How To Select The Ideal Hiking Socks
If you think that purchasing 2 hiking boots is troublesome, then just wait till 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 aren’t hiking socks and you don’t want to wear the same socks that you use for jogging or playing soccer when you head off on a lengthy hike.
Good hiking sock have to be snug but they also must be thick and very hard wearing with terrific thermal and moisture-wicking properties. Remember that, even if you’re just hiking modest distances at the weekends, you’ll probably cover getting on for one thousand miles in a year and you should expect a good pair of hiking socks to last almost that distance.
Most vitally, you need your socks to supply you with comfort for that one thousand miles. Problems such as chafing, blisters other foot damage can swiftly turn a 2 or 3 mile hike back to your car into sheer agony if your socks aren’t up to the job.
Good moisture-wicking is also an essential. ‘Wicking ‘ is a technique like that offered by the wick in an old skool oil lamp and basically means drawing sweat off the outer layer of your feet to keep them dry. If your socks don’t do this, you will develop chafing, blisters, fungi and other less pleasing results. And, if you’re troubling about bad smelling feet, this will be a minor issue – we’re talking about real health issues here.
Whether you’re spending lots of time hiking, or just undertaking short walks 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’d seem strange to believe that one pair of socks could deal with both hot and cold conditions, but modern materials and manufacturing technology suggests that this is indeed possible today.
A good place to begin when searching 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. Nevertheless clever engineers have now managed to improve on Mother Nature and blends, such as Lycra, wool and others, combined with micro-geometry producing, can also produce hiking socks with great support and comfort, glorious 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 maximum wear. You should also ensure that there aren’t any ridges, particularly near the toes or at the ankle bone. Ridges can cause irritation to your feet as fast as a stone in your boot. Socks also should be long enough to come well above the pinnacle of your boot so they can be folded down.
All socks will lose elasticity at the top and often folding them down over the top of the boot is important to stop them sliding inside the boot as you walk. Notwithstanding this fact, you should still try and buy socks which will not lose their flexibility too quickly.
Hiking socks aren’t cheap and you may expect to pay $10 a pair, or even more, for a fair pair. Nonetheless, this is one investment that, like your walking boots, is really worth the cost and you should arm yourself with at least three or pairs of hiking socks and always carry 1 spare pair with you in your back-pack.
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