Skool Me On Boot Sox

The place for general talk about gun, shooting, loading, camping, survival, and preparedness related tools and gear, as well as gear technology discussion, gear reviews, and gear specific "range reports" (all other types of gear should be on the back porch).
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skb12172
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Re: Skool Me On Boot Sox

Post by skb12172 »

I just bought two pair on Amazon. They'll be here after the holiday. Full range report sometime within the week after.
There must be an end to this intimidation by those who come to this great country, but reject its culture.
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Weetabix
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Re: Skool Me On Boot Sox

Post by Weetabix »

Weetabix wrote:
skb12172 wrote:Has anybody tried Smart Socks AND Darn Tough Socks? Which worked better and why? On Amazon, the price seems close enough to not be a factor.
I've got Smart Wool and Darn Tough, but I've only had the Darn Tough for a while.
(snip)
ETA: Get one of each and compare, then give us a range report. :D
Necro!

Well, here I am to do a 6 month range report.

The Darn Tough socks I got, these and these, have held up admirably. Obviously, the lighter weight ones are more comfortable the warmer the weather is. The black ones look a bit rattier than when new. The oatmeal ones look unchanged. My only quibble, and this probably applies to most wool socks, is that they pick up hair from the floor when I don't have shoes on. With lots of cats and girls in the house, it's aggravating. I'd not avoid them just for that, though. If these ever wear out, I'll immediately buy more.

For reference, both sets keep my feet hotter than white cotton socks. I still choose white cotton occasionally, when it's hot out.

I also got some dress socks. I couldn't be happier with them. They're more comfortable than my cotton dress socks and based on the experience with the others, I expect them to be durable.

The Smart Wool ones I have are more comfortable, just because they're lighter, but they're much less durable. I would probably not buy them again.

Anybody else have other experiences to report?
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Rich Jordan
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Re: Skool Me On Boot Sox

Post by Rich Jordan »

Greg wrote:
skb12172 wrote:We do have a Costco around here. For that price, I would be willing to join. Is this something they regularly carry?
They seem to he seasonal items. I don't think they have them in-store now, but I think they have them every winter. Or have had them every winter for several years running.
Also these changed in the last year or two. I bought a few packs in 2008/9 and they lasted until 2014 (I'm hard on socks because I walk around in them without shoes all the time). The ones I bought early in 2014 were thinner, lighter, and also wore out in a little over a year. Sadly they're not as good as the older ones (which were the ones that earned the reputation they had). The older ones are two-toned with the sole and heel being a lighter color and thicker material than the top and shaft; the new ones are the same color up to the cuff, much lighter, and with a different blend. Its really a shame because the old ones were awesome.

I also have one pair of Smart Wool light hikers that are 10 years old and going strong.
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skb12172
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Re: Skool Me On Boot Sox

Post by skb12172 »

Weetabix wrote:
Weetabix wrote:
skb12172 wrote:Has anybody tried Smart Socks AND Darn Tough Socks? Which worked better and why? On Amazon, the price seems close enough to not be a factor.
I've got Smart Wool and Darn Tough, but I've only had the Darn Tough for a while.
(snip)
ETA: Get one of each and compare, then give us a range report. :D
Necro!

Well, here I am to do a 6 month range report.

The Darn Tough socks I got, these and these, have held up admirably. Obviously, the lighter weight ones are more comfortable the warmer the weather is. The black ones look a bit rattier than when new. The oatmeal ones look unchanged. My only quibble, and this probably applies to most wool socks, is that they pick up hair from the floor when I don't have shoes on. With lots of cats and girls in the house, it's aggravating. I'd not avoid them just for that, though. If these ever wear out, I'll immediately buy more.

For reference, both sets keep my feet hotter than white cotton socks. I still choose white cotton occasionally, when it's hot out.

I also got some dress socks. I couldn't be happier with them. They're more comfortable than my cotton dress socks and based on the experience with the others, I expect them to be durable.

The Smart Wool ones I have are more comfortable, just because they're lighter, but they're much less durable. I would probably not buy them again.

Anybody else have other experiences to report?
Our experiences match perfectly. I got a good enough deal on People Socks to outfit myself completely, while slowly building my collection of Darn Tough Vermont. They are both very good, but the Darn Tough is preferable for the long term, due to the lifetime warranty. At this point, I wear nothing but merino wool socks for everything. In fact, even though it is summer, they are so comfortable and temperature regulating, I usually keep them on and wear them to bed.
There must be an end to this intimidation by those who come to this great country, but reject its culture.
Greg
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Re: Skool Me On Boot Sox

Post by Greg »

Rich Jordan wrote:
Greg wrote:
skb12172 wrote:We do have a Costco around here. For that price, I would be willing to join. Is this something they regularly carry?
They seem to he seasonal items. I don't think they have them in-store now, but I think they have them every winter. Or have had them every winter for several years running.
Also these changed in the last year or two. I bought a few packs in 2008/9 and they lasted until 2014 (I'm hard on socks because I walk around in them without shoes all the time). The ones I bought early in 2014 were thinner, lighter, and also wore out in a little over a year. Sadly they're not as good as the older ones (which were the ones that earned the reputation they had). The older ones are two-toned with the sole and heel being a lighter color and thicker material than the top and shaft; the new ones are the same color up to the cuff, much lighter, and with a different blend. Its really a shame because the old ones were awesome.

I also have one pair of Smart Wool light hikers that are 10 years old and going strong.
I'm going to have to have a look this fall, when the Costco wool socks come back. The pairs I have are something like 2 years old now, and are the two-tone and are very solidly put together. I wear them every day I don't go in to the office, and I haven't worn any of them out yet. In fact I just spent 10+ hours yesterday walking around in very warn weather, and my feet were the least distressed part of me.
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skb12172
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Re: Skool Me On Boot Sox

Post by skb12172 »

Speaking of the Hairy Sock problem, does anyone have a solution?
There must be an end to this intimidation by those who come to this great country, but reject its culture.
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Weetabix
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Re: Skool Me On Boot Sox

Post by Weetabix »

skb12172 wrote:Speaking of the Hairy Sock problem, does anyone have a solution?
Eliminate cats, women, and carpets. :geek:
Note to self: start reading sig lines. They're actually quite amusing. :D
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skb12172
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Re: Skool Me On Boot Sox

Post by skb12172 »

Weetabix wrote:
skb12172 wrote:Speaking of the Hairy Sock problem, does anyone have a solution?
Eliminate cats, women, and carpets. :geek:
Not gonna happen. Guess I'll buy shares in masking tape.
There must be an end to this intimidation by those who come to this great country, but reject its culture.
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Windy Wilson
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Re: Skool Me On Boot Sox

Post by Windy Wilson »

I've used the lint rollers on woollens to remove hair with some success.
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JKosprey
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Re: Skool Me On Boot Sox

Post by JKosprey »

I'm not sure if they've been mentioned before (too late for me to read through fifty posts), but I'm a huge fan of these: http://www.peoplesocks.com/

Very comfortable. Plenty warm in the winter. Surprisingly for how thick they are, they're not too hot and keep my feet dry in the summer. I don't think I'll ever buy plain white cotton socks again.
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