Best Socks For Travel Overview

OK, so socks are made of many different materials these days. Mostly some sort of combination of cotton, lycra, nylon, elastic, etc. I’m sure there are some you can find that are made from really spacy stuff, and some made from plain old wool, too. And these are all OK in many ways, but I wouldn’t call them optimized for travel. 

Cotton socks especially. While you might be fine with them for day to day wear - for traveling specifically they pick up odors fast, can be hot and sweaty, and take a long time to dry if they get wet or you need to wash them.

Regular old wool socks are definitely high function for things like warmth and also hiking, but they can be bulky and too hot in some climates. They take up more space in your bag. For some people, while it might not sound like a big deal, this is a very big deal.

In most cases, the best socks for travel (and most accessible to people wanting a little bit more specialization) are going to be either pure merino or some merino blend. To be up front, pure merino is harder to find in socks because you need some sort of elasticity in general, and a little bit more durability when dealing with your feet. We’ll cover a few mixes today.

That said, I did also discover a couple of great pure-dress socks for travel that are not merino based, but are instead treated with anti-odor methods. They worked great in my testing, so I’ll mention those at the end (I also wrote a full article on those here: best travel dress socks ).

Features of Travel Socks

There are three big “features” to think about when coming up with the best socks for travel: do they dry quickly, are they comfortable, and can they fight odor. That last one, for travel specifically, is what I personally would consider the biggest consideration, and most likely the biggest for the hardcore onebaggers out there, too.

Merino wool is going to be king here. It dries relatively quickly, it’s mostly comfortable, and it’s far and away the best at fighting odor, ensuring your best chance at multi-wear on a trip (obviously depending on activities and how hard you push them with the sweating). 

Additionally, some socks are treated with something like silver (lots of anti-odor properties) or even made using coffee (Ministry of Supply uses this for natural odor fighting). For these, they generally aren’t specialized fabric, so they’ll still be held back by the quick-dry ability.

Durability is also a feature - so you’ll need to consider that. Socks take a beating, this is important.

My Picks For The Best Travel Socks

Here are the four brands I’ve found to be the overall best socks for travel for most people. Is this a definitive and exhaustive list? No, no it is not. But it should cover you for most of your needs. If anything, it’s a good starter spot for your research.

Darn Tough - The granddaddy of favorite merino based socks in my opinion. While originally mostly hiking focused, they’ve expanded into running as well as daily wear versions of their socks. For me, the high percentage of merino is a plus in their crew hikers and lifestyle versions which work towards keeping odor at bay. Keep in mind that the more “ultralight” you go, or more running-focused - the less merino is used in the product. This reduces your wear-length because less merino means less odor fighting. They typically still maintain good dry time and breathability though. These have been my go-to for years for hiking, daily wear, travel, and now for merino socks to wear with dress shoes while traveling. On top of that, from what I can see they have the best warranty ever created in the universe, and will replace any sock that fails for any reason assuming you send it back to them (Just be sure to wash them for these guys, you animal). I’m not kidding, I’ve sent back 6 year old socks that had a toe-hole and they gave me credit for the site to buy a new pair. It’s insane but also why I’m fiercely loyal to that brand. Made in Vermont, as well.

See our full, in-depth coverage here (Darn Tough Socks Review)

SmartWool - Another wool brand that specializes in merino socks and has been around probably as long as Darn Tough or even longer. Much of their target is the active outdoors person or runner. I’ve dabbled in many of their models over the years, and like them for their ultralight styles, and definitely for their colors. The merino content is typically lower in their socks, but that can be an acceptable trade off to many people that want that lighter feel and want to be colorful for outdoorsy stuff. In my personal use, these tend to be more delicate and less durable,, but your mileage may vary there. I’ve been testing a new pair with their updated Indestructawool that promises more durability, but the jury is out on that and only time will tell. Still, they are a trusted brand in the space and make a good overall product that will get you some merino based socks. They’ll pack down into near nothing as well if you get the PhD versions.

