What about socks
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: jstephens61
26-Mar-17
We talk about every other piece of equipment, boots, base layers, camo, but I don't remember discuss socks. I wear my everyday run of the mill cotton socks. There has to be something better out there. What do you put your feet in before your boots?
From: cnelk
26-Mar-17
I quit wearing cotton socks due to feet sweating and damp cold feet
Now I buy 'People Socks' on Amazon - merino wool - and wear them daily. Sweat issue gone
From: patdel
26-Mar-17
^^^^what he said. Merino wool is the way to go. I like smartwool, but I'm gonna check out those people socks on amazon too. Sounds like they're named by a bunch of hippies in a moon cult, but they might be good.
From: wyobullshooter
26-Mar-17
Smartwool
From: Nick Muche
26-Mar-17
Darn Tough for me.
From: kentuckbowhnter
26-Mar-17
synthetic liner socks and wool over that.
From: sfiremedic
26-Mar-17
smartwool, darn tough.... seamless toe. NO COTTON!!
From: txhunter58
26-Mar-17
Merino wool, merino wool, merino wool All the above mentioned socks are offshoots of that. Stick with one of them and you will be fine
From: Trial153
26-Mar-17
Farm to feet, Smart wool ...both excellent merino wool socks. Darn tuff didnt impress me.
From: Ben
26-Mar-17
I'm a fan of the Merino wool sock also. A few years back I was getting ready for an elk hunt and I started having hot spots with cotton socks after about 3 1/2 to 4 miles with a pack. Change to UA wool socks and that fixed the hot spots . Now I wear wool all year long. I like the tall ones that go up on my calves.
From: jims
26-Mar-17
Once cotton gets wet they are impossible to dry! Smartwool are great. Another brand I really like are Thorlos. They have extra padding in the balls of the feet as well as areas on the toes and elsewhere. Thorlos have a pretty good selection of super thin to thicker socks with the extra padding. Synthetic is nice for backpacking and other extended day hunts because they dry quick if wet.
From: oldgoat
26-Mar-17
We bought the Darn Tough last year, I can't say yet that they are any better than other good merino/smart wool socks. But they have a good guarantee!
From: Kurt
26-Mar-17
The Costco merino 4 pack for $14 in Canada. Tough and comfortable for me. It is a mid-weight, mid-height sock and I wear them hunting, hiking and for everyday wear year around.
From: Jaquomo
26-Mar-17
Another vote for merino wool, but the past few years I've also been happy with the Cabelas wool/poly blend for early season. I wear them for everyday too.
From: tobinsghost
26-Mar-17
Darn tough socks, the kuiu socks are good but not tall enough for me and then in hot weather I wear some UA football socks over a very light poly sock.
From: PECO
26-Mar-17
Smartwool brand, or similar Merino wool from REI, or Gander Mtn. I quit cotton socks abut 10 years ago.
From: Deertick
26-Mar-17
You guys got it all wrong ... Camofire is the place for merino socks ... Lorpens are for EVERYday around here.
From: md5252
26-Mar-17
Darn tough.
Made in VT and lifetime warranty
From: WapitiBob
26-Mar-17
REi merino, darn tough merino, and cotton crew all work for me. The merino's tend to be a bit thicker.
From: spike78
26-Mar-17
Get with the times guys Merino is old school Alpaca is the new!
From: Native Okie
26-Mar-17
Darn Tough are as good as it gets for a merino hunting sock in my opinion. A little pricy for a full roataion for everyday use.
From: elkmtngear
26-Mar-17
I wear poly sock liners with Merino Blend socks.
From: sticksender
26-Mar-17
I like smart wool socks so well, that I now wear them 365 days a year. The other benefit is that they're very tough and seem to last 10x longer than cheap cotton or other materials.
From: Teeton
26-Mar-17
For those that use darn tough have you found that your foot moves around in your boot. Not your foot in sock, but like the darn tough socks are like slick or something? ?
From: md5252
26-Mar-17
Teeton, I have not had that problem with DT socks
From: Backpack Hunter
26-Mar-17
Darn Tough merino works well for me. I have not noticed movement......but they do have a lot of different styles.
From: The last savage
26-Mar-17
I wear alpaca Sox,they are excellent with sweat,cold comfortable...
From: Mark Watkins
26-Mar-17
For extended mountain backpack hunts, Kenetrek liner covered by the Smartwool PhD. If on the rare occasion, a hot spot starts, I stop, take boots and socks off, let feet dry and put on a fresh pair of each.
Has worked like a charm on 6 sheep hunts...
Mark
From: midwest
26-Mar-17
Smartwool fan here. Midweight hikers.
