Bushwalk Australia

If you wear boots (particularly full-leather), the following is a great combination for comfort and to eliminate blisters.

For the inner layer, use the new injinji performance toe sock. These a like a second skin and a great smooth interface for your feet. The individual sections for your toes prevent friction. This is very effective. A thin liner like this prevents the friction from coarser threads in most bushwalking socks. These are totally synthetic and moisture wicking.

For the outer layer I use the thickest sock I can find. The macpac winter hiker. These are a Luxurious merino-based sock that are very comfy. They provide great padding for your feet. One thing to be careful about is to avoid putting the socks in the wash with anything that has Velcro. The socks will get caught and sections of the very fine fibres will be damaged. It's minor damage and won't be a major problem as they are a thick sock. I will be more careful with future washes.

NB: no affiliation with either product

I've always found wearing 2 pairs causes rubbing and more likely to cause blisters. One thick pair (Wilderness Equipment) does a much better job.

Good point made about the velcro + socks!
I used to wear those injinjis but have found they didnt last me very long. Reading posts online and books often recommend the double sock combo but then ive had a few mountain guides who have all told me its bullocks.
Ive stopped wearing double socks since, but I hardly ever used to get blisters anyway.

My sock of choice now is the patagonia Ultra heavyweight moutaineeering sock. http://reviews.patagonia.com/9248/49662/reviews.htm
Thicker than anything else Ive seen.



If blisters is a concern, it'd be interesting for someone to try out these new Salewa boots which guarantee to be 100% blister free. A very bold claim indeed
http://www.salewa.com/in-action/technologies/footwear

For lighter footwear: X-Socks light hiker. great fit, quick drying. Silly prices if you can find them in Aus.

Never been a fan of thick socks, even in leather boots. Wigwam light is about as thick as I've ever had, but never suffered blisters either.

I had some Faulke socks a couple of years back that I bought in Germany. They were fantastic and lasted years and thousands of hard kilometres. I cannot find them here though....

I use Wigwams mostly with an inner and outer. They serve me well.

I tried the injinji toe socks but found them overly 'packed' between my toes. That said, my partner loves them.

For X-Socks, try thewalkingcomany.com.au (Little Bourke St, Melbourne) or for best prices try wiggle.co.uk (free shipping too). I use X-Socks for running and will run marathons with no problems.

eBay is best for injinjis

I wear Mountain Designs Vantage as they're 80% merino and not too thick. I work at MDs so I buy them cheap but I'm not a shareholder so I don't care if anyone else buys them or not. I just honestly think they're great socks and we sell lots to return customers so I'm not alone in that opinion. I haven't been very happy in double socks yet. Only time I've had blisters is when shoes didn't fit properly and I tell my customers that double socks can be good for wicking sweat with warmer socks or giving your outer socks longer track wear so you carry less but if they want to avoid blisters they should spend longer trying the shoes out to get the best fit. I haven't walked in tropical regions so I'm sure there are places on Earth where blisters are unavoidable but I can only speak to my experience and supplement with info the manufacturers provide. Double socks are great once you have blisters, to keep the Compeeds in place.

So what is wrong with Holeproof Explorers

Seriously - have used them exclusively til very recently. Didn't know better so didn't feel they were anything but great.

Trying Vermont Darn Tough now.

nq111 wrote:So what is wrong with Holeproof Explorers

Seriously - have used them exclusively til very recently. Didn't know better so didn't feel they were anything but great.

Trying Vermont Darn Tough now.

I wear Explorers often, but never bushwalking. They just aren't fitted enough for me, and end up bunched at the heel resulting in blisters.

I have odd shaped heels so blisters are common but I was advised by an uncle who was in the army to use two socks which I agree works great...I use Bridgedale socks & liners...

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mens/socks/?s=bridgedale

Cant beat Icebreakers for me......thick and dont pong after a long day !!!

Lately I've been using the double sock method, with an Injinji inner and thin wool outer. This has stopped me getting blisters between my first and second toes, and seems to keep my feet dryer, resulting in less soft skin for other blistering.

My main reason for the double is that the Injinji's are quite thin and delicate, and I don't think would last long on their own.

As a previous poster mentioned, they do space your toes apart, which makes your feet slightly wider, so make sure the toe box of your shoes is wide enough to accommodate this. I found it strange at first, but after a while I think I prefer it, gives (or at least gives the illusion of) better stability due to your toes being slightly spread.