Blisters, redness, and foot pain oh my! Apart from wearing adequate hiking boots or hiking sandals, your feet will thank you when you start wearing the appropriate and best hiking socks.
The ideal socks made for hiking are not made from cotton. Hiking socks are made from mostly wool, and have cushioning to help protect against pressure points, and keep the moisture away.
Of course, I’ve learned the importance of socks the hard way. I remember a time when I hiked in Wekiva Springs State Park and I ended up with blisters on the back of my feet and under my toes.
My feet were in really bad shape because I was wearing regular cotton socks. It took days for my feet to heal and I was in pain.
Not wearing adequate hiking socks? Biggest mistake ever!
Even if you’re wearing proper hiking boots, most of the time it’s not enough to prevent blisters and soreness.
Due to my bad experience entirely based on my poor choices of hiking gear and essentials, I decided to try different hiking socks.
I purchased various brands of wool hiking socks and tried them on different trails. Each of the hiking trails varied in length, terrain, and difficulty.
Needless to say, after wearing the right socks, hiking felt like a breeze again!
Not experiencing blisters or pain during and after my hikes, made me realize the importance of wearing socks that are precisely meant for hiking, which is what I’m sharing in this post.
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Why Do Socks Matter When Hiking?
First of all, it’s about the material. Hiking socks are made from merino wool or other materials that do not retain water.
This helps keep your feet dry and warm in the wintertime and cool on warm and hot days. Merino wool also has antimicrobial properties, making this material a real game-changer for hikers.
On the other hand, cotton is your worst enemy for hiking! Socks made from cotton hold up a lot of moisture and rub against your skin in the most terrible of ways.
Additionally, cotton socks contribute to bacteria build-up in your feet, making them a very bad selection for hikers.
Secondly, hiking socks have padding in the high-impact areas of the foot. This allows for little to no friction of the sock on your feet. Furthermore, the padding alleviates soreness in your feet and prevents blisters.
Ideally, when hiking in the coldest season, you also want to choose the best socks for winter. Depending on the season in which you’re hiking, the socks you choose to wear will make a difference.
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Best Hiking Socks for Women Based on Performance and Comfort
These hiking socks for women are listed from most favorite to least favorite, based on my own experiences.
As a reference, I hiked a minimum of 4 miles with each of these socks and wore the Merrell Zion hiking boots. Also, I’m a size 11 and wear a size large on all of the socks listed.
1. Point6 37.5 Hiking Essential Medium Crew
Fabric: Wool 56% | Nylon 38% | Elastic 6%
Features:
- 37.5 technology to keep moisture away
- Regulates body temperature
- Extra cushioning on the instep
- Extra cushioning around the leg helps protect against pressure points
- Breathable
- Guaranteed for life
Why I love them: To be honest, Point6 and Fox River socks are my favorites of all and I would’ve placed them tied at the number one spot.
But the reason why these Point6 hiking socks are number one on my list is that they provide extra compression and extra padding on the instep. This makes a real difference on my feet!
Additionally, I also love that they are mostly wool and they feel amazing!
I did a 9-mile hike wearing these and my feet were in perfect condition and felt great at all times while hiking.
Price: $24.95
2. Fox River Women’s MX1 Lightweight Crew
Fabric: 35% Coolmax® polyester, 27% nylon, 26% merino wool, 5% polyester, 2% spandex
Features:
- Spandex compression arch
- VentZone technology to keep moisture away
- Flex-Zone technology for a better fit and more comfort
- Flat, smooth knit padding on the toe seam
- Breathable
Why I love them: I feel that these MX1 Lightweight Crew socks give me the perfect support on my toes, ball of the foot, and ankle.
Also, I love the arch compression on this sock and how soft it feels on my skin. Bonus: the fit is perfect!
I did a 6.3-mile hike with these socks and they did not disappoint. My feet were blister-free and were not sore at all.
Price: $18
3. Fox River Basecamp Lightweight Crew
Fabric: 40% nylon, 27% Merino wool, 27% acrylic, 4% polyester, 2% spandex
Features:
- Reinforced heel and toe for added durability
- URFit memory-knit construction system provides arch support and helps the sock maintain its form
- Flat, smooth knit padding on the toe seam
- Cushioned sole for comfortable support
- Breathable
Why I love them: This Fox River Basecamp Lightweight Crew differs from the previous in the fact that it provides slightly less compression.
They still feel amazing on my feet! I love the cushion on the sole as it makes a huge difference and feels great when hiking on trails with roots and uneven terrain.
With these socks, I hiked 4 miles and my soles felt good at all times. I did not experience any soreness or blisters.
Price: $14
4. Merrell Performance Hiker Crew
Fabric: 92% Polyester, 4% Spandex, 4% Other Fiber
Features:
- Reinforced heel and toe for extra support
- Anti-odor technology
- Support band on the arch
- Half cushion support that helps buffer the impact
- Breathable
- Keeps moisture away
Why I don’t love them: I purchased these Merrell socks because I thought they would go perfectly with my Merrell Zion hiking boots.
Being that I completely love my hiking boots, I guess I set my expectations way too high for the socks.
The main thing I don’t like about these Merrell hiking socks for women is the fabric–these aren’t wool socks.
They don’t feel as soft on my skin as the rest of the socks on the top of this list and these socks lack comfort.
I did a 4-mile hike with these hiker crew socks and I felt the moisture in my feet and didn’t get any cushioning on my pressure points while hiking. However, I did not experience any soreness afterward.
Price: $20
5. REI Co-op Merino Wool Lightweight Crew
Fabric: 72% RWS merino wool/26% nylon/2% Lycra® spandex
Features:
- Reinforced toe, heel, and Achilles
- Stretch arch band
- Seamless toes to prevent chafing
Why I don’t love them: Apart from the fact that these are merino wool, there’s nothing else I like about REI lightweight crew socks. These hiking socks do not provide compression or good cushioning.
The first time I wore these, I hiked 5.7 miles and they did okay but did not convince me much so I gave them a second try during my experiment.
The second time I used these hiking socks, I hiked 11.4 miles–which took me 5 hours to complete.
By the time I hit the 4-hour mark, my feet were really sore and I could feel the blisters on my toes and the soles of my feet. After this hike, I was not able to go back on the trails for another 2 weeks.
For this reason, although these Merino Wool Crew Socks from REI are very affordable, I simply do not recommend them, especially for longer hikes.
Price: $15.95
6. PAKA Alpaca Hiking Socks
Fabric: 41% baby alpaca, 8% bamboo, 50% nylon, 1% Spandex
Features:
- Odor resistant
- Extra soft
- Comfortable for all-day wear
Why I love them: I love the incomparable comfort of the PAKA socks. These hug my feet in the comfiest way but also help my feet feel secure and cushioned.
The PAKA hiking socks can be the perfect pair for your hikes when you’re out camping or hiking in cold weather. These are comfy enough to wear as lounge socks and resistant enough for adventurous hikes.
Also, the fact that the design has a smiling alpaca is one of the cutest things ever!
Price: $18
My Favorite Product for Preventing Blisters When Hiking
Like I said at the beginning, I’ve learned things the hard way. Luckily, it’s now been months since I found HikeGoo and I don’t go hiking without it!
This cream gives you an extra layer of protection and comfort. I started using this on my Utah hikes, and have been using it every single time ever since.
One of the best things about using HikeGoo is that it doesn’t affect the performance of the hiking socks and does not add extra moisture to your feet.
By adding a protective layer between your socks and skin, this foot cream reduces friction and eliminates the possibility of blisters.
After my two left foot surgeries, I’ve found that by wearing this on my hikes, my feet feel extra protected which is super important for me now.
Price: $17.99
Final Thoughts
I hope the results from my little experiment in finding the best hiking socks for women have helped you too!
Whichever brand, color, or style of hiking socks you choose to wear, just be sure they are the right material for hiking.
Take care of your feet and soles because they lead the way to more adventures!
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FTC Disclosure: This post is not sponsored. All opinions expressed are my own. Some affiliate links are placed above which means I receive a percentage of the revenue made from purchasing products via those links–at no extra cost to you!
Yanitza Ninett
Yanitza is an avid adventurer with 15+ years of hiking experience and outdoor travel. As a PADI-certified scuba diver, she's also passionate about ocean conservation. When she's not exploring the great outdoors, Yanitza obsesses over The Vampire Diaries and dreams of traveling to Mallorca, Spain.
Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences with these hiking socks for women. It’s clear that you’ve put a lot of effort into testing and comparing different brands and styles. Your thorough evaluations and explanations of the features and materials will be helpful for hikers looking for the best socks.
Thank you for reading! We appreciate you!
I prefer normal socks but these look really comfortable as I hike a lot!
I honestly can’t hike with normal socks, especially on hikes that are more than 7 miles long. But It’s good that the regular cotton socks work for you.
I didn’t know Merino wool was so good for making hiking socks 🙂
Oh, yes! They are the best!