From: PAOH
26-Mar-17
Darn Tough for hunting. People's Socks for work.
From: glunker
26-Mar-17
My experience with smartwool was a light-med weight that did not hold up. I will have to give them another shot. Best deal I have found on med-heavy Merino socks has been Costco. About $13 for 4 pair. Too many Merino wool socks have 35 percent or less wool, so reading the label is key
From: Blacktail Bob
26-Mar-17
Any sock that comes out of the drawer. Duck tape for blisters.
From: Heat
26-Mar-17
I've had great performance from Wigwam Merino Comfort Hiker.
From: booner
26-Mar-17
Lorpen makes one that is on camofire.com sometimes, call them they are very helpful last ones I got were $7 per two pack and they are merino wool
From: Muddyboots
26-Mar-17
very light nylon or polyester liner with merino wool sock.
From: dgildy
26-Mar-17
Cabelas polypro liners, or Injinji 5-toed socks as base and then Smartwool over them. The 5-toed socks can be a bit annoying to get on, but there is NO slippage or rubbing.
From: lawdy
27-Mar-17
For hunting, handknit wool socks. For everyday, merino wool. Cotton is rotten when it comes to socks.
From: Capra
27-Mar-17
Just get some darn toughs and get it over with. I have tried them all that they are the best.
From: huntabsarokee
27-Mar-17
Another Darn tough user here. They seem to last and not stretch out. Worst I tried was the Wigwam. They stretched out fast around the calf.
From: Fuzzy
27-Mar-17
I wear alpaca socks for everything that involves walking. Pricey but worth it, and they really last.
From: Southern draw
27-Mar-17
Darn Tuff every day even to church !
From: wyohunter1
27-Mar-17
What Fuzzy says, Alpaca socks rock. Alpacas of Montana has a 50 percent off sale right now.
From: TD
27-Mar-17
Another Darn Tough vote. But they make a lot of different socks. Offhand I think the ones I used are the midweight hikers with cushion soles or something like that.....
From: RTJ1980
27-Mar-17
Smartwool for me too.
From: uteangler
27-Mar-17
I've used a bunch of different brands. Darn Tough are my favorite so far.
From: Kevin Dill
28-Mar-17
My wife and I were on vacation when we stopped in a backpacking shop that had every sock imaginable. Some gal (employee) with steel cables for legs told me about Darn Tough. I bought one pair. That was years ago and I still wear that same pair. I also wear the other 18 pairs I've bought for everyday, hiking and hunting use. For hunting I prefer the DT Mountaineering #1440 in colder temps. I've bought 6 pair of them and they beat any sock I've personally ever owned by a wide margin. I take 2 pair on a 2 week hunt and they handle the heavy use easily. I've got 4 seasons of use out of the original 3 pair.
There are lots of good socks out there. There isn't a better brand than Darn Tough.
From: brettpsu
28-Mar-17
"You guys got it all wrong ... Camofire is the place for merino socks ... Lorpens are for EVERYday around here."
Those Lorpen Light Hiker socks on Camofire use to be very good. I could get a couple hundred days out of a pair. The Light Hikers they sell now are garbage. Might get 20 days out of pair.
I have since switched to the Darn Tough socks with great results. I've picked up some Darn Tough at stores like TJ Max, Ross and Marshalls for $6-$8 a pair.
From: APauls
28-Mar-17
Darn Tough all day every day!! I wear each pair for two days before moving on to the next pair. Just because I can. And I have sweaty feet. Can't beat the lifetime guarantee. I bought all the socks I'll need for the rest of my life a year or two back. Haven't bought socks since :)
From: ElkNut1
28-Mar-17
Hmm, I guess I'm the rare one who still wears cotton! I wear two pair of socks everyday, one medium wool blend & one cotton, I've never had any issues so I stay with them. I also wear cotton long johns everyday of my elk hunts. Not sure where the myth stemmed from that cotton is bad? It's actually quite comfortable! Works for me!
ElkNut1
From: Teeton
28-Mar-17
I too am a big fan of the Injinji 5-toed liners.
From: RonS
28-Mar-17
I have used Darn Tough several times and added the Injinji 5 toe liner this past fall. I had no sock issues and will use this combination again.
From: Fuzzy
28-Mar-17
All I can say is, buy one pair of alpaca and see what you think.
From: APauls
28-Mar-17
ElkNut, no one said cotton is bad, merino is just better :)
From: Bake
28-Mar-17
Merino for sure. I've moved to lighter, shorter boots, for hunting and everyday wear, and I have about half a dozen pairs of Darn Tough socks, which I really like. I probably wear them 5 days a week.
