Socks, what about socks. What is good

[toompine]

I have great gear I am happy with; underwear, jackets, pants, boots, gloves, helmet and options for warm and cold wet and dry........but socks, those lowly but important socks. So many claims out there. Just reading the Aerostich catalog alone willl give you a headache comparing features, materials, and claims. So my sock gear to date has been decidedly low tech, much lower than all my other gear. So what say you on the subject: thin, thick, wool, cotton, lycra, combo, antibacterial, tall short. By the way I am wearing Gaerne Adventure boots (reasonably tall) but also wear some Gaerne street boots at times (medium height)

 

[colorider]

I use Thorlos ski socks - love 'em!!!

Picked mine up at REI

 

[rem]

The best socks I have ever worn are made by Lorpen. They aren't motorsickel socks, just very durable, well made socks. Maybe you'll get some in your stocking this year .... ::025:: R

 

[Twitch]

On the cooler weather socks, I have some various versions of socks from Hot Chillys that I like. Also have their stuff for base layers. Otherwise, I have a pile of plain old dirt bike socks that I draw from.

 

[Spider]

I've spent way too much on socks and suggest that it's all about what feels good to you. I see something that looks good and buy a pair to see. Of what I've tried, Thorlos are great for cold weather (at least the ones I have, they have quite a few different versions and I've only tried about three), provided you have plenty of wiggle room in your boots. Thorlos says they are popular with the military, which makes sense as they are pretty well padded on the soles so great for hiking as well as riding. I have some Revzillas that were really expensive, but I've worn them for riding days on end and they are comfortable. Even their winter version is thinner than the Thorlos but still gets the job done in cold weather, just not as much padding on the soles. Both their winter and summer versions give a lot more support than most other socks I've tried (tighter elastic or something is the best I can describe it). I have a bunch of generic wool & polyester motorcycle socks I wore for a few years when I was riding every day; they've lasted forever, so I still wear them for shorter rides in mild weather. Anyway, probably the only critical thing for me is that the socks have to be higher than my boots, which probably goes without saying.

Good luck!

 

[colorider]

The Thorlos I wear are the "medium" weight and they seem to work fine for my entire riding season. Nice padding in the sole and along the shin.

Kind of a one-size fits all!
::008::

 

[digitalmoto]

I gravitate to "thick and fuzzy." I have an entire drawer filled with basic black motocross socks. RoadGear's Coconut socks are nice.

 

[20valves]

Aerostich catalog has a bunch of interesting high performance socks with all kinds of fabrics woven into 'em for odor control, sweat wicking, etc.

 

[elizilla]

Another vote for Thorlos. They do have some thinner socks that are still warm and don't make your boots tight. though I am partial to the medium weight. I have some problems with my feet and can't keep them warm, so I wear the Thorlos about 3/4 of the time, whether I'm riding or for just sitting at my desk or padding around the house in my socks.

And I can also vote for the Lorpens. I don't have as many Lorpen socks as I have Thorlos, but the ones I do have make my regular rotation as well.

The Thorlos website regularly has buy-three-get-one-free sales. I once bought some Thorlos that fit badly, and I posted a review to their site. They contacted me and offered to send me the larger socks, and take the small ones back even though I'd washed them, and they sent me a postage paid envelope to return the small socks. So the service is great there. And the socks are made in the USA.

 

[stevepsd]

Thorlos for me!

 

[tomatocity]

I wear various socks and actually prefer a thinner taller Sidi sock for travel and a thicker Smart Wool sock sold at REI for everyday use which includes walking. I have a pair of Red Wing boots http://www.redwingsafety.com/safety-boot/427-safe-us/427-red-wing-mens-9-inch-boot-black that I wore with my KLR. They are not motorcycle boots though worked very well. Water proof, cool when its hot and warm when its cold. These boots allow me to wear running socks, tall motorcycle socks, hiking socks, ski sock, pretty much any sock.

 

[TierHawg]

Socks are most likely a personal thing. I hate acrylic socks myself. I'll wear cotton for everyday wear, and used to wear them for work, but for riding, nope. ::005:: Last winter I got a bunch of Smartwool brand socks and they became my work socks.

As far as riding socks, I like wool or wool blends, thin to medium weight. If more bulk is need, I'll wear a thin liner. A good place to get socks for riding is sporting goods stores in the hunting section. Wall-Mart or Sports Authority had Browning brand wool hunting socks that made great riding socks. Even if you don't like wool, check the sporting good section, as they'll have other blends too. The Browning socks ride high, are a medium weight and didn't break the bank like Thorlos can.

 

[dcc46]

I use a midweight merino wool hiking sock (wigwam) Their great when it's cold for keeping warm. Their great when it's hot for wicking moisture. All the Sheep herders around the world can't be wrong. ;D

 

[elizilla]

I got an email today that Thorlo.com is having another of their buy 3 get 1 free sales, with free shipping.

 

[colorider]

I got an email today that Thorlo.com is having another of their buy 3 get 1 free sales, with free shipping.

I wish I needed some new ones!!

Thanks!

 

[JHKolb]

Picked mine up at REI

I get most all my socks from REI. They always have special pricing when you buy 3+ pairs at a time. I usually get the REI Merino Wool socks which I wear year-round, only thing I don't like is they are shorter than my Rev'It boots. I also started wearing 5.11 Level 1 9" socks which are taller than my boots, are a semi-compression sock which make my feet fell better after multiple hours in my riding boots. They also have some stretch material and NEVER fall down unlike the Merino's which tend to migrate down my ankle even in my boots.

 

[toompine]

I had been watching the reponses and most are helpful but what my real concern is a a long ride next year, 22 days up to Prudhoe Bay and back and some side trips. Thinking about just a couple of pairs of socks and was wondering about fast dry times after washing, anti smell/rot factor. Anybody have any experience with the antimicrobial socks or with anything that advertises fast dry?

 

[elizilla]

I bought some of the Roadgear socks that have coconut and silver in them, that are supposed to be antimicrobial, anti-funk. Roadgear claims you can wear them for days without washing them. I never tried that. And you're not supposed to use fabric softener with them, and I use fabric softener on everything I'd normally wash them with. Plus I don't like the fit - they are tighter than I like. They migrated to the bottom of my sock drawer and never came out again.

They might work just fine as advertised, if someone wanted to do that. If someone here with feet my size or smaller wants to try 'em, send me a PM and I'll forward them to you to try. (My Sidi boots are a size 43.)

 

[fender5803]

I use a midweight merino wool hiking sock (wigwam) Their great when it's cold for keeping warm. Their great when it's hot for wicking moisture. All the Sheep herders around the world can't be wrong. ;D

Yup, +1 on the medium weight wool socks all year round. Any brand will do for me. Worth the money. If it gets cold I put a pair of silk under them. YMMV

 

[snakebasket]

Ski, or woolly moto X socks mainly, but on a long journey in US including Prudhoe, have used Wallmart basketball socks, cheap and cheerful, and disposable.

Recently bought some Hein Gericke socks in their sale, nice quality padded socks..