Hiking socks, well worth buying :-)
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Good afternoon everyone from a cloudy west Walian afternoon where I have just got back from another decent walk down on the coast.
After getting back with cosy feet I thought that this subject is maybe worth mentioning to those who do not know of the benefits of good quality hiking socks.
A good hiking sock nowadays is made mostly from merino wool and is caters for both hot and cold weather with its insulation qualities as well as allowing air to cool the feet and with a good anti sweat and anti smell capabilty. A decent pair averages between 10 to 15 quid a pair or cheaper if you buy a few pairs,but I assure you that even though this sounds quite pricey,it is money well spent if you are going out on any long hikes.
A lot of people give thought to what boots to wear but less thought to the socks and both are of importance for a good and comfortable hike.
I went out on a twenty something mile round trip a few days back and forgot to put mine on and the bottom of my feet were sore from the cheap polyester socks that I had on and I had a bit of shin splint pain from pushing hard to do the distance entirely in one morning. Decent socks up over the shins also help prevent this.
I just did a little over ten miles and both shins and feet felt fine so felt the need to share a recommendation with you guys.
I am sure that some of you will know about the qualities of Merino wool and how cosy it is and I apologise if it appears that I am trying to teach you how to suck eggs, but to those of you who do not know this,I recommend that you give them consideration for any walks you go on.
I am at this moment using socks from the danish endurance collection – https://danishendurance.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwr56IBhAvEiwA1fuqGgnFN4lVcFW0RuM7JO1WfKqSHFuLvBjUOcCyjAR0CPZM9uIOjkdZyBoCrLwQAvD_BwE and rate them highly, but will say that they are not quite as good quality as the darn tough range, albeit the latter are more pricey. – https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=darn+tough&adgrpid=52781846105&gclid=CjwKCAjwr56IBhAvEiwA1fuqGrlsHCiPATcV9ZgBEfM5ZgJmyr32Wt9kdkd41ZCiNDaZzekSjVF4jhoC5loQAvD_BwE&hvadid=259041680331&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1007434&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=7292786900246304273&hvtargid=kwd-299074020180&hydadcr=28145_1724733&tag=googhydr-21&ref=pd_sl_3o4cnjytze_e
I hope that this is of help to someone and wish you all happy walking walking happy walk
Love and light
Jamie xxxx
Decent boots are a must too but I have found that the extra money you pay for quality is worth it only until a resole is needed.
Even very expensive boots factory resoled are not the same and soon leak.
Hoggs of Fife do decent boot for the money and they are a few fiftys less than some brands.
kept polished and waxed they are good for a year or two.
Coupled with a decent pair or two of socks you are good to go.
Boots are indeed equally important to make ones hike a pleasurable event. Most modern walking boots in the hundred quid plus range are of a certain quality,but it is hard to recommend any particular one as it is an individual thing. The two things in a boot that I highly recommend based on thousands of miles of walking across mountain ranges in all sorts of weather ( including the entirity of the 538 miles GR10 from the atlantic to the med along the top of the pyranees ) are gore tex for the waterproofing (I still find it to be the best) and Vibram soles which act as shock absorbers and take lots of the pressure off your knees.
Good boots are like good tyres in bad conditions and the right ones can make the difference between life and death. A poor quality boot could easily slip in bad conditions and this is not something that you want to happen when you are navigating a tricky pass up at Three thousand metres,or even just on a normal lakeside path !!
A bonus with the Merino socks is that when you have worn them out,you can cut the bottom off them and use them as a stubby holder and place the sock over your bottle,pint or flask
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