I wear the shorter versions, in medium weight I think. Buy them at REI usually. Just got a large REI dividend yesterday, might have to buy some more socks, come to think of it
From: ElkNut1
28-Mar-17
APauls, yes I hear a lot of merino wool socks being better, not sure why I don't care for them. I do prefer cotton in socks as one part of my feet layering. For my base layer tops though I love merino wool, I have a 1/2 doz different ones that I wouldn't trade for anything! (grin)
I've never had feet that sweated so maybe that's part of it! Thanks!
ElkNut1
From: spike78
28-Mar-17
I can wear Alpaca socks a few days in a row and hardly a smell to it. That says a lot about the wicking as my feet stink!
From: Bowboy
28-Mar-17
I wear a light moisture wicking sock first, then I use the Costco merino blend socks. The price is right and I've never had any issues. They come in packs of three.
From: lawdy
28-Mar-17
Cotton is great and very comfortable until it gets wet. Then it is cold and with sweat, stinks. I like cotton shirts and pants in the summer because it is cool and doesn't burn. I am a volunteer fire fighter. Our bibs and jackets are layered cotton. I am the safety guy and wear Carhartt bibs and jackets. I have seen first hand what happens when synthetics on a person burn. Wool is fire resistant too.
From: Ben
28-Mar-17
Wool may be fire resistant but, holes sure burn in it around a campfire. I love wool though both in inner and outer clothing as well as socks.
From: Brijake
28-Mar-17
My feet get hot and sweat a lot so I have tried many brands of Merino due to most saying they are best for sweat (have not tried the DT's). With each pair I tried, my feet got so hot and then my foot would slip around in my boots and get hot spots. I have had to go back to cotton, which to me are most comfortable, but they do get smelly.
I assume since the Merino doesn't soak up the sweat like cotton, the sweat is what is making my feet slip in my boots. Maybe Alpaca wool is different?
From: jstephens61
28-Mar-17
ElkNut, I've been told to wear wool socks next to the skin and cotton outside. The thought being that sweat will go though the wool and absorbed by the cotton. How do you layer yours? Hated the wool socks the Corps issued us.
From: midwest
28-Mar-17
Brijake, Have you tried antiperspirant on your feet?
From: ElkNut1
28-Mar-17
jstephens61, I really have no special system. I wear one medium blend fairly thick cotton sock & one medium blend wool sock. The sock that goes next to my skin is the longer one! (grin) I don't like my 2nd sock to be taller than the inside one! (grin) I wear socks that are just under the calf, this puts them above my tallest boots, this works well for me for well over 40 years.
I've had wet feet before, I just don't care. I try not to but if it happens it's not going to effect my hunt or my moral. I've said this before, you'd best be a good sufferer if you want to be an elk hunter, conditions aren't always rosey out there, I deal with what's thrown my way & keep moving forward. I do my best not to be overly concerned about anything I'm wearing from head to toe. I will say in all the years I've worn this combo of two socks that I've never had a blister. If it ain't broke don't fix it! (grin) Thanks!
ElkNut1
From: Brijake
29-Mar-17
Midwest, I haven't tried antiperspirant , but will give it a try. With all the resounding accolades for the DT's, think I will give them a try as well although I am thinking any wool on my feet will make them hotter.
From: TD
29-Mar-17
"I too am a big fan of the Injinji 5-toed liners."
I use these with my 5 fingers. Much more comfy and much less funky "fingers".... So far haven't used them, or needed them really under the darn toughs in regular boots (be really hard to wear them over em.....)
Between the two it does take me a couple minutes to put on the toe socks and the 5 fingers..... but I honestly think folks who didn't like the 5 fingers never used them with those toe socks.....
From: lawdy
29-Mar-17
Some outfitters request that clients not wear poly as several years ago a stove in a tent caught fire. The 3 guys wearing poly underwesr perished. The one hunter who was wearing merino survived. Wool may scorch but doesn't ignite or melt to your skin. Spent 8 years as a volunteer ambulance attendant and witnessed that several times. Saw one old farmer who was filling his tractor with gas when the plastic gas can sparked and ignited. He was wearing cotton briefs and a cotton undershirt under poly pants and a fleece shirt with a wool vest. The pants were melted onto his skin and the fleece melted onto his arms. We stripped him in the ambulance and the only places not cooked were where the cotton and wool covered him. He was in agony but survived.
From: Brotsky
29-Mar-17
Darn tough or Smartwool PHD for this guy. They are interchangeable and equal for me, just depends on which pair I grab out of the drawer.
