Best Hiking Socks for Happy Hiker Feet [2023 Edition]

The Darn Tough Light Hiker Micro Crew (women’s version here) is a versatile hiking sock that can be worn in varying conditions year-round. It combines comfort, style, and performance as well as providing light cushioning in all the right places.

This lightweight hiking sock is made from 61% merino wool, 36% nylon, and 3% Lycra spandex. This blend delivers on all fronts, bringing outstanding breathability, durability, support, with shape-maintaining stretch to boot.

Though classed in the “lightweight” category, this sock offers good cushioning all the way from the toes to the base of the Achilles. This, simply put, translates into oodles of comfort and makes it ideal for day hiking and backpacking alike.

The thinner fabric used in these lightweight hiking socks means they’re more capable of shifting sweat and keeping feet dry and cool in warmer weather, even in intensive activities like fastpacking or trail running. This thin construction also provides decent ventilation in the underfoot area and gives the sock the ability to dry quicker than most of its competitors.

Looking for a high-quality pair of socks that won’t break the bank and will serve you well for many hundreds of trail miles? If so, the REI Co-op Merino Wool Crew is well worth considering.

The REI MWC are made with 79% merino wool, 20% nylon, and 1% Lycra spandex. The shortage of Lycra does mean they are prone to sliding down when worn with certain footwear and that they lack compression. However, all that merino makes them superbly comfortable, odor-resistant, and top performers in both warm and cool conditions.

Compared to similar offerings from brands such as Smartwool and Icebreaker, these are an absolute steal, yet are made with the same high-quality wool and have a nigh-on identical design. As far as value for money goes, they’re hard to beat.

REI Co-Op also sells this sock in multiple weights (ultralight, light, medium, and expedition) and two heights (quarter and crew), so you have enough choice to pick the perfect pair for your needs.

If you tend to do a lot of your hiking in trail runners or regular hiking shoes, the Smartwool PhD Run Ultra Light Low Cut (women’s version here) are a highly worthy addition to your wardrobe.

There’s no getting around the fact that this is some darn expensive hosiery, but this is to be expected given their high merino content. And the highest praise we can give these socks is that, despite the price, they still offer great value for money.

While merino accounts for over half of the material used in the PhD Ultra running socks, they also contain a healthy measure of nylon and elastane, giving them trail-worthy durability and plenty of supportive compression, respectively.

While lightweight and low-profile, the Ultras also boast just the right amount of cushioning in all the right places – namely, the heel, lower instep, and balls of the feet. The merino is also carefully distributed to these areas to boost both padding and breathability. Out on the trail, we found this translated into great impact-absorption and pleasingly sweat-free feet.

Besides the price, the only downside to the Ultras is their lack of versatility. While awesome with low-cut shoes, their lack of height means they’re unsuitable for use with hiking boots. Also, these socks run a little small, so buy a size up if you’re on the threshold of the size range.

The Balega Hidden Comfort are the ideal choice for anyone who likes to hike in a hiking shoe or trail runner.

Unlike many no-show models, the Hidden Comfort has plenty of padding on the sole. While this makes them a little warmer and reduces breathability, it bolsters underfoot protection and helps to reduce impact, particularly on the heel and balls of the foot. Our testers also felt that the added comfort the padding provided was well worth the loss of a little breathability.

Although no-shows are avoided by many hikers owing to the lack of protection at the cuff of their shoes, the Hidden Comfort have a plush heel tab that rises above the collar to prevent chafing and stop them from slipping down.

The only real downside to the Hidden Comforts is their all-synthetic construction means they stink up a little quicker than merino blends – not an issue for day hikes, maybe, but something to bear in mind if you plan on using (and reusing) them on multi-day adventures.

The all-American-made Farm to Feet Damascus (women’s version here) are a great choice for hiking and backpacking trips when you need a little more cushioning and warmth than a minimalist sock, but not quite so much of either as provided by beefier models like the Darn Tough Full Cushion (below).

The Damascus are made with a blend of 61% merino wool, 34% nylon, and 5% Lycra spandex. On the face of it, this doesn’t make them appear too different from other models on our list, but when unpacked it reveals its hidden strengths.

