Wet Socks

[sparky]

I do the same as others mentioned. I bring 3 pair, wash and dry daily. I don't have dedicated sleeping socks though.

I like the padded hikers from sports chalet. Super comfy, and fit my feet perfect.

[Colter]

I'm another that has dedicated sleeping socks. Dryer, warmer, cleaner for your bag.

I do almost all my sock drying by hanging them on the sunny side of my pack, inside out, my theory being that the "loops" inside present more drying surface area. My socks (Darn Tough fan) seem to put up with wringing so I'll wring the #@$^ out of them before drying.

There are times where wet socks are just a reality and about the only thing to to is dwell on the fun part of the trip and ignore the wet feet.

[tomba]

Two pairs of wool socks and one liner.

One pair of wool socks is for sleeping, to keep the sleeping bag clean. Also can be used in emergency or on the last day.

The hiking socks and liners - I dry them hanging on the backpack or on a rock. At night, hang them in the tent. If still wet in the morning, I still wear the wet socks (and wet shoes) even if it is a freezing morning. The wool keeps my feet reasonably warm even when wet. I wash them on longer hikes.

When socks are drying I wear my shoes without socks. I have light-weight, somewhat quick-drying shoes that are designed to be worn without socks and I usually wear them this way when it is warm and dry.

[tomba]

The NOLS Wilderness Medicine book in "Nonfreezing Cold Injury" chapter about trench foot recommends as one of the methods to dry socks under shirts against skin, and at night on chests and bellies in sleeping bags.

http://books.google.com/books?id=VilIU4 ... Y&pg=PA139" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[rlown]

can one really get trench foot in the Sierra? heck, my lips are chapped after 2 days. Can't one air out their feet appropriately?

[87TT]

I always have one pair of thick wool socks and two pair of cotton liner socks. if my feet get wet, I dry the wool sox as best I can and switch liners. As far as sleeping on them to dry them, that's what we did with our white hats when I was in Navy boot camp in 1970 "a wet hat is a dirty hat"

[oldranger]

My sock combination depends on the boots I wear. This past two summers I have been wearing liners and med. weight hiking socks. I take two pair of each. Seems like even in wet weather the liners will be dry when I need them. If the hiking socks from the previous day will not be dry I usually refrain from rinsing the hiking socks I wore that day and wear them 2 days in a row. Occasionally when it is really cold I sleep wearing the liner socks. Sometimes the socks rinsed in the evening are pretty interesting the following morning.

socks.jpg

Try putting these on! Note this was next to last year Ursacks were legal in Yosemite.

Mike

[Scouter9]

I'm a "three pairs plus liner set" guy, with the third set being the "always dry" sleep socks and the other two used on alternating days.

In good weather, I prefer sun-drying with the socks inside-out, whether that be tied to the sides of my pack as we hike, laying on a rock or suspended by one of my clothespins on a cord strung out between trees or rocks. I reckon this applies to the other clothes I might wash, if the opportunity arises. As noted above, the sock liners tend to dry very quickly and I try to wash those every day in addition to my feet.

In wet weather, I will suspend the wet socks in the vestibule of my tent and hope for the best effect I can get. Definitely, "inside out". I won't swap the "sleep socks" into the rotation unless I have freshly washed and dried socks out of the others, or it's the last day and we're headed out. I'd rather hike in wet than jeopardize my back up.

[FeetFirst]

Two pairs. Lately they've been wool/synthetic blends. I've recently tried the Injinji "toe" socks, which have solved my pinky toe blister problems . If the pair I wore all day are still damp in the evening, which is pretty rare, I throw on the dry pair and put breadbags over those and put the runners back on. Normally when this happens it means that my shoes are damp too, so the bags keep my dry socks dry and more importantly, my feet warm. I've had pretty good luck drying my damp pair under my sleeping pad (therm-a-rest ridgerest) at night.