Anatomy of a Sock

[Travis Leanna]

Icebreaker, Smartwool, Darn Tough. Some of us are familiar with all of these brands, and some are not. This is not a review of durability, since I just got the Darn Tough socks yesterday, and the Smartwool have been worn for quite some time. This is simply a photo array of the inside of the socks and their weave.

All three brands make good products, and for anyone interested, this may help with choosing a sock, especially when plopping down up to $20 for a single pair of them.

To keep from having to label everything, the lightest sock is the Smartwool Hiker, medium cushion. The black sock is the Icebreaker Hiker, and the brown sock is the Darn Tough Micro Crew Cushion.

These three images show the inside weave and loops of the sock. I'm not a professional photographer, nor do I have anything close to a professional camera. The black material was tough to get a good detail on. I'd do better if I could! :)

The next three are simply overhead images of the inside of the socks.

These show the "arch support" mid-section.

Toeboxes

The socks' uppers.

More weave/loop detail

More toebox detail.

[Gary Boyd]

The Icebreakers look like they are not as well crafted from the pictures you have provided. The smartwools look like they have stood up fairly well when compared to the new Darn Tough socks. Would you say that this is accurate?

[EndoftheTrail]

I don't think I have ever looked at socks this closely! Thanks for sharing!

My first pair of socks were Wigwam Ultimax synthetics. They were comfy alright, but boy did they stink!! After a few years, I switched to REI Merino Wool Kight Hiker II socks. Just as comfy, warmer, but much, much less stink factor.

For me, I am only interested in shoes, socks, and bags when I need to shop for them. But backpacks and tents are almost irresistable. Each to his or her own, of course.

[Travis Leanna]

Gary,
The inside of the Icebreakers are very fuzzy and "messy," but are still well made. The Smartwool's have held up quite well over almost 2 years, and the only notable wear on them is a thinned and matted heel.

I don't have any long term reports on the Icebreakers or Darn Tough socks, but the latter are supposedly extremely durable. The DT socks have a tighter and cleaner weave than the other two, and there are many more tiny yarn loops per square inch than the other two. The toebox and heels are reinforced as well.

Ben,
The REI socks look decent. Do they wear well?

[EndoftheTrail]

Yes, they do. I bought them as "cosmetic seconds" at REI Outlet at half off. Can't find anything wrong with them at all.

[Bob Gross]

I've found the Wigwam Ultimax socks to be very good. A hiking buddy favors the SmartWool socks.

–B.G.–

[Michael L]

I prefer smartwool adrenaline light hiking socks. Of course I got them at Gander Moutina for 10 bucks a pair. So saving over my second favorite 16-20 pairs of PHD outdoor lights is nice.

[Konrad .]

Good stuff Travis! If anyone's interested, you can pick up those exact Icebreaker socks and Darn Tough socks at your local TJ max. I think they are around 10 bucks a pair. No smartwool though. All 3 are excellent socks. On a side note, dont buy eddie bauer's first ascent merino socks…they suck…I'll add some photos to this thread sometime

[Travis Leanna]

Konrad,
TJ Maxx is where I got the Icebreaker, but I haven't seen the Darn Tough there yet. I'll keep my eyes open!

[Tim Haynes]

Stock at TJMaxx/Marshalls varies tremendously. I've seen Icebreaker, Dahlgren, Smartwool and various other wool socks there before, but never the Darn Toughts — sure it's hit or miss either way. I really like moabsports.com for socks; between their 60% off sales and coupons at STP, my sock drawer is full.

[Travis Leanna]

The Darn Tough socks are on clearance at Backcountrygear.com.

[Javan Dempsey]

As long as the follow up thread isn't "Sock on an Anatomy" we're cool. :p

No seriously though. I picked up a few pairs of the heavy weight IB's last year and I have been wearing them constantly. I like the ergonomics, and they seem pretty tough to me. I'm pretty hard on everything I own. YMMV, but for $10 a pair, they've been great.

Considering the retail price, it doesn't surprise me a bit to see all these brands showing up at the closeout stores like TJM/Marshalls. They probably only have to sell one out of 20 pairs to turn a profit (if that).

[Travis Leanna]

Haha, no….no college dorm shenanigans with socks on anatomies…..

[Nick Gatel]

Travis,

Interesting photo essay. Can't say it proves anything. The pictures 'look' like the SmartWools are very well made in comparison. All my SmartWool socks have worn well and are very comfortable.

P.S. You have way too much free time :)

[Travis Leanna]

Yes, right now, I do have too much free time! But, work will be starting up in a week and a half…..seasonal job and all.

Regarding the photos. No, it certainly doesn't prove anything, but I figured that if anyone was curious as to the construction of the socks, this might at least help.

I began to notice the construction of socks when one of my "urban casual" model Smartwool socks developed a hole in it VERY quickly. Which, I must add, was easily and readily rectified by Smartwool by them honoring their commitment to quality. I got a new pair, plus an additional Hiker pair of socks at no charge. (I had mentioned in my letter to them that I enjoyed their Hiker sock!)

So, its hard to tell from pictures, but each sock is made very differently, and the difference can easily be felt. Long term? We'll just have to see how they wear!

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