Injinji - These might seem like a bit of a specialist kind of sock, but hear me out. Until recently, they’ve not focused on wool versions of their socks. At least as far as I can tell, that’s newly changed. I tested out a pair of their new daily socks to wear with sneakers around town and dress shoes. These come made with 40% of Injinji’s NuWool, a proprietary merino wool. The big selling point here - get ready - is that these are toe socks. Yup, that’s right. They look like gloves for your feet. That creeps some people out (including my wife) - but if you can get past that there is a great piece of functionality around the feature. Toe socks help prevent blisters. That’s the claim, and I can say that in usage I’ve at least anecdotally noticed this to be true. They are fantastic for hiking because of this and minimize hot-spots on your toes. They were a bit weird to get used to, and they are always kind of annoying to put on, but frankly they are wicked comfortable once you get used to them. I do often grab them for day to day wear and now that they have the wool version, I’ll grab those for travel when the mood hits me. I find my feet/toes sweat much less with these. Kind of like how mittens cause more heat than gloves - accept this way works in your favor (you want less heat in your socks). So, great for hiking, and just a great level of comfort with the individual toes - now with a wool version to bring the benefits of merino. They do feel a little delicate though compared to something like a Darn Tough.

Western Rise - A bit of an “Outlier” here (sorry, those familiar with the travel space will get that joke), WR has come on board with their own versions of merino socks. Theirs are a proprietary blend called StrongCore, and focus on the benefits of merino wool but try to achieve more durability with their special fabric (the threads have nylon cores). Like any blend, it drops the odor resistance, but still finds a great balance between durability and that resistance. These are the most like a regular daily sock in feel, are padded so a bit thicker, and much more minimalist in terms of having just black and gray. I tested these out while on a trip in Italy and was actually shocked at the anti-odor performance considering they were only 40% merino. But these don’t feel like a “tech sock” and are just like a normal cotton sock feel, so if that’s what you want, they’ll be great. I do think, because of their thickness, they won’t be as quick drying as some of the other options on this list. But if you’re not someone that’s doing sink laundry and air drying in your room, that’s not an issue you need to use in your evaluation. I’d also venture to say that they might be the most comfortable as well, since they are more plush than others. One thing to note is that these do pill a bit and tend to pick up stuff in the threads - doesn’t affect the usage, but something to note.

Lastly, I'll quickly mention Ministry of Supply and Mack Weldon. I linked to my specific article on those above, but these are a great option for business specific wear when you want a “regular” sock. That is, a more traditional dress sock and feel that you may be used to in your cotton versions. A bit niche, but want to make sure I remind you these exist for the business traveler (or wedding traveler, or fancy restaurant/shoes traveler, etc.).

The Awards

Best Overall Socks For Travel - Darn Tough. For me, the award has to go to Darn Tough. They are dependable/durable, have many options and even expanded into daily wear for dress socks, have a high concentration of merino in their flagship models, and have an unbeatable warranty. Seriously - did you see that comment above about 6 year old socks? Unbelievable. You could theoretically buy 5 pairs of socks, then never have to pay for socks again. You will, because these are awesome, you’ll want more, and you’'ll want to support the company. Those sly bastards.

Best Choice For Flashy Needs - If you like flash and color choices, I think SmartWool is your go to here. They have a lower merino count than most Darn Tough, but are a well known brand with lots of choices and aren’t a bad sock to hitch your wagon to if you want some active style with merino options.

Most Unique Feature - Kind of a weird thing to say about socks, and there’s really only one choice here, but it’s Injinji. The foot gloves are the real deal. Weird at first, but a niche use case that does in fact work in my experience. Less hot spots and blisters, as well as less sweating in general around your toes since each little toe pocket deals with each toe individually.

Best Impression of an Everyday Cotton Sock - Western Rise StrongCore merino socks. These pretty much look and feel like your normal, everyday cotton socks and that’s what some people want. Due to the fabric threads they use here (merino with nylon core) the durability is very very good as well. These are also generally thicker socks since they have padding like many traditional socks. That might mean increased drying time for you sink washers, so keep that in mind.