Smartwool Men's Hiking Medium Crew

Very comfortable merino sock that is great for day hikes. Good cushion, keeps your feet dry, low odour. However it is starting to show signs of wear at a faster rate than I hoped for.

These Smartwool medium crew socks are very comfortable, and well put together throughout. The material is soft against the skin, and I can wear them for a long day of hiking without getting blisters. The cushioning is adequate, and there are no points of abrasion.

The socks are mainly merino, and they work well at keeping feet dry, and remain relatively odour free even after long days (though I typically don't get very odorous socks after hikes so others may find they won't work as well).

The main concern with these socks, and the reason I have only given them 3 stars in spite of the fact that they are very comfortable and function quite well is that they are already showing signs of wear, particularly behind the heel. I realise that is the nature of merino wool, but I have several other pairs of merino hikers from Kathmandu (a New Zealand brand I believe) which cost about 30% less and are outlasting and outperforming these socks by quite a margin (though I will say they are not as soft and a little heavier). For the price I paid, I expect more in terms of durability, but have no complaints about comfort.

If you can part with $15+ for a pair of socks that won't survive too much work, then the comfort is well worth it. I can't justify purchasing these again when I have found others that outperform them for less money. Still, 3 stars are warranted for comfort and performance.

SmartWool hiking socks are some of the most expensive socks in the market. I have no problems paying more for a piece of gear that will out perform less expensive items of similar purpose, however it is not the case of SmartWool socks that they are worth their price.

Smartwool socks wear out so fast it's ridiculous - you could buy socks from a cheap department store and those would last longer. While it may be true that SmartWool has some attractive, comfortable designs, so do some other companies.

My advice is that you try a WigWam sock because they are less expensive, just as attractive, and it is not possible for a sock to wear out faster than SmartWool.