Hiking-Tips For Choosing The Right Hiking Socks

 You should wait till you attempt to get a nice pair of hiking socks, because it will be much more difficult.

What about socks? The problem with hiking is that you can't use any old socks for this. While sports socks are comfortable, they are not designed for hiking, and you should not use the same socks you use for playing football or running when you go on a long walk.

A good hiking sock should be comfortable and thick, while also having the ability to keep your feet warm and dry. Even if you are just doing weekend hiking, you will travel a distance of about 1,000 miles in a year. Thus, you can anticipate your hiking socks to last you the same distance.

Also, you want to make sure your socks are comfortable for the whole 1,000 kilometers. Even a short walk from your vehicle may turn into an excruciating experience if your socks are not up to the task, since you may get blisters or chafing.

Moisture-wicking capability is an essential need. Drawing perspiration from your feet to keep them dry, 'wicking' is like an old-fashioned oil lamp's wick and may be compared to a sponge. If your socks fail to accomplish this, you may get chafing, blisters, and fungus. Even worse smelling feet, if that's your concern, shouldn't be a major issue since the potential health risks are serious.

Regardless of whether you're an avid hiker or go trekking for the weekend, your socks should provide excellent thermal characteristics. In warm weather, your socks need to cool your feet, and in cold weather, they need to keep your feet warm.

Despite the fact that it seems impossible, nowadays there are materials and production processes that may help one pair of socks to function in both hot and cold weather.

One of the first things to look for while searching for a new pair of hiking socks is cotton, one of nature's fabrics with the different features you want. In the past, blending Mother Nature's handiwork, such as Lycra, wool, and others, with micro-geometry manufacturing allowed engineers to create hiking socks with outstanding support and comfort, fantastic temperature management, and good moisture-wicking capabilities.

To protect these regions from getting holes, all hiking socks should have extra cushioning around the toes, ankles, and heels. It is also important to avoid ridges, especially in the area of the toes or ankle. Your feet may become irritated as fast as if you were wearing a stone in your footwear. Long socks should be worn to fold down and go over the top of your boots.

Due to the nature of socks, they will lose elasticity at the top region, which necessitates folding them down over the top of the boot in order to prevent them from slipping inside of the boot while walking. Even so, you should still look for socks that will not stretch out too fast.

Moisture wicking socks are used for hiking are hard to find, and you should expect to spend at least $10 per pair, or more, for a pair that's not cheap. It's one investment, however, that's worth the expense and should be treated like your hiking boots, so have at least three or four pairs of hiking socks on hand, and always have at least one extra pair in your bag.