I’m a staff writer at Wirecutter covering outdoors and travel gear. I’ve hiked more than 7,000 miles—throughout every season—in the Eastern Woodlands and the mountainous regions of the US west. I’ve experimented with countless sock and trail-runner-shoe options for hiking, and I’ve developed an appreciation for honored warranties.

For this guide:

• I spent 15 hours researching over two-dozen potential candidates for this most-recent round of testing.
• I attended the 2024 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. I also interviewed Peter Bradley, who worked in the footwear section at the REI store in Sandy, Utah, at the time of the interview.
• For a previous version of this guide, Wirecutter’s Ebony Roberts tested 18 pairs of socks, interviewed four experts, and spoke with dozens of hikers and backpackers—including Liz Thomas, a writer for Wirecutter at the time. Her reporting still appears throughout the current guide.
• Like all Wirecutter journalists, I review and test products with complete editorial independence. I’m never made aware of any business implications of my editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.
• I chose the experts I consulted for this article for their knowledge and independence. For transparency and accuracy, we have disclosed any affiliations that experts have with companies mentioned in this article.

Synthetic or wool hiking socks are essential for anyone who plans to hike or backpack, on or off the trail. Campers, travelers, and outdoor sportspeople will also appreciate durable and anti-stink hiking socks.

In some cases, this guide offers sock options for both male and female feet. Our experts told us that there are slight anatomical differences between male and female feet, and they said these differences matter when it comes to fitting boots or shoes, but socks are more interchangeable. The women’s hiking socks we tested were simply smaller versions of the men’s socks, and they were usually offered in different colors. In fact, our runner-up pick, which we’ve been recommending for years, used to come in men’s and women’s versions; now there’s just a unisex version.

This guide does not include liner socks. Some hikers swear by the two-sock system, which consists of a very thin liner sock underneath a wool or synthetic hiking sock. After talking to our experts, though, we determined that most people should try hiking with a single pair of socks first.

We focused on light and midweight micro-crew and crew-length hiking socks because they’re the best socks for people who plan to hike in moderate temperatures along groomed trails. However, our picks come in other height and weight configurations. Finding the best pair for you depends on many factors, including your foot shape, your footwear, the terrain, and the weather.
Sock height: Hiking socks generally range in length from below the ankle up to the knee.

Common hiking-sock lengths

Make sure your socks rise at least as high as the footwear you’re wearing. If they don’t, the top of your boot or shoe may rub against your bare skin and cause blisters. Also consider the type of hiking you plan to do in these socks: A lower sock will be just fine for hiking on a trail that’s groomed, but if you plan to hike on overgrown trails or in muddy conditions, you might appreciate higher socks to protect your legs.

Sock weight: Socks usually come in a few different weight options.

If you have a lot of extra space in your boots or trail-running shoes, a midweight sock’s extra fabric might improve the fit of your footwear, but aim to get your initial boot or shoe fitting correctly without the aid of socks first. Lightweight and less-padded socks, on the other hand, are the best option for breathability. The heavier the sock, the more cushioning you get. But we generally don’t recommend heavy socks because they take up lots of room in boots and shoes. Without that needed wiggle room, your feet can’t breathe; instead they’ll soak with sweat, ultimately making you colder, not warmer.

Sock fit: We asked our experts the same question—how should a good sock fit? The advice, in a nutshell, was that good hiking socks should be tight but not too tight, with no slippage and no bulky seams.

Proper fit

Beth Henkes, former sales lead at the REI in Alderwood, Washington, said, “Generally you’re going to want no slipping, and you want good seam placement: snug but not too snug. The seam placement [will] depend on how the sock is built, but usually a seam on a heel should be mid-heel or maybe a little farther up. No bunching is a good idea, but you don’t want it to be too tight on your toe. You want a little bit of toe room without too much shift.”

Sock size: Choose the size that corresponds to your shoe size. Every brand has its size guide, but a scheme of S, M, L, XL is standard. Unlike boots or shoes, the socks we tried all fit true to size. But if you’re on the cusp, consider the knit of the socks: You might want to go with the smaller size for loosely knit socks and the larger size for more tightly knit socks. User reviews and customer service reps are useful here, too.

Boot or shoe fit: You need shoes that fit well, if you want to reduce your risk of blisters. However, it’s important to remember that hiking socks can change the fit of a shoe, too. When you’re trying on new pairs of hiking shoes or boots, bring your hiking socks to the store with you. Make certain that your footwear and socks work well together and that you don’t have too much friction in the shoe.