The high merino content lends to the comfort and odor resistance of the Damascus, while the high percentage of nylon – which is tougher than polyester – means you’ll get more mileage out of them than any other option on our list. Finally, that extra Lycra spandex ensures they provide good but not constrictive compression and will maintain their shape in the long term.

A few dialed-in design attributes make the Damascus a standout and more performance-oriented than many of its peers. It has focused cushioning in the heel and toe to protect against impact, and also across the forefoot and instep to minimize pressure caused by shoelaces. The seamless toe closure also reduces bulk and lessens blister-generating friction.

The Injinji 2.0 Medium Crew’s toe-sock design might not be to everyone’s liking, but if your feet are prone to blisters, they are well worth considering.

This sock is made with 64% NüWool, 43% Acrylic, 12% Nylon, and 2% Lycra. Although marketed as midweight, its thin design and lack of padding actually make it closer to lightweight. Performance-wise, however, this thin design is a winner for warm temps, making the Injinji 2.0 highly breathable, quick-drying, and among the highest-wicking in our review.

In terms of durability, this sock ranks slightly above average, with only a few pilling problems a few months down the line detracting from its otherwise “steady-seven” report card.

And the downsides?

Well, the NüWool fabric used in this sock provides decent comfort but is not quite as soft to the touch as merino. Also, the Injinji 2.0 is not a warm sock. Although the individual toe pockets do bring added insulation to this frequently cited cold spot, they’re just a little on the skinny side to keep the rest of your foot warm in cooler conditions.

The Hike Light Margarita Crew Sock is a high-quality, high-performing sock that’s ideally suited to summer and shoulder-season hikes and backpacking adventures.

These Smartwool hiking socks use a blend of 62% merino wool, 36% nylon, and 2% elastane content. They are very soft to the touch and have an elasticized arch brace to ensure a nice, snug fit.

While the term ‘light’ features prominently in the name, the Margarita is a fraction thicker and heavier than others in its weight class, meaning it’s perfectly well-suited to summer, spring, and fall hiking alike.

While a little light on cushioning, the Margarita is still a very comfy sock. It also breathes and wicks well, offers outstanding durability, and dries just as quickly as most hiking socks in our review.

Danish Endurance Men’s Wool Socks provide the perfect combo of breathability, comfort, and wicking capacity needed for hiking in higher temps, scooping both our “best budget” award and “best summer hiking socks” award.

The fabric consists of 33% merino wool, 33% acrylic, 33% polyamide, and 1% elastane. The lower merino content in these socks means they aren’t quite as soft to the touch as others on our list. It does, however, make them far more durable, rugged, and more likely to keep their shape in the longer term.

The DE’s mid-calf length makes them ideally suited to hiking, backpacking, and even warmer-weather adventures above the snowline. They also boast plenty of cushioning and compression around the arch and calf areas and have enough stretch to prevent them slipping down your calves while you’re on the move.

One of the most appealing features of this sock is the integration of “breathing” panels on the top of the foot and along the front of the legs. This means that, even though it’s beefier than other mid-weights on our list, it still provides plenty of breathability and ventilation on warm days.

If you need a warmer sock with beefier cushioning and insulation from top to toe, the Darn Tough Hiker Boot Full Cushion (women’s version here) is a shoo-in.

The DT Full Cushion are made with 66% merino wool, 32% nylon, and 2% Lycra spandex. While this means they have a little less stretch than some of the competitors featured above, all that merino makes them toasty warm, high-wicking, breathable, fast-drying, antimicrobial, and wonderfully comfortable against the skin.

As the name suggests, these socks are all about the cushioning. While this provides extra impact protection in the heel and balls of the feet, it also means they’re a lot warmer than other options on our list. As such, these are a good pick for peeps prone to sore feet or hiking particularly rugged trails in cold weather, but overkill for summer hiking.

As with other Darn Tough Socks, the Full Cushion are made with “undetectable seam fusion” to eliminate blister-causing friction, have a performance-oriented fit that prevents slipping and bunching, and come with a frickin’ amazing lifetime guarantee.