Don’t spend days/months/forever deciding on the perfect shoe while forgetting that the right sock choice could make or break your next adventure.

When it comes to choosing a hiking sock, many people believe the thickness of the sock is correlated to the warmth of the sock. In the summer months, you need a thin sock. In the winter, you need a thicker sock. But that is not how you should shop for merino wool products.

The miracle of merino is that it will keep you warm when it's cold AND cool when it's hot. Point6 merino wool is "smart" when it comes to temperature control because of the air pockets that are created within the compact-spun merino yarn. Temperature control is related to air pockets and to a lesser extent about the amount of wool yarn used in the sock construction.

The most important consideration when choosing a hiking sock should be the amount of space you have between your foot and your hiking footwear. If you are in a tight-fitting hiking boot, then choose an Ultra Light sock. As your hiking boots becomes more spacious and there's more volume to fill between your foot and the boot, then choose a sock with padding and extra thickness to fill that space. See our selection of Extra Light, Light, and Medium cushion hiking socks.

Be careful not to choose a hiking sock that has too much thickness for your boot. In this scenario, the wool will compress into the allowable space between your foot and the hiking boot. This compression will actually reduce the amount of air pockets in the wool limiting the wool's ability to manage temperature. The compression will also put pressure against your foot restricting blood flow and circulation, resulting in cold feet in winter, extra hot feet in summer and blisters.

That's it! Stay safe, stay dry, and be kind to your feet.