Socks may be inexpensive, but there are many options to choose from—so deciding which socks to buy can be overwhelming. We narrowed our list down from 80 sock models to the 20 we’d eventually test, looking for the following characteristics (which we then kept in mind while testing):

Sport-specific materials: We avoided cotton because it soaks up water and doesn’t dry well, creating a chill.

Merino wool is a good option for hiking socks because it’s soft and unlikely to irritate skin, and it’s naturally able to respond to your body temperature, cooling and warming as needed. It’s also odor-resistant, so it’ll help keep your feet stink-free if they sweat. For anyone looking to avoid wool, we included a few merino-free synthetic models in our lineup.

Beth Henkes said, “[Wool] does take a little bit longer to dry than synthetic, actually. But with synthetic you have to start sweating before the sock wicks your moisture out. With wool, the heat comes out before you start sweating.”

Wickability and breathability: A good hiking sock should regulate your foot temperature and keep your feet dry on hot days by drawing the moisture out of the foot through the sock and releasing it into the air. Wirecutter’s Liz Thomas said, “Better breathing reduces moisture on your feet, which can contribute to blisters.”

Durability: A good hiking sock should hold up over time, despite many, many miles of hiking. There’s no set mileage for how long your socks should last, since that depends on how often you wear them outside of hiking, how you walk, the terrain, and the overall weight of the socks. Still, a durable hiking sock should withstand a lot of washing and drying with minimal pilling or loose threads. Even the thinnest socks we tested, which were running socks, usually lasted for 250 miles of hiking with a backpacking pack.

Drying time: A hiking sock should dry quickly, whether it’s full of sweat or creek water. Wearing wet socks for a prolonged period encourages skin irritation.

Odor control: A good hiking sock controls odor. As Liz said, “None of these are going to smell like roses, but some will fare far worse than others.” Every sock we tested promised to have some kind of odor-removing technology.

Price: Most good hiking socks cost anywhere from $20 and $25. We tested a few that were less expensive and a few that were more expensive, hoping to see if price made a difference in performance. Ultimately, we found that $25 will buy you a great pair of socks backed by an even better warranty—there’s no need to pay more than that. Most socks under $20 didn’t fit right and didn’t have warranties.

Warranty: Many of these socks come with guarantees. Some brands even offer a lifetime warranty. We tested a few socks without great warranties, but most of the socks on our list could be easily replaced at little to no cost to us when they get worn out or damaged.

We hiked 225 miles in these 20 pairs of socks, for a total of over 110 hours during some of the warmest months of the year, and we experimented with different types of footwear. This process allowed us to see how each sock responded to different boots and shoes. We made sure to test multiple pairs of socks on each trail, too.

When testing these socks during the midsummer months, when temperatures were at their highest, we wore only the lightweight models on the trails. However, we also had medium-weight versions of the socks for comparison in the spring and fall.

We wandered trails close to Vancouver, BC, during the peak of summer and in California’s Eastern Sierra mountains during spring, late summer, and early fall. We wore the socks day to day, too, using them as anyone normally would wear socks, to see which models could stand up to everything we put them through.

As we hiked these trails, we rated the socks on several criteria, including:

• comfort
• fit
• breathability
• durability
• odor control

We took notes on every hike, to document each pair’s performance. If we found something we liked, we wrote it down. If something annoyed us or left us feeling uncomfortable, we wrote that down, too. After wearing each pair a few times to test for odor control, we washed them together to test durability.

The Darn Tough Light Hiker Micro Crew Lightweight Hiking Sock, available in women’s and men’s versions, is the best sock for hiking on groomed trails in moderate weather.

The Light Hiker is comfortable. These socks were snug around our feet without being too tight. There are no bulky toe seams, and the sock lies flat against your foot in the toe box and doesn’t press against your footwear.

It has balanced cushioning. We preferred the cushioning of this sock over that of many of the other models we tested. The Light Hiker’s light cushioning around the toe, heel, and bottom of the foot provides enough padding while remaining breathable.

The fabric keeps trail grit out. This pair is tightly knit with a mixture of nylon, fine-gauge merino wool, and Lycra spandex, which helps to guard against the grit that can make its way through a more loosely knit sock. Nonetheless, the Light Hiker was also one of the most breathable socks we tested.

