Toe Sock Update

Max,

Thanks for putting up your review.

I have been using the injinji socks for a while, but have noticed them blowing out after 200 miles or less.

How does the thickness or thinness of the Smartwool PHD socks compare against the injinji's?

Thinner, thicker, etc.

Would be useful to know when it comes to buying shoes to see switching would mean sizing up or down vs. what works for me with the injinji socks.

Appreciate the feedback.

Tony

Thanks for the review. I've been wearing Vibrams for about 4 months now. I've had occasional problems with the Injinji and Fila Skeletoe socks slipping down into the shoe and I'd have to stop every mile or so and pull them back up. The Smartwool regular socks don't seem to do this and are very comfortable, but as you said, they don't seem to wear as well. I ordered 2 pairs of the Smartwool Phd's the other day and am waiting for them to arrive, I'll see how they do. Its good to hear that you've had a good experience with them.

I have been using the Injinji liner socks, the lightest weight possible, for 2 years now, and am still on my first 2 pairs. I wear them under a pair of Coolmax liners, which may help. Luv 'em. Caveat: I do not do high mileage trail hiking, typically spending about half my time on off trail routes, with mileage averaging anywhere from 6-14 miles, depending on terrain and connecting trail sections required to stitch off trail routes together. So, low mileage, but conditions that can expose the socks to all kinds of torsional stress. I think it may boil down to the time honored maxim: YMMV.

Injinji coolmax always did better than their merino socks.

"Injinji coolmax always did better than their merino socks."

That has certainly been my experience so far.

Where have you been able to find these in a crew? I can only find them in a micro or a mini. I'd love to have a crew for colder weather.

I love the comfort of them, and for the blister prevention, but I too don't find them that durable…even the coolmax ones. Here's my girlfriend's Injinji Coolmax sock after only 16 days (10-15 miles a day). They were brand new in the package at the beginning of our trip. I'm pretty sure she was rotating these with a pearl izumi normal synthetic sock (which came out no worse for the wear). We washed our socks every few days, and wouldn't wear the same pair more than 2 days at a time, so this was probably only after 8-10 days of heavy use.

Interesting finding re: the Smartwool PHD toe socks. Will have to give those a try.

I've been exclusively using Injinji toe socks for the last four or five years. While I find their durability to border on the edge of being unacceptable, they've proven to be the best solution to what had been an ongoing problem with blisters between my toes from long days on my feet.

I've had pairs of both the coolmax variety and the nuwool variety last for months before developing holes (usually along the toes or the balls of my feet), and others develop holes after only one or two days of long miles. Seems like every six months or so Injinji tweaks the design/construction of their socks, some iterations have been more durable than others.

I've accepted the poor durability and the (near-constant) purchasing of replacements as the price I have to pay to have happy feet. Would love it if the Smartwool PHD proved to be just as effective at blister/moisture management and comfort while being more durable.