guided to a wonderful solution: heat
posted by anadem at 8:27 AM on July 4, 2023
posted by anadem at 8:27 AM on July 4, 2023
Mr. Biscuit has size 17 extra-wide feet and large calves, so I empathize with this challenge.
Oddly, I am also Mr Biscuit with the overlarge feet and the old type 2. Simcan Confort Socks are pretty much the only socks I wear any more, to the point that I bought like twenty identical pairs and just have a big drawer of single socks that all match one another.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:13 PM on July 4, 2023
Oddly, I am also Mr Biscuit with the overlarge feet and the old type 2. Simcan Confort Socks are pretty much the only socks I wear any more, to the point that I bought like twenty identical pairs and just have a big drawer of single socks that all match one another.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:13 PM on July 4, 2023
Response by poster: Mr Epigrams has his new shoes and we've tried both Bombas and Pacas (which are similar but made of alpaca wool). He seems to be happy with both. We're going to check out the Darn Tough next. Thanks for all the answers; it's really helped us find some socks at a time when we were nervous about what was out there.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 8:40 PM on August 3, 2023
posted by gentlyepigrams at 8:40 PM on August 3, 2023
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posted by cobaltnine at 6:44 PM on July 3, 2023