Sock It To Me

July 26, 2023 2:57 AM

Good, and reasonably priced, moisture-wicking socks? Hope me, please!

My standard, all-day, walking everywhere, footwear are cushy trainers and Thorlo socks. I’ve been wearing Thorlos forever and have loved their ample cushioning. I’ve come to realize, though, that the model of Thorlos I’ve been wearing might not be the best at wicking moisture. I’ve also been shopping around for a new pair of trainers and have discovered that my socks seem to be too thick to comfortably wear in newer shoes.

So, it seems I need to smite two grues with one stone.

The choices, though, are overwhelming. Thorlo themselves seems to offer quite a few thinner socks that claim wicking power. If anyone has experience with their offerings I’d love to hear it. And, then, there are the many others. I found this Ask from 2011, but I’d like to have some updated suggestions, if possible.

My needs are pretty basic. Good moisture-wicking, of course. I’d still like a modicum of cushioning. I prefer crew length socks, and definitely don’t want no-see or low-cut styles. Affordability would be nice. In my search, I’ve found socking going for upwards of $20-30/pair, which my wallet feels to be pretty outrageous. Standard laundering (i.e. tossed in the washer and dryer with everything else) is a must.

Wildcard: It would be awesome if they were available in a few more colors than white.

Thanks!

posted by Thorzdad to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (13 answers total)

I swear by Darn Tough. They are wool so I find them to be great at staying dry when it's sweaty. They come in a huge variety of colours, height, and cushion options. The price point is around $20 BUT they have a lifetime warranty.

Seriously. If they get a hole or wear out, as long as you have the pair, you can mail them in and get a new pair sent to you!
posted by dazedandconfused at 6:16 AM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]

Seconding Darn Tough - admittedly a lot of their socks are in that $20-30/pair range, but if you can afford the initial outlay I think they're worth it. I used to have three pairs and at some point I realized how much out of my way I was going to do laundry at odd times (or even rewearing socks that I convinced myself were "not that dirty") so that I could wear "the good socks" and I sucked it up and bought another four pairs, so now I can wear "the good socks" pretty much whenever I want. You can get them on sale sometimes. But also I've just kind of realized that I'd rather have one pair of Darn Toughs than three pairs of lesser socks.
posted by mskyle at 6:20 AM on July 26, 2023 [2 favorites]

Came here to say Darn Tough, too. Yes, they are over $20/pair, but you can find them on sale. Regular wash and dry. They last forever.
posted by pangolin party at 6:36 AM on July 26, 2023 [2 favorites]

Wool is definitely going to be the best moisture-wicking material for socks, and they also do a great job of regulating temperature. I live in Richmond VA, where summers are hot and sticky, and I am hot and sweaty person. My summer wardrobe is made of linen and seersucker tops and shorts with wool socks.

I started my wool sock collection at Sierra, getting Smartwool socks on sale. They come in a variety of styles and colors.

More recently I have started picking up my annual supply from Costco. Their Kirkland socks are a wool / nylon blend and VERY inexpensive ... usually around $20 for six pairs. They usually debut in-warehouse around August. The mens' version of the socks are hiking socks, so thicker and usually more boring in their coloring. I generally get the "ladies'" version instead, which are a little thinner (but still plenty thick for everyday use) and with better colors and patterns.
posted by zebra at 6:44 AM on July 26, 2023

Here's an example of what the women's version of the Kirkland wool blend socks look like. The colors and patterns are different every year.
posted by zebra at 6:48 AM on July 26, 2023

I'm pretty cheap about my clothes, except for socks. Another vote for Darn Tough. They have periodic 25% off sales, and you can also get them at REI, which has periodic 20% off sales.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:49 AM on July 26, 2023

I bought some Smartwool socks as a splurge, back in I wanna say 2003, maybe 2004? I too was urpy about the price (I think it was $15 for one pair of standard crew socks back when that same $15 would buy me a ten pack of cotton socks at Target), but the experience of wearing them COMPLETELY converted me. My feet never felt clammy anymore, the itch I'd feared with wool never materialized, and I was completely sold. Over the next couple of years, I gradually accumulated more pairs of wool socks as I could afford them, and pretty much by 2008 had eschewed cotton socks completely, landing on about a week's worth of knee-height wool socks for winter, and two weeks' worth of crew socks for the warmer months. Smartwool was still pretty expensive, so I did supplement with the Kirkland multi-packs at Costco and sometimes REI's house brand, but they were all pretty durable back then and I felt like I was getting my money's worth. I have also tried buying "wicking socks" with manmade materials rather than wool based on the cost, but none of them have worked nearly so well for me as wool socks.

I would not buy Smartwool *today*; their quality has gone downhill noticeably over the years, such that Smartwool socks I bought in 2018 were getting holes in the heel at the same time as some of the ones I'd bought 10-15 years earlier. The Darn Toughs I bought early in the pandemic are holding up well so far, though, like most people in this thread are saying; they may become my new default as I replace the old holey socks now.

And yeah, I throw my wool socks right in the laundry, no special treatment whatsoever.
posted by Pandora Kouti at 9:32 AM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

Yes Darn Tough. Bonus on the lifetime guarantee: you don’t even have to mail them back. You can take them to an authorized retailer and walk out with a new pair (as long as they have the same model in stock).
posted by supercres at 9:36 AM on July 26, 2023

Maybe I'm overcautious, but I just let my Darn Tough's air dry after washing.

I sent in five pairs for replacement last fall (they were maybe 4-5 y old?) and got a credit for five new pairs.
posted by pjenks at 9:58 AM on July 26, 2023

I started with SmartWool, and then Darn Tough, wool socks. Buy the older styles on sale whenever & wherever you find them.

Buy a couple of nice-looking ones at full price, and embrace the ugly ones. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 10:02 AM on July 26, 2023

Just gonna n'th darn tough. They're amazing, but expensive. They have an annual sale of mildly defective ones that is an annual pilgrimage for people in Vermont.
posted by nixxon at 1:25 PM on July 26, 2023

Also Darn Tough. I have used their lifetime guarantee to get replacement socks multiple times. The key is to get multiple identical pairs so if you lose one you still have a matching pair to send back.
posted by bq at 7:19 PM on July 26, 2023 [2 favorites]

Duluth Trading Co's coolerino line of socks have been great for me. I got tired of having to replace regular socks that developed a hole in the bottom after 3-6 months, and just threw away all of my other casual socks and bought several pairs of them, and they have been great, comfortable, and my feet never smell bad anymore.
posted by jferg at 12:05 PM on July 27, 2023