Sock liner?

The only way to know for sure is to do a trial hike — meaning bring a pair but not wear them and see if your blister problem has really gone away. Oftentimes, our feet adapt after practice…

Moi, I carry a silk pair — but wear them at night, along with my silk long undies — to help keep dirt and body oil away from my down bag.

Thirty years ago it seemed like everybody wore thin liner socks with heavy outer socks, and we didn't get many blisters. For the last five years, I have skipped the liner socks and went with medium synthetic socks. Lately, I have sought the liners again. However, to simplify things, I am wearing Wright Socks. These have two thin layers sewn together. I seem to get the blister protection from before, but these are fairly lightweight.

–B.G.–

I have recently quizzed some of my hiking friends to see who wears and does not wear liner socks. Two do and two don't so far (small survey). We all wear trail runners or very light weight boots. The non-liner group seems to be more passionate about their choice, for whatever that is worth.

I do wear liners and in recent weeks have been using the very low-cut Optidrys that I picked up at Costco. So far they are working just fine, they stay in position, and feel just like the bona fide liners that I have purchased at REI and other vendors.

As I recall I have not had a blister since wearing the obscenely heavy leather boots of the 1970's and 1980's.

A couple of weeks ago I intentionally hiked without the liners and my feet were happy enough but they would have been slightly more comfortable with liners.

By the way, I have tried using the often-suggested dress socks as liners. They did not meld with the wool outer socks as well as the regular liners did. My feet plus liners tended to move around as units inside the woolies. Not very comfy.

This sounds like a good candidate question for Delmar's next survey. Hint, hint!

When you say liner socks, do you mean wearing very thin socks underneath thicker socks? Or just wearing very thin socks by themselves?

I have heard good things about the injinji socks from people who are very prone to blisters.

"I have heard good things about the injinji socks from people who are very prone to blisters."

Disclosure, I'm not prone to blisters and can't the last time I had one. I only wear sock liners in above freezing temperatures.

I tend to prefer Wright's socks but took some injinji socks on my last backpacking trip. One issue I found with them is that it's tough to put them on when my feet or the socks are damp. My feet were wet for three days so there was no way to avoid this. I didn't find that my feet were more comfortable in the Injinji than they were in the Wright's so I won't be buying a second pair.

However, if you tend to get blisters between your toes, Injinji would certainly be worth consideration.

Like Ray Jardine, I get lightweight nylon socks for cheap at a department store. My best-fitting shoes are comfortable with just the thin sock. Boots that don't fit as well or in which I need more warmth, I use it as a liner first and then put on a heavier wool sock. Partly to avoid the scratchiness of the wool, but also because I get a rash after a few days of non-stop wool sock use. The nylon liner sock avoids that. And the thin nylon sock cleans and dries quickly.

Since switching to trail runners the only place I've ever had a blister is on the inside of my little toes where they rub their neighbors. I finally beat it by wearing the Injinji toe socks and, like David, wear them as my only sock.

Try wearing JUST your liner socks and see how you do on a long day hike (or start your next weekend trip with just liners). Since my NB trail runners breathe so well they also let in a lot of water. The liner socks (Injinji or others) will dry very quickly while you're wearing them.

I use an old Army trick… I wear a pair of knee high women's nylons under a light pair of low cut socks with the nylons rolled over and left under my low gaiters. The nylons under the socks prevent blisters, and if it is cold or rainy the nylons can be pulled up to provide warmth. Even in miserable conditions, when shoes and socks are soaked, I have never had a blister. I will admit that rocking the nylons, rain kilt and having an umbrella will get you some really strange looks on the trail… but I rarely have people who don't know me camp too close.

I haven't used liners for, um…. 20 years or more.
I've never notice the difference in blisters with or without them.
The only reason I can think of to use them would be fine adjustment of boot fit.

As for Bob's double layer socks, I've found they are a pain due to a tendency for one of the layers to form a small fold/wrinkle and not lay flat against the other, thus creating an uncomfortable spot if you don't put them on just right… perhaps there is a technique to acquire but I got frustrated with mine and trashed them.

Billy

It's really a personal decision. As you've seen, many of us do just fine without liners. You may find that even if you've had problems in the past, switching to breathable trail runners is enough to solve the problem. Some are more prone to blisters than other though, and one friend of mine needs to wear breathable shoes, sock liners, and tape in order to avoid them.

Myself, I don't need to wear liners for blister prevention. I only wear them in the winter for wicking purposes.

I have had cheap boots all my life. I typically wear nice wool hiking socks and only once have I ever got a blister with this setup. Quite minor too. Prior to this season I got a really nice pair of Oboz boots and used them a few times to break them in before my latest 27 mile trek. During this adventure, I used the REI silk liiners with mid-weight wools hiking socks. I got horrible blisters.

So, they didn't prevent blisters. Or was it new boots that weren't properly broken in?

Smartwool Toe Socks last forever (the PHD versions are 40% nylon, 60% wool) and they eliminate blisters.

Takes an extra minute to put them on, but worth it IMO.

Two layers and very lightweight. REI has 'em.

I stopped wearing liners for quite a while, but recently, my feet sat me down for a talk, and requested that I go back to wearing them. I did, and now my feet say they're much happier. I'm wearing my (virtually indestructible) wigwam 100% nylon liners that I wore through the 1990s — and they still look/feel/smell new! Ahhhhh, they don't make 'em like they used to!

The liner question is definitely one of those "HYOH", "YMMV" things, because everyone's feet/skin/shoes are different and don't necessarily behave the same way.

I am in the same boat. I started wearing them to solve a blister problem with a set of ill fitting boots that I insisted on wearing. Those boots finally wore out but I continued the practice with my new ones. My expectitation is that I don't need them anymore (I never did before the ill fitting boots) but now I'm hooked. They do help keep the wool socks cleaner. :^)

I wear very thin Injini toe socks as my liner sock, and a wool outer sock made by DarnTough. The outer sock has a lot of compression and so neither sock rubs, and the toe socks also keep my toes from rubbing together. I don't get blisters with this combination- I don't even get hot spots.