Best Sock Liners to Prevent Blisters and Chafing When Hiking

If the perfect combo of comfort, compression, moisture management, and durability sounds good to you, then the REI Co-Op Merino Wool Liner Crew is the sock for you!

The REI Merino Liner’s blend of material brings you the best of all possible worlds. Its 64% merino wool content brings the comfort, heat regulation, moisture management, and odor resistance. The 34% nylon adds durability, and the 2% spandex provides light compression whilst helping the sock maintain its shape over time.

There’s no cushioning in this liner, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you’re wearing them under your regular hiking socks, you’ll already have plenty from them, so the added bulk might feel a little uncomfortable or simply unnecessary.

A few other details help to make the REI Merino liner a standout, namely the seamless construction and the reinforced toe and heel. While the former helps to prevent chafing and blisters, the latter gives them the edge over many competitors in the durability metric.

The Icebreaker Liner Crew is, essentially, a slightly tougher alternative to the REI Merino crew reviewed above. While its higher nylon content (43%) and lower merino content (55%) make it slightly less breathable and not quite as soft, it does mean you’ll get a little more use out of them before they start to wear thin and develop holes.

What we love most about these socks is their versatility. While thin and breathable enough to keep our feet cool in warm temperatures, they also add ample warmth for winter hikes.

Like all merino models, the Icebreaker Crew is naturally antimicrobial, high-wicking, and breathable. However, they also have extra cushioning in the heel and toe area and a little added support in the heel and instep, which might seal the deal for some hikers.

Realtree’s synthetic liners are a great option if you’re in the market for a basic, workhorse liner or simply don’t want to splurge on merino or silk.

While not as comfy as merino or silk, the Realtree liner’s 98% polypropylene and 2% spandex construction makes them a little tougher and machine washable, while also providing ample stretch and breathability.

The Realtrees’ synthetic construction means they don’t offer antimicrobial properties and won’t regulate temperature like merino. On trial, however, we found they wicked moisture well and only left our feet feeling a little too toasty when temps pipped the 85-degree mark. They also provided light arch support, which was an unexpected bonus.

Constructed in part with recycled plastic bottles, the REI Co-op CoolMax are our top pick for hikers who favor sustainable gear.

A full breakdown of these socks’ composition reads 50% CoolMax, 49% nylon, and 1% spandex. On the trails, these ‘ingredients’ translate into long-term durability and great breathability, but slightly inferior wicking and comfort compared to merino-rich competitors. The lower spandex content also made them feel a little stiffer and slightly short on compression.

Given the above, who are these socks for? While it’s largely a matter of personal preference, we recommend the REI CoolMax to anyone seeking a workhorse that’s a little more performance-oriented than budget picks like the Realtree Liner but more affordable than pricier options like the Icebreaker Liner Crew or REI Merino Crew.

If you want to treat your feet to all the awesomeness of silk without worrying about silk’s usual shortcomings (poor rip resistance and inferior durability), the REI Silk Liner Crew are the socks for you!

Made with 51% silk, 47% nylon, and 2% spandex, the REI Silk Crew sock liners bring together all the desirable qualities we look for in a liner. They have the plush softness of silk, the hardiness of nylon, and the elasticity of spandex, all in good measure. And best of all, they don’t cost an arm and a leg.

We loved these sock liners’ ultra-low profile, which makes them a great choice for anyone worried about liners adding too much bulk and making their hiking shoes an overly tight fit. We also found that they wick just as well as any merino-rich alternatives, breath well when we’re working up a sweat, and dry very quickly.

The only real downside is that silk doesn’t regulate temperature as well as merino, nor feel quite as cushy. While this is more of a testament to the strengths of the merino socks featured above, it does force us to rate models like the REI Merino Crew and Icebreaker Crew a little higher for year-round use.

Injinji’s toe socks caused a bit of a storm when they first hit the market a few years ago. The peeps here at My Open Country were amongst the high number of skeptics at the start, but several of our crew have since been converted.

The Injinji socks have a patented, five-toe design that makes them, essentially, like gloves for your feet. While this design will feel a little strange to some, by separating the toes it helps to reduce blister-causing friction and bunching, and also reduces sweat by soaking up and wicking any that builds up between your tootsies.

Quirky design aside, the Injinji are great sock liners. Made with 51% nylon, 44% NuWool, and 5% Lycra, they’re durable, soft against the skin, high-wicking, breathable, and odor-resistant, and also provide a snug fit with light compression and support.

While not a liner sock per se, Smartwool’s Light Crew is a solid option if you need a slightly thicker undersock to add warmth on cold-weather hikes.

These socks are made with 59% merino, 39% nylon, and 2% elastane. This combo means they tick every box in the main performance metrics, making them highly breathable, high-wicking, tough, stretchy and mobile, and thermoregulatory (meaning they’ll help keep your feet warm in cool temps and cool in high temps).

Because these wool socks are a little thicker than the other options, they’re a little too warm for summer hiking. Their chunkiness, however, makes them ideal for wearing underneath your outer hiking socks on cold winter hikes and also for standalone use.