8 Best Sock Materials: Which One is Right for You?

8 Best Sock Materials: Which One is Right for You?

We all live complex lives: our schedules are full of different activities. We dress differently for each of these plans - I know I choose my clothes based on factors including, though not limited to: fit, stretch, warmth/coolness, moisture control (if needed), professionalism, and color, just to name a few. So many decision points go into our outfits for a particular time of day.

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Yet, many people I know throw one pair of socks on at the beginning of the day and think that’s enough to deal with the demands and stresses of daily life. Then they complain at the end of the day when their feet are stinky, sweaty, cold, achy, or some combination thereof. The simple truth is that socks are a lot like any other article of clothing - not every style and material will be right for every occasion.

That’s where we come in today. After speaking with our resident fellow sock experts here at Tall Order, we’ve come up with what we consider to be the best sock materials:

 Material Best Feature Worst Feature 1. Polyester Blend Get the Best Features of All Materials Synthetic 2. Bamboo Breathability Durability 3. Merino Wool Softness High-Maintenance 4. Silk Smoothness Fragility 5. Cotton Comfort Moisture Retention 6. Alpaca Wool Insulation High Price 7. Olefin Water Resistance Temperature Sensitivity 8. Nylon Flexibility & Stretch Too Light 9. 100% Polyester Durability Moisture Retention

The Elite 8: Analyzing the Best Sock Materials

Cotton

What Is It?

- natural material from the fibers of cotton plants 

Pros

- extremely soft, breathable, good for sensