Expensive Socks

[SA Bill]

Bought some ThorLo hiking socks today at WEP. Paid $15.00 for a single pair of socks. To be sure, they are very nice socks. Medium thick padding, no seams to rub, good material treated with Thor-Lon, CoolMax design...etc.

Now I don't usually (ever) pay that much for one pair of socks. I'm a $5.99-for-6-pairs-of-socks kinda guy. I felt these socks in the store (that sounds a little dirty, doesn't it?) and was taken by their softness so I thought, what the hey, it's the 4th of July, I'll help the economy and spend $15.00 on a pair of socks.

BTW, these were not the most expensive socks in the store by far.

Soooo....more to come once I've worn them a few times.

What do the rest of you do for foot coverings?
   Bill

[badknees]

Silk or poly inner sock under a GOOD wool blend sock. Never, ever, ever, cotton.

[oldfatman]

Since I always seem to get my feet wet.  Liner under thick coolmax type of sock.  Thorlos have been my preferred sock for years for my long dayhikes and canoe or yaking.  Cheaper socks for just short social hiking in moderate weather.  In cold or very hot go for the good stuff. I have never backpacked and my day pack only runs up to 20 pounds at most, so heavy load socks are not in my experience to comment on.

[mule ears]

For years I wore a synthetic liner under a wool boot sock.   Now I just use one medium weight REI merino wool sock.  $10 a pair I think.

[TexasGirl]

Thorlos or wool

[bdann]

I like the REI Merino Wool Light Hiker socks + the REI Cool-max liners.  The "Smart Wool" socks are good too, but $5-$6 more than the REI brand. 

[jamesb]

I bought some smart wool medium hiking socks earlier this year and used them during my spring break trip. they did very nicely in the heat of the desert and in the snow and cold on the south rim. I used my REI points to get 4 pair for the price of 1

James

[stingrey]

Sportsman's Warehouse has some Columbia socks that are mid height (a little taller than the Asolos you're wearing) socks that are supremely comfortable on my feet, anyway. They are about $16/pair, and they are on the sock display part that faces the parking lot. The only Sportsman's Warehouse here is @ Gold Canyon & 281.

I drove to Sportsman's the other day to get another package of these bad boys since we'll be headed to the bend (next week) and then to Colorado just a couple of weeks after that. Needed to make sure I had enough on tap for each week long trek! The socks you got sound awesome! I might have to get myself a pair at some point, but for now I think that Columbia's gray hiking socks are the quickest drying thickest softest things I've sank my toes into to date!

[Boot Canyon 1 Cougar]

For over 6 years, I've been wearing

Bridgedale Summit Socks:  http://www.thesockcompany.com/bridsum.html ;

and

Bridgedale Coolmax liners: http://www.thesockcompany.com/bridat1.html

I purchase them at:  http://www.thesockcompany.com/ , which has competive prices--along with a long line of other brands.

This combo is the traditional heavy sock/thin liner, which works well for me.  The Summits are well padded, and last a couple of years of pretty heavy weekend use (they do not get a hole--its just that the heel padding gets compressed after about 2-3 years, so they lose their comfort once you are used to that padding.

Highly recommended by backpacking gear junkies Colin Fletcher, Chip Rawlins, and Chris Townsend