Need Socks

[King Hugh]

There are too many socks to choose from, and the "hunting socks" I see at wally just ain't cutting it. What type of socks should I get that will help keep my feet warm. Generally I wear a pair of insulated rubber boots, and I hunt in upstate NY so it tends to get chilly now and then.

I was at Gander Mountain the other day and there are a LOT of socks to choose, but what material is best? I've heard wool, but it's hard to find a 100% wool sock. And they would prolly be expensive, are there other alternatives that work just as well and are a little cheaper and don't shrink if you wash them?

Also, how do y'all do it, double socks, or single pair, or what?

Thanks;

[Highpower]

I ALWAYS wear some wool blend. Normally, I look for the highest wool content I can get when buying. The key is though, ALWAYS WOOL. May be heavy or may be light depending on conditions and boots I'm wearing. Another thing, I always wear sock liners. They are very lightweight and defiantly help keep your feet warm as well as save you from blisters. Good luck

[Popere]

I wear mereno wool socks made by smart wool. I wear a liner sock for wicking purposes. They are a little pricey. I think I paid around $20 a pair. But worht it for my feet not to get cold.

[KBacon]

I have 4 pairs of Smart Wool socks... They are the best that I've ever worn. I was up in Canada a few weeks ago and it was really wet and cold out. I was wearing a pair of polypropylene sock liners w/ the Smart Wool .. my feet started to get chilled just a tad... took my boots and socks off.. and the liners were a little damp.. took them off.. and put on just the straight smart wool socks.. and my feet warmed back up. I was quite amazed.

[johnch]

I use Rockey wicking liner sock with WOOL WOOL WOOL socks and I change socks 2 or 3 times a day

[BeltedMag]

I bought a pair of wool Rockies with the thin black liner when i bought my bear claws, they work great, keep my feet nice and toasty

[zekeskar]

I have two types of socks:

Smart wool and regular bulky ragg wool. The smart wool ones I have are fairly thin and I wear them with snugger fitting shoes and where padding is not important. They are well designed and effective. But expensive.

I wear regular, bulky ragg wool socks where I need bulkiness or padding, for example when carrying a heavy pack on hard surface (e.g. backpacking in rocky areas.). I haven't found any sock, wool or synthetic, of any design that works as well for me as this old stand by.

I frequently wear liners and have a bunch of very thin synthetic (olefin? or poly pro?) liner socks. It's important that they fit well as opposed to some I used to have that were tube type and just didn't do the job. Aside from wicking, properly fitting liner socks can help prevent blisters. Any sliding that is done is between the liner and the outer sock instead of between the sock and the skin.

I have also found that a few pair of old, black synthetic yarn dress socks I have work well as liners in bulkier (e.g. pac boot) conditions. They're synthetic so they tend to wick moisture and stay warm when damp, and they're fairly well fitting and a little bulkier than the other liners I have.

Bottom line advice: spend the extra couple of bucks per pair for decent wool socks as opposed to bargain bin ones. For one thing, they generally just are better quality and the long term cost is minor. Good wool socks last for years.

[zekeskar]

ORIGINAL: johnch

I use Rockey wicking liner sock with WOOL WOOL WOOL socks and I change socks 2 or 3 times a day

An addition to my long dissertation on sox below

Changing socks really helps keep feet warm - I do like johnch and always carry one or two spares, especially if I'm wearing rubber boots. Even nice wool socks and liners don't do as good a job when they're wet. Changing socks can really make a difference.

[NVMIKE]

wool is the ticket. if price bothers you, get some and use them ONLY for hunting, they will last years that way.

[graybeard 50]

red hear has a great pair for 9.95 & come with a lifetime warenty on wearout. works good here in Ohio!!!!