Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew Midweight Hiking Socks Review

Who doesn’t love a good pair of socks?

Anyone who has been hiking before will know that you could have the best, top-of-the-line walking boots but if your socks are subpar or not right for the job, you can still end up with sweaty, painful feet covered in blisters at the end of your hike.

Darn Tough socks come with a lifetime guarantee and have been independently recommended to me by a couple of people, so I was excited to get the chance to try these socks out.

But did they live up to the hype or was I left feeling like I need to rethink whose recommendations I listen to in the future?

The quick answer is yes. The Darn Tough Micro Crew Socks rank #2 in our review of the best walking socks, providing excellent quality and a well respected brand name. They were, however, beaten to first place by the Bridgedale Lightweight Merino Endurance Ankle Socks.

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Testing

I’ve worn these socks for about 20 hours now, in different weather conditions and for different lengths of time. To make sure I was getting the full experience of the socks, I paired them with my current main hiking boots (Grisport Saracens) as well as a pair of budget pair of hiking boots I bought a few years back from Decathlon.

Comfort

So, the first thing you have to think about is how comfy these socks are. I looked into three main things: cushioning, preventing blisters, and how good the arch support is.

The cushioning for this sock covers all of your foot meaning that there won’t be any areas potentially left exposed. This is in contrast to the targeted cushioning that some other socks (like the Bridgedale) offer. Each system has its benefits and drawbacks but the overall standard of the cushioning in these Darn Toughs is pretty impressive.

One of the areas that the encompassing cushioning is advantageous is when it comes to arch support. I have a medium arch and found these socks fine (although, I also don’t have issues with most targeted cushioning socks) but the protection is adequate enough for people with flat feet or high arches as well.

These Darn Tough socks fit securely in place and are made from a merino wool and synthetic fibre blend which maintains the shape of the sock and wicks moisture impressively well. Therefore, these socks are unlikely to cause blisters.

Breathability

No one likes sweaty feet, so you want a sock that’s going to help regulate temperature and wick away moisture. The Darn Tough Micro Crew socks do a pretty good job on both fronts.

Made with a blend of synthetic fibres and Merino wool, these socks do an excellent job of wicking moisture away from your feet. I was surprised when I took them off after a long day of walking to find my feet were perfectly dry. I have no complaints about the moisture-wicking abilities of these socks.

The complete cushioning around the entire sock means that these socks are better at keeping your feet warm in colder temperatures rather than cooling your feet in hot climates. So if you are looking for a primarily summer-time hiking sock, maybe consider something else like the Bridgedale socks.

That being said, these socks can handle longer hikes in heat as well – it’s just that there are alternatives which might be better options if that is your preference. Overall, these socks do a solid job all year round.

Durability

At the start of this review, I mentioned that Darn Tough offer a lifetime guarantee on their socks. They don’t just guarantee the manufactured quality of the sock or offer to replace it after being worn through. They offer to replace any pair of socks that fail to remain comfortable with a correct fit in day-to-day wear.

You can see those high standards in the construction quality of their socks. You’ll struggle to find any evidence of poor stitching on these socks.

The material used, a blend of merino wool and synthetic fibres, is also great for producing a long-lasting, resilient sock.

Cleanliness

It’s important to think practically with hiking socks. So firstly, how many days can you comfortably wear these socks for and secondly, how easy is it to wash and dry these socks?

Firstly, these socks come with a decent amount of Merino wool fabric in their construction. Merino wool is great at wicking sweat and moisture away from your foot but wool also has anit-microbacterial properties which is beneficial for reducing odour issues, meaning you can comfortably stretch out a few days of repeatedly wearing these socks. I’ve worn these socks for a couple of days in a row and found no issues in terms of odour.

Washing these socks is a breeze – and they dry a lot quicker than expected. Some bulkier hiking socks can take a long time to dry out, particularly if they have thicker cushioning but these Darn Tough socks don’t suffer from that problem. You can easily dry them hanging off the side of your backpack as you walk or leave them at the campsite for the day and come back to some clean and dry socks for the next day.

Conclusion

Overall, the Darn Tough Micro Crew socks are a very durable, quality sock that I would definitely recommend to pretty much anyone.

That being said, I do prefer the Bridgedale socks because I am more concerned with keeping my feet cool in the summer months. But don’t let that take anything away from these Darn Tough socks.

They are a comfortable, well-constructed sock that would be a great choice regardless of the weather conditions. They are capable of hot and cold climates, so they absolutely are a sock worth investing in if you want to get out all year.

The lifetime guarantee also means that the investment is a smart idea. These socks, or a replacement of these socks, can see you set for the rest of your hiking or hillwalking life. That makes these socks 100% worth the price tag in my opinion.