First of all, I must explain that I love socks. I own an absurd number of them and they take up almost all the room in the top drawer of my dresser. As an irresponsible college student, I only do laundry about once a month and I’ve never even come close to running out of socks. I even have a sock-of-the-month subscription, and get a new pair sent to me the first of every month. So when I got the opportunity to test these Farm to Feet hiking socks, I was pretty, dare I use the word, stoked. While I love socks, most of mine are the cheapest kind you can buy and date back to early high school. This means that my feet usually get pretty beat up between trail running, hiking and skiing. My mother will be the first to tell you that my feet are gross, and between the constant calluses, blisters, and scrapes and bruises even I have to admit that they do tend to look a little worse for the wear.
So when I first pulled on Farm to Feet’s socks, I was almost giddy with joy at how comfortable they were. I got a large for my size 10 feet, and enjoyed their snug fit. The foot of the sock was heavily cushioned, and my feet felt instantly soothed after a long day exposed by the sun. Even with all the extra padding, my feet still fit into my shoes, though if your shoes are a little on the tighter side these socks might be a little too bulky to be comfortable. They kept my feet comfortable and blister free on every hike I took them on, and after almost a week in the wilderness these socks were still relatively nice smelling. As an added bonus, they’re guaranteed for life and Farm to Feet will replace or refund them if you’re not satisfied.
Pros: These socks take cushioning seriously. The extra padding starts just above your ankle, and then gets thicker below your heel, on the balls of your feet, and the on top of your feet. They also wick away moisture nicely, and even though I wore them in a hot desert climate my feet never got uncomfortably warm.
Cons: For a hiking sock, these are very tall- mine go all the way up to the bottom of my knees. I felt a little self-conscious wearing these socks with shorts, and unless you’re a big fan of the whole lederhosen-esque look you probably will too. I think I’ll save these for when I’m wearing hiking pants or hiking through some really serious brush and my legs need that extra layer.
Where I took them: On a five-day canoe trip in Utah where I wore them around camp and hiking canyon trails, walking around Boulder, and relaxing at home.
