The wool socks conspiracy

Wool socks are itchy. Don’t have to be.

Wool socks are expensive. Don’t have to be.

Wool socks are dumb. We disagree!

Not all wool socks are created equal. That we can agree on!

We love wool socks. Wool is a magical material, especially for the outdoors.

It feels good on the feet and helps prevent friction (which can lead to blisters).

It’s thermoregulating – so it can help keep you warm OR cool . The natural material, wool, is moisture wicking, insulating, odor reducer – you turned on yet? Just kidding.

One more thing, it’s quick drying. (No mo’ went damp uncomfy feet in cotton socks business).

How do I find these amazing wool socks without breaking the bank?

Great question!

We’ve said it before, we will say it again, you have to look at the technical specs of your gear! (aka the material it is made out of).

Not all wool socks are created equal, and the most expensive does NOT mean the best quality.

Check out these brands, for example, well known in the wool and outdoorsy spaces: Smartwool and Bombas

They have lots of great wool sock options, at a pretty price point. So where do we go from here?

Enter Amazon. We all have that love hate relationship with Amazon. But Amazon has the nicer price point and we are just trying to get outside more, darn it all. You can buy multiple pairs of socks from here at the same prices as one pair of Smartwool socks.

A word of caution to this tale, however, you have to pay attention to the materials (again, this means, what material the sock is actually made of).

To help paint this picture, here’s the socks we’ve purchased in the past (Exhibits A-C below):

We focused on 0% cotton and a high percent of wool.

Exhibit A: 2024 wool socks – kiddos

Exhibit B: 2022-23 wool socks – kiddos (girls) and 2022-23 wool socks – kiddos (boys)

Exhibit C: 2019-2021 wool socks – kiddos

Do not get trapped with the cute designs! Or whatever else would make you purchase something with cotton in it.

We did an experiment in preparation for this post. In the Amazon search box, we searched for “kids wool socks” and reviewed the first top 10 results listed to check out their materials.

Let’s have a look at our findings, shall we???

Result #1: They don’t specify the material breakdown in the ‘About this Item’ but state “blend of premium wool and cotton”. The product photos have a breakdown of the materials. NBWfam not approved

Result #2: Material breakdown 68% Merino Wool, 25% Polyester, 5% Nylon, 2% Spandex. NBWfam approved!
Result #3: Material breakdown 70% wool ,23% polyester, 5% spandex , 2% nylon. NBWfam approved!
Result #4: Material breakdown 70% MERINO WOOL, 23% polyester, 5% spandex , 2% nylon. NBWfam approved! (and double points for merino wool)
Result #5: Material breakdown 73% Merino Wool, 20% Polyester, 5% Nylon, 2% Spandex NBWfam approved! (and the ones we bought above!)
Result #6: Material breakdown 55% wool, 25% cotton, 15% polyester and 5% spandex. NBWfam not approved (cotton)
Result #7: Material breakdown 73% Merino Wool, 20% Polyester, 5% Spandex , 2% Nylon. NBWfam approved!
Result #8: Material breakdown 70% Merino Wool, 25% Polyester, 5% Spandex. NBWfam approved!
Result #9: Material breakdown 70% wool ,23% polyester, 5% spandex , 2% nylon. NBWfam approved!
Result #10: Material breakdown 45% Wool, 40% Polyester, 15% Spandex. NBWfam not approved (the wool ratio is too low)

That was fun. The results were pretty cool. We stay away from cotton, obviously, but also low ratios or percentages of wool in the material breakdown.

Why? We want as much benefit as we can get from the wool itself. The other materials like nylon, polyester, spandex are fine. They help with elasticity or stretchiness of the sock, softness of the sock and reduce friction on the skin.

If you ever read “wool blends” on the tag with no specifics, run for the hills! Do not buy it! We repeat, do not buy it.

Like this lovely Carhartt boys wool blend sock pair. It’s a good brand, we own several Carhartt things, but if I’m paying for brand, I also do not want a trace of cotton. At $9 bucks a pop, I need utmost quality. Alas…we spy with our wee little eyes cotton…