High Sierra Topix

What's your method with dealing with wet socks and how do you get them dry?

If possible I prefer sundried socks, helps to kill bacteria. Other wise it depends if I can have a fire.

I change socks.

I carry 3 pairs of socks out there so it would have to be a pretty extreme circumstance to have all my socks soaked at the same time.

Depends on the situation. I only ever wear merino wool socks with no liner and I usually have two pairs with me on a longer trip. If my socks get wet from a creek crossing slip or because I wash them, I wring them out well and, if it is not raining, I'll hang them on the outside of my pack and then in the sun when I get to camp. At night I will hang them in the tent. If I only have one pair, wring them and wear them

Wringing the wetness out of them will stretch and deform them. So gently squeeze them to get them to a damp stage. Spare socks are a necessity. If they don't dry overnight tie them to the outside of my pack the following morning. Wool dries pretty quickly and if not 100%;they are still warm.

Rockchucker wrote:If possible I prefer sundried socks, helps to kill bacteria. Other wise it depends if I can have a fire.

Got mine too close to a fire one night....oops Won't make that mistake anymore. Now I try to wash while there's still ~ 1-2 hours of sunlight and lay them on a rock, facing the sun, to dry. I wear wool socks and wring them out prior to drying.

I also wear merino wool with no liner, and I typically carry 2 to 3 pair depending upon the duration of the trip. I have carried up to 5 pair of socks in the past if we were going in in the early season and the trails were to be full of runoff, but thats not typical. If wet and the weathers good, then they sun dry around camp or on the outside of my pack if moving. If the weathers bad, I press the moisture out the best I can and wear another pair. if all are wet, then I use the driest pair I have. Not much else you can do.

Drying socks...I thought that's what hiking poles were for.
Just stick poles in ground, slip socks over handles.

Added benefit is that no critters can nibble on the cork overnight as deep inside socks.

Whatever you do with your socks; Don't ever let Mark take off his shoes in your back seat after the walk out.

I carry 3 pair of socks and wash/roate two day. They dry hanging on the back of my pack during the day. I keep one pair for sleeping only (and as emergency). I am really fussy about keeping the inside of my sleeping bag clean so I never wear hiking clothes inside my bag and take a bath every day after the hike. When I hike the coast, I just wear wet socks because after about 5 days everything is wet anyway. All my socks are Smartwool. I wring the heck out of them and it does not seem to distort the shape much.