It’s durable. After 30 miles of wear and one wash, our pair of Light Hiker socks still looked practically brand-new—something we couldn’t say for many of the models we tested. At pit stops on our many hikes, we took our boots off to let our feet breathe, and we had no issues when wearing only these socks in the dirt. While the other socks in our test pool pilled and even tore when we walked around in them, the Light Hiker socks looked almost untouched.

Darn Tough has the most trusted warranty. Over many years of trail running and long-distance hiking, I’ve taken advantage of this warranty for some 20 (or more) pairs of different versions of Darn Tough socks—mostly because of holes in the heel. I’ve found that most socks will be challenged when they’re worn for up to two weeks at a time, without proper washing, while you’re walking through creeks, on dusty trails, and through overgrown flora.

Darn Tough’s unconditional lifetime guarantee means that you can send socks back for a replacement pair. Even if you simply wear the socks out after a few years, Darn Tough will still replace them, no questions asked. (The company doesn’t cover shipping costs if you need to replace used socks, but it does offer free shipping on returns of unworn socks, and there is no shipping on purchases made with your warranty code.)

Darn Tough’s sock is also available in a few other height and weight versions:

• The Darn Tough sock comes in a Micro Crew Midweight version (in women’s and men’s); this model offers a medium cushion with twice the yarn weight as the lightweight version, at the same micro-crew length as our top pick. The extra padding on the bottom of the foot might be worthwhile if you have stiffer soles or need to take up space in your footwear. However, the lightweight sock is still preferable if you’re hiking on a hot day.
• If you’re going out in cooler temperatures or looking for maximum cushioning, the Hiker Boot Midweight (in women’s and men’s) is another solid option. It’s a taller sock, coming up higher than the Micro Crew and offering much more padding underfoot. We found that these socks were comfortable but much too heavy for our summer hikes.
• If you’re wearing trail runners or hiking shoes, and you’re exclusively trekking over groomed trails in a warmer climate, you may prefer more breathability over sock coverage. In this case, the Hiker Quarter Midweight pair (in women’s and men’s) might be the best option for you.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Like any sock, it won’t fit every foot. One of our testers found that the sock shifted away from his toes throughout hikes, even though he followed the sizing chart for one pair and then sized down for a second pair.

It’s not the best sock for the hottest weather. It breathes well for a merino-based, lightweight sock, but a fully synthetic, unpadded sock will typically manage heat better. (However, synthetic socks are generally less durable and smell worse after use. Also, they’re often thinner, so your boot may not fit as snugly as it should.).

The women’s version comes in fewer sizes than the men’s. The women’s version comes in three sizes; the men’s in five. The socks are interchangeable, other than the color options and respective size ranges. So if you want a women’s sock but wear a size larger than a women’s size 11.5 shoe, then you’ll need to purchase a men’s large or extra large.

If you can’t find our top pick, Farm to Feet’s Damascus Crew Light Targeted Cushion sock is a great backup option. It’s also slightly better for hiking overgrown trails—especially if you’ll be wearing shorts.

The long length protected our legs. On hikes where we found ourselves off-trail, we appreciated the length of these socks. They were the tallest lightweight socks we tested, but they still gave us the breathability we needed while offering extra shin protection.

These socks come in other height and weight configurations besides the one tested, including the Damascus ¼ Crew and Damascus ¾ Crew Light Targeted Cushion sock.

The blend of fibers and the knit are both similar to those of our top pick. The Farm to Feet Damascus sock is made from a tightly knit blend of US-sourced merino wool, nylon, and Lycra spandex that mitigates the amount of debris and or grit coming through the sock.

They are form-fitting. The seamless toe formed around the foot well and easily fit into boots with smaller toe boxes. This sock also had the best built-in compression of any of the lightweight hiking crew socks we tested. But our favorite feature is the ribbed padding on top of the foot; this is useful if you have a boot or shoe with a stiff upper, which may irritate your skin if you don’t have a buffer on your foot.

They’re as durable as our top pick. This pair has a tight knit and fit, so it’s durable because there is no unnecessary rubbing happening between the boot and the sock. Like the Darn Tough Light Hiker socks, the Damascus socks looked like new even after we wore them on multiple bootless walks on grass and rocks. After we washed them, dried them, and wore them again, they maintained their shape and showed no visible snags or signs of fabric damage.

