Two Pairs of Socks or One?

QUESTION:

I read your info about the sock liners, and went to Amazon and saw the toe sock liners. There’s a regular sock with toes also. Is there an advantage to wearing the toe liners plus a sock? Here’s the toe sock I saw.

I’m about to leave for Nepal and trek around Manaslu and will keep on trekking even with heel blisters but know how painful it is. Any advice will be welcomed.

-Kathy

ANSWER:

Those are my toe sock liners!
Great question, Kathy! Wearing a liner sock combined with an outer traditional hiking sock results in the sweat from your foot being pulled away from the liner sock to the outer sock. Simply wearing one sock means that the sweat doesn’t have anywhere to go, and tends to get trapped in your sock resulting in blisters! I’ve been wearing the liner sock/outer sock combination for years and never have blisters.

Also keep in mind that if you are not a fan of “toe socks“, there are liner socks like these from SmartWool.

Happy trails!
Hiking Lady

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5 comments

  1. Sher says:

    After reading about the “toed” liners, I switched and had an added benefit. I have some genetically-programmed bunions showing up right on time (40s). My large toes are slightly crossing the adjacent toe when my feet swell (often in summer). Now, instead of moleskin-taping those toes, I just put on the toed liners shown in the post. They also appear to result in better toe alignment.

    Last week I did a road walk and decided to skip those liners because it was not a real “hike”. I am still regretting it days later with rubs.

  2. Hiking Lady says:

    Thank you for your feedback Anna. Your trip sounds amazing, and I am glad to hear that you avoided blisters by using liner socks! I haven’t tried Zamberlan boots so I will have to check some out soon!
    Happy trails!

  3. Anna says:

    I trekked for 2 weeks to Upper Mustang in Nepal just over a year ago. Wearing stout trekking boots (Zamberlan). The liner socks worked superbly, together with good wool outer socks. I was maybe the only person in the group to have NOT ONE blister! Also, the liner socks are easy to wash out if you have access to some extra water for washing….
    D- width boots. I have wide feet (narrower heel) and found a pair of Zamberlan trekking boots which fit my feet really well. They are surprisingly lightweight considering how solid they are.

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