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Wool socks sucked until smart wool figured out how to make good ones, then all the other sock companies copied them.
They used to be hot and scratchy, and were also very "floppy". Sporting goods stores devoted to winter sports and hiking used to have racks of various synthetic "liners" you were supposed to wear under your warm wool socks to make the experience less miserable.
The last couple years I've discovered wool socks after being raised and spending 30+ years wearing cotton socks.
Having discovered the functionality & durability & temperature regulating & wicking properties of wool, I'm now wondering...people have known about this for centuries...so WHY ON EARTH DO COTTON SOCKS EVEN EXIST? They are horrible and have no such beneficial properties as wool, important to care for the needs of our feet which do so much and go through so much.
Choosing to post this in Self sufficiency & preparedness rather than Fashion-beauty-style-etc because I appeal to the die hard wisdom of the Self-sufficiency crowd.
I wear a white set of cotton socks inside wool in the winter.
that works, and wool can be too warm. I have a set of "smart wool" socks
and only use them in the mountains if it's minus who knows what!!
If you are ever in bad situation make sure to remove those cotton socks.
Yes cotton has zero insulating property when wet. Cotton socks are a summer only affair for outdoor activity. There is also poly for winter. I prefer wool, but the poly is less bulky and insulates well if used properly too.
One thing I know about wool vs synthetics, you can dry wool by a fire. One spark from a campfire and your synthetic sock is useless.
Cotton does kill, no question, but it's cheap and cool for those working and living within city limits. Once you get away from climate control, wool is the only way to go in cold country or wet too. Look at all the wool clothing available on British, German and Scandinavian sites.
Those guys know cold and wet, if they say wool, it's a good opinion from centuries of experience.
As coalman said, they're comfortable and cheap. They're also cooler in the summer and not as itchy as wool.
Over all the decades I've been around, I found wool to be too itchy against the skin. They're now using Merino wool a lot more which addressed that issue for me.
Wool that is 'itchy' is cheap wool.
Cultures that use a lot of wool, do not use any of the lowers grades. I lived in Scotland for a few years, and to them, they were not aware that 'itchy' wool even exists.
But in this culture, we have been marketed to with a wide selection of other fibers. Somehow there has been a process where crap wool has gotten in, and now it has became widely accepted that wool is itchy. Amazing really
Finding pure wool socks unless you knit them yourself is tough, and they can be pretty cost prohibitive. Most of the stuff I see in sporting goods stores is a blend and you're lucky to get 20% wool in them.
Personally, wool shirt, wool pants, socks and hat's are a way of life, but you do have to wear something under them or they will irritate your skin especially in tender areas like armpits.
Still, the OP had good information.
Ever wearing a Pendleton shirt? I bet it did not irritate your skin.
Top of the line wool is soft.
Merino is a grade of wool. It is not the top of the line, but as a medium grade it is not bad.
I used to have quite a few scratchy Pendleton shirts. The Ragstock stores in the Twin Cities are filled with old scratchy ones. Some of them used to be mine...
Icebreaker makes a great wool shirt. One of my most valuable pieces of outdoor equipment is an Icebreaker wool t-shirt.
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people do react to wool; and it can be too warm