Farm to Feet offers a generous warranty. We have not attempted to make a warranty claim, but Farm to Feet advertises that if you’re not satisfied with the performance or durability, fill out the return request form on its website (including a photo of the offending socks), and the company will send you a new pair. If you don’t want a new pair, save your receipt, and the company will refund your money—even if you’ve been wearing the socks for months.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

These socks don’t always work in tight-fitting shoes. The padding in the instep area of the sock provides a comfortable cushion against abrasive shoe material, but it may add too much volume for some people.

If you want merino wool-based hiking socks, but our top pick is too snug, we recommend the Wide Open Cushioned Micro Crew Socks (women’s and men’s). These socks come from our top pick’s sister company.

These are the most comfortable socks for those with wider feet. Wirecutter testers with wider feet found the socks comfortable overall, with no pressure points occurring during hikes and normal daily wear.

Customer reviews also note how well these socks fit on larger feet. They are wider throughout the sock than other socks we tested. The toe section is similarly stretchy as our other picks, but the rest of the sock is much more stretchy.

They’re seriously stretchy! The stretch on these socks is their stand-out feature. Wearing one Wide Open sock on one foot and rotating our other picks on the other foot, I was able to stretch the Wide Open socks 2.5 inches farther than any of our other picks at the lower leg, near my ankle.

They were also the only socks that didn’t leave imprints on my leg

We worried about debris getting through the loose knit and irritating our feet during hikes, but so far this hasn’t been a problem. We were also concerned about the socks not staying up, but the elastic has so far held the socks where we want them.

They’re breathable and don’t stink. The mix of fibers is the same as in our top pick, all the way down to the percentage of merino wool, nylon, and Lycra spandex. They naturally breathe well. And even though these socks are medium weight—our top-pick socks, by contrast, are lightweight—we found that the looser knit kept the socks breathable on most hikes.

Wearing them side by side with our top pick on a hike in 90+ degrees Fahrenheit weather (summer in the desert!), we did notice that the Wide Open socks were slightly warmer.

Wide Open does offer a lightweight option for women and men, which we’re including in future testing.

They’re as durable as our top pick. I hiked and ran in the Wide Open socks for about 35 miles on flat and steep dirt trails that had small debris, like pumice and sand. I also walked with bare socks on grass, and I made several trips to the end of my paver-stone driveway to the mailbox. I wore them as normal daily socks and washed them at least five times. They’re holding up just as well as our other picks—with no loose stitching or pilling.

They have the same unbeatable warranty. With enough wear, any socks can develop holes. If that happens, these socks are “Unconditionally Guaranteed For Life,” just like their Darn Tough siblings.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

They’re still not wide enough for everyone’s feet. We tested these socks on three Wirecutter staffers with feet of different volume, and none of our testers felt any constriction in their feet or lower legs. However, some customer reviews mention that they find the socks too tight, most often in the calf area at the top of the sock.

Style options are lacking. The men’s version is available in neutral solid colors, while the women’s version is limited to stripes. In most ways, the two versions share the same construction—the cuff of the women’s sock is an inch shorter. But the smallest size the men’s version comes in is a medium, which translates to a women’s size 10. So if you wear a smaller size and would prefer a solid color sock, you’re out of luck.

If you don’t want wool, Darn Tough’s Coolmax Hiker Micro Crew Midweight Hiking Sock (women’s and men’s) is your best bet.

They balance cushion and breathability. Despite the midlevel cushion of these socks, we didn’t notice that our feet were any hotter in them than in other models we tested. The extra cushioning around the toe, heel, and sole kept us comfortable for longer in some of the stiffer-soled boots we were testing, too.

They conformed to our feet. Darn Tough makes this sock from a blend of Coolmax polyester, nylon, acrylic, and Lycra spandex. This sock fits better than the other synthetic-fiber models we tested, most of which seemed bulky in comparison. Compared with those socks, the low volume and snug fit of the Coolmax Micro Crew meant the socks didn’t take up any extra space in our boots, which translated to better breathability. Plus, the arch support was comfortable without being too tight.

They’re the most durable synthetic socks we tested. As we did on all of our hikes, we took our boots off when we stopped for lunch and let our feet breathe, exposing all of our synthetic sock models to the grass and rocks as we wandered around our picnic area. Most models immediately suffered minor snags in the fabric and pilling on the heel and sole. Our Coolmax Micro Crew socks came out unscathed. The knit is tight, and after multiple hikes, walking around without shoes, and a wash cycle, the socks looked close to new.

They dried more quickly than merino wool models. Our Coolmax Micro Crew socks dried more quickly than our wool models after we washed them, which we expected. In contrast to wool, the Coolmax fabric didn’t regulate our foot temperature as well (wool often prevents sweating before it starts). However, the socks kept our feet dry in the long term by wicking sweat away and dispersing it throughout the sock’s material, which dried quickly.

Darn Tough has an unbeatable warranty. The socks are “Unconditionally Guaranteed For Life.” If you’re unsatisfied with the socks, fill out the form and return your old socks, and the company will send you a warranty code for a new pair.

The Darn Tough Coolmax socks are available in one additional height option, boot length: The Coolmax Hiker Boot Sock midweight comes in a men’s version but not a women’s version.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The Coolmax fabric stinks—literally. Compared with merino wool, synthetic fabrics often smell worse after some wear, and the Coolmax material is no exception. Lots of feet stink after hiking, and these socks won’t hide it.

If managing sweaty feet is your top priority: We suggest the Darn Tough Run Micro Crew Ultra-Lightweight Running Sock for men and the equivalent Stride Micro Crew Ultra-Lightweight Running Sock for women; these are truly non-padded thin socks. The thinnest sock will be the most breathable and the quickest to dry, and that means looking into running socks. These two pairs do meet our criteria for a good hiking sock, except they’re not as durable as thicker, hiking-specific socks. Since 2018, I’ve used these socks exclusively for trail running, day hiking, backpacking, and long-distance thru-hiking, and I’ve found that they last about 250 miles when I’m carrying a backpacking pack. Then I take advantage of the warranty to replace them. If you have decent-fitting hiking shoes, trail runners, or lightweight boots that don’t require you to fill up extra space with your socks, these may be worth trying. (And if you have to wear thick socks to fill up that extra space, perhaps look into better-fitting boots.)

Load weight, walking gait, and terrain influence the lifespan of socks. A threadbare heel or forefoot is a sign of a sock on the cusp of developing holes and needing replacement.

You can do a few things to extend their life:

• Don’t ball them up to store them. This stretches them out, and they’ll lose their shape more quickly.
• Flip them inside out, and wash them in warm or cold water on a gentle cycle as needed.
• Fabric softener coats wool’s fibers and nullifies its performance. Avoid it. Skip the bleach, too. Air-dry, if possible. As Icebreaker’s Shane Standing told us, “[Heat] starts to break the moisture down in the fabric. Like hair in general, it will make it brittle and weak.” If you need to dry your socks in a machine, tumble-dry on low.
• Mike Armstrong, formerly of Outward Bound, suggested turning socks inside out after hiking in them to let them dry: “I take off my socks every night as soon as I get to camp, turn them inside out to dry, and then sleep with them inside my sleeping bag to dry them completely and keep them warm.” To avoid introducing moisture in your bag, you can also dry them on your pack during the day and carry a second pair of socks for backpacking.

The Injinji Midweight Crew (men’s and women’s) may be the solution for toe blisters when balm and footwear changes don’t resolve the issue. This sock eliminates toe-to-toe friction by separating toes with fabric. However, they lack durability for midweight socks. They also don’t come in a traditional micro-crew length and are a little thick for some hikers (no lightweight option is available), and the toe slots make them more challenging to put on and remove than more traditional socks.

The Icebreaker Merino Hike+ Light Crew Socks (men’s and women’s) were our former pick for sweaty feet, but they aren’t as breathable or quick-drying as running socks.

The Patagonia Lightweight Merino Performance Crew Socks come in only one weight. They’re similar in weight and softer than our top pick, but they weren’t as form-fitting.

The REI Co-op Lightweight Merino Wool Hiking Crew Socks were too bulky to be comfortable in our boots and shoes. They didn’t fit snugly around the toes, either, and the knitting was loose, suggesting that the sock may have long-term durability issues.

We also tested and dismissed now-discontinued options from Smartwool (the PhD Outdoor Light Crew Socks), REI Co-op (the Coolmax Ultralight Hiking Crew Socks), Injinji (the Outdoor Original Weight Crew NuWool), Wigwam (the CL2 Hiker Pro Crew), and Sealskinz (the Walking Thin Mid Socks).

We’ll test new options from Wide Open: a lighter-weight version of our pick for wide feet, the Wide Open Lightweight Crew Socks for women, and a yet-to-be-released Wide Open lighter-weight equivalent sock for men.

This article was edited by Christine Ryan.