Which Darn Tough sock do you use with your trail shoes?

Hey EJ,

I have a couple pairs of the wool Micro Crew Cushions and like them a lot. For the past two+ months I have been testing the Coolmax version and do not care for them a bit.

They are very comfortable and are looking to be as durable as all of their socks but they retain moisture in my experience, plus they give me the worse case of skunk feet I have had in many years. Stay with the wool!

Pretty great socks. I used 2 pair of 1/4 length cushion socks for about 600 miles this year. I imagine they are constructed similarly to the microcrew cushion. The top is pretty thin. If you are doing really cold hiking, you may want something more. My feet get super hot and sweaty all the time so they were plenty warm this weekend when it was in the 20's and 30's and snowy during the day in the smokies.
They are starting to get small holes in them, but they have a lifetime warranty, so thats ok. They are super comfy, but the dense weave manages to hold tons of water and dirt. I threw away all my cotton socks and have been alternating 2 pairs of DT's 80% of the time in regular life along with other old wool socks the other 20% of the time. Highly recommended for everything.

Just bought another pair of Thorlo Hiker sox at REI tonight. They wear very well. Are Darn Tough sox better?

Thanks for the feedback. We were trying to match a Smartwool old fav of ours, a sock called the Adrenaline, which the Micro Crew Cushion seems to be nearly identical to, perhaps a bit tighter weave and more durable on the bottom than the Smartwool.

Do you happen to know if the Micro Crew Cushion is roughly equivalent to their Standard Issue Cushion Crew, which comes in a "quieter" charcoal color (useful for when you want to use in town during travel with everyday clothing)? Nothing says tourist more in some places than dark shoes with light socks.

We ONLY use merino socks – haven't used coolmax in many years. Retains odor like mad and also seem to retain more heat and cause hot spots. I also find silver odor-reducing technology worthless in synthetic layers/underwear/socks compared with merino wool. Mother nature's got us beat on this one.

The only time I find a merino base layer a bit too warm is in hot humid lowland weather.

I use Smartwool Adrenaline Mini Crew's but they seem to be discontinuing them so I may be looking for new socks before long too. What is the weight on the Darn Toughs?

I used to be a dedicated Thorlo KXT wearer. Then I got my first pair of Darn Tough Vermont Hike Trek Boot Sock Full Cushion in a BGT test (in 2005). I haven't bought any more Thorlos since then.

Cheesr

Count me as another Smartwool to Darn Tough convert. . . though that might be a little strong, as I do still love my SW PhD mini crews and liner socks.

I have been slowly building up a stock of Darn Tough as they were(maybe still are?)at the NYC TJ MAXX for $8-10 a pair.

I have a pair of the unpadded, mesh top running ones that are great in the hot weather and I'm just starting to experemint with them as a liner in winter. In fabric weight, the bottom are probably equivalent to my SW liners.

For the cooler weight, they cushioned mini(micro?)crews are wonderfull. Top fabric about the same as the SW liners, but cushioned like a lightweight hiker.

I've also been collecting their casual/travel socks, which I wear for work but would certainly work as a mid-calf height trail sock of SW lightweight hiker type.

So does anyone have the weights of these socks? Specifically the 1/4 merino cushions in the hike/trek series?

Darn Tough are the bees knees.
I use the Coolmax and the wool blend and find each at the top of the sock world.

Darn Tough is top notch. The Darn Tough Merino No-Show mesh is my go to running sock for trail and road running, breathes very well, no issues with socks getting crusty or tacky during or after sweaty and dusty trail runs. I typically don't wash my socks until after my long run on Sunday alternating socks during the week. I also own both the Darn Tough 1/4 Sock Mesh and Cushion offerings, both in merino wool. I'm a wool/blend convert and prefer wool over poly for all my running socks for their ability to be worn multiple times and not stink or lose resiliency. In my experience the Darn Tough socks are equally as comfortable as my Smartwools, I don't really think they are necessarily better to the comparable Smartwools, I think both are quite competitive. The one thing I've noticed though with my Smartwools is the fibers pile much more, all of my Smartwool socks have this light merino fuzz which doesn't hinder the performance of the sock but definitely the appearance, this hasn't been an issue with the Darn Tough socks I own. But I'm sure this is subjective as to individual care, use and wear.

Depending on your conditions, needs, and activity I think the Darn Tough lineup is easier to navigate and select from for a wide variety of uses. Honestly, I get confused looking at the endless options of Lite, Ultra Lite, PhD, Outdoor, etc, etc offered up from Smartwool. The Darn Tough 1/4 Cushion in merino is a year round versatile sock perfect for trail running, hiking, and any outdoor activity you can throw at them really.

+1 with Eugene. They last really well. I never wear anything else.( as far as socks go)

For those of you who mention a penchant for Smartwool's Adrenaline series, try out the PhD line. It's the replacement and was an improvement in a couple different ways. The placement of the nylon in the old adrenalines ended up causing more harm than it did to increase durability and was replaced with a heavier duty wool.

I only have 2 pairs of Darn Tough socks, and one is definitely casual rather than trail. The trail on is the Micro Crew.

When I first got them, I thought they were equivalent to Smartwool, but after light use, they seem to be holding up better. The Smartwool stuff pills a lot, but I have no pills on the DT ones. That makes me think DT will outlast the Smartwool ones. It's similar compared to Teko, they pilled really quickly.

I also noticed that newer Smartwool socks pills more quickly than older stuff. The socks I bought 2 years ago have fewer pills than stuff I bought last year, even though I've worn the older socks a lot more often. The new PhD socks don't seem like they will last as long as the old Adrenaline ones.

At this point, I plan to start switching all my socks to Darn Tough.

The weight of the Merino Micro Crew is 2.6 oz (74 g)for size Large

My brother-in-law Dave tested some for BGT and that is what made me try them. Here is his report.

http://tinyurl.com/y9fxj9h

I used to use the Adrenalines a lot
http://tinyurl.com/ynpozx
but now that I am hiking in trail runners more as I lighten up I use the Micro Crews or Teko quarter socks. Both are more cushioned and hold up even better than the Adrenaline with the Darn Tough being the most durable in my experience. The Darn Toughs Merinos do shrink a bit I have found.

I have some Micro Crews that I use with trail runners, and I like them a lot. Have been wanting something with more heel cushioning (and insulation) for winter use in boots…what style should I try?

Nathan-

I have some PHD's as well and while they work fine, they weigh 2.4oz instead of the 1.9 that the Adrenaline series weighs. I generally work on a three sock system with two drying while I am wearing one, so that is an extra ounce in my pack.

(Yes it takes that long for them to dry here, in fact two days often isnt even enough)

NM