Getting The Perfect Hiking Socks
If you suspect that buying a couple of hill-climbing boots is difficult, then just wait until it comes to getting an appropriate pair of hiking socks.Now socks are socks, right? Well, when it comes to hiking, grabbing any old pair of sports socks out of the drawer simply will not work. Sadly, sports socks are not hiking socks and you do not want to wear the same socks that you use for jogging or playing football when you head off on a lengthy hike.
Good hiking sock need to be cosy but they also have to be thick and really hard wearing with superb thermal and moisture-wicking properties. Remember that, even if you’re just hiking modest distances at the weekends, you can potentially cover getting on for 1,000 miles in a year and you should be expecting a great pair of hiking socks to last nearly that distance.
Most vitally, you need your socks to give you comfort for that 1,000 miles. Problems like chafing, blisters other foot damage can quickly turn a two or three mile hike back to your car into sheer agony if your socks are not up to the job.
Good moisture-wicking is also an essential. ‘Wicking ‘ is a method like that supplied by the wick in an old skool oil lamp and basically means drawing sweat off the outer surface of your feet to keep them dry. If your socks do not do this, you may develop chafing, blisters, fungi and other less pleasant results. And, if you’re troubling about bad smelling feet, this will be a small issue – we’re talking about real health issues here.
Whether you’re spending a lot of time hiking, or merely undertaking short hikes at the weekend, you may also need good thermal properties from your socks. In hot weather your socks have to conduct heat away from your foot and out through your boot and, in cold weather, they have to keep your feet at a comfortable temperature.
It may seem unusual to suspect that one pair of socks could deal with both hot and cold conditions, but modern materials and producing technology means that this is indeed possible today.
A good start line when looking out for a pair of hiking socks is to start with cotton, which is one of nature’s materials that offers the range of features you’re looking for. But clever engineers have now managed to improve on Mother Nature and blends, for example Lycra, wool and others, combined with micro-geometry producing, can also produce hiking socks with great support and comfort, fantastic thermal control and superior moisture-wicking.
All hiking socks should also have thickened areas around the toe, ankle and heel as these are the area that may get the most wear. You need to also ensure that there aren’t any ridges, especially near the toes or at the ankle bone. Ridges can cause irritation to your feet as fast as a stone in your boot. Socks should also be long enough to come well above the apex of your boot so they can be folded down.
All socks will lose flexibility at the top and frequently folding them down OTT of the boot is critical to stop them sliding inside the boot as you walk. Despite this fact, you must still attempt to buy socks which will not lose their elasticity too fast.
Hiking socks are not inexpensive and you may expect to pay $10 a pair, or more, for a decent pair. Nevertheless, this is one investment that, like your hiking boots, is worth the cost and you need to arm yourself with at least 3 or pairs of hiking socks and always carry at least one spare pair with you in your back pack.
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