Hiking Socks

A successful hiking trip is made up of many small details, and the socks you wear with your boots or sandals will play a major factor in keeping your feet in good shape. Having blisters on a long hike is a little detail that gives you a lot of misery. It is common sense that you should wear stockings that give good padding for your feet since you'll be covering a long distance on the trails, and if the weather is cold on your hike you will need a material that insulates well. Getting the central issue with hiking socks is you need to keep the rough boot leather from rubbing against your toes and heels, and the inevitable sweat and moisture inside the tightly packed boots makes the chafing and blisters worse. Good socks will pad and insulate the feet, let some air pass through, and draw away the moisture to keep things from getting too abrasive. Perhaps the worst material for the inside of your boots is cotton. That natural fiber does fairly well when it's dry, but that never lasts long. Cotton actually soaks up and keeps in moisture, so it will start to rub very badly. It's also terrible at giving insulation and padding to the feet, so stay clear of hiking socks with any cotton content.

The best materials for socks when you're wearing hiking boots will give you the positive factors of insulation, breathability, water wicking and will eliminate the negatives, of friction (hot spots), moisture and air retention, and poor insulation. Natural fibers such as wool and silk do have their advantages. Wool, especially the non-itchy Merino wool, is very comfortable and has great wicking and breath-ability, and silk is great for giving a slick feel to avoid rubbing. There are also man-made materials that are engineered to address issues with insulation and moisture. Polyester and acrylic are great for wicking away moisture, nylon adds strength to the material, spandex helps to give a snug fit, and Gore-Tex is breathable and keeps water out. Manufacturers will usually combine a mixture of these materials in the weaving and over different regions of the socks to give good fit and protection. One of the best tricks for helping to wick away moisture and to ensure less friction inside your boots is to wear a second pair of very thin polypropylene liner stockings. This synthetic material multiplies the effectiveness of the thicker outer socks. Of course if it gets too wet you should change to a second set of socks you have in your backpack.