Lets talk about socks. As a kid, they’re a disappointing Christmas gift. As an adult, yay socks!
One complaint I’ve overheard in REI and outdoor stores is the expense of socks. Do you *really* need to spend $20 for a pair of socks when you can get what looks like the same thing at Walmart for $4? When those socks are Darn Tough, then my answer is a resounding YES. This post is an ode to my favorite sock manufacturer.

I’ve used pretty much every brand of sock on the market and I cannot recommend anything more than Darn Toughs. Not only do they perform magnificently in the field, their durability is so far beyond any other sock I’ve tried. Generations of other brands have passed through my sock drawer, yet I’m still holding on to the first pair of Darn Toughs I got nearly ten years ago. I wear them more frequently, too. Spend $20 on a pair of these and not only will you have much happier feet on the trail, they will outlive 50 pairs of the $4 socks.
I have a large collection of Darn Tough socks. Some were given to me at various Outdoor Retailer shows. Others have been graciously sent to me by Darn Tough. And yes, I’ve bought them for myself as well. One perk of going to the OR shows is a lot of free socks, so I don’t often have to spend money on them. But when I do, I go straight to Darn Tough. I don’t even look at other brands anymore. And as more of my sock collection gets replaced by Darn Tough, the less frequently I need to buy new socks!
Lets take a look at my lineup. These pictures speak for themselves when it comes to durability of these socks. In the photo above, can you tell which pair has 10 years and over  a 1000 miles on them?

Pictured below, a closer look at my first pair. There are more miles on these than I could even count. They’ve lived through probably 10 different pairs of hiking shoes. I wore these every day on the John Muir Trail. They are still elastic and padded in all the right spots. The sad news is that they have finally developed a hole, and it wasn’t due to wear and tear. I got a burr jammed in the heel last month and ended up tearing the hole when trying to remove it. You can even see the cleaner, whiter material on the heel where I pulled away the outer layer to remove the bits of burr. This might be the only pair of socks I will weep over having to throw away. We’ve had a lot of adventures together. Do you know how many other socks that I’ve worn through during those ten years?

Here is a newer, lightweight hiker on the left and a similar (slightly thicker) sock on the right that is several years old. If the sock on the right wasn’t permanently discolored from trail dust, it would be hard to tell the difference. The elasticity is nearly identical and the padding is still nice and thick.

My older pairs tend to be neutral in color, but recently they’ve upped their game in the design department, making their wonderfully functional and durable socks in fun colors and patterns. Who said hiking socks have to be boring?

I even have a couple pairs of their ‘lifestyle’ lineup for wearing under my cowboy boots. So comfy!

As an added bonus, these socks are made in the USA (in Vermont, of course) and come with an unconditional lifetime guarantee.
So, next time you scoff at the price tag of a good pair of hiking socks, think of the number of miles those socks will take you and how valuable happy feet are. You might find that socks end up being one of your favorite pieces of gear, as Darn Tough has been for me.