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Rating: 5 / 5
I have been a loyal Smartwool wearer for years. For me, Merino wool is the way to go. On prior thru-hikes Smartwools were very comfortable but seemed to wear out too quickly. So for the PCT I got some Darn Tough socks. I used four pairs of socks total (wearing one pair with one pair in my pack and the others in reserve at home) in the 2,600+ miles of the trail. I had the Darn Tough, 1/4 Sock, Mesh, which I weighed at 1.6 ounces for the pair; and the Darn Tough 1/4 Sock Cushion at about 2.4 oz. pair.
My Darn Tough socks lasted longer than the modern Smartwool socks. I wore out three pair of Darn Tough socks during the five months of my hike. The fourth pair was going strong at the end. I liked the lighter mesh socks for the desert, but the cushion socks lasted longer and I liked them better for the cooler and wetter sections of the trail. My feet held up very well with both types of socks.
One small flaw I found in these socks is they tend to get small holes in the "upper corner" of the heal cup. Apparently there is stress in that spot. It had no affect on the comfort of the sock, however.
Overall I found them to be outstanding, comfortable, long-wearing socks.
Update: I also wore Darn Tough 1/4 Sock Cushion socks for the Desert Trail, Mexico to Canada. They are my go-to sock from now on for thru-hiking. I used them in combination with Darn Tough 1/4 Sock Mesh until my feet toughened up.
Edited by Colter on 11/20/2012 08:55:08 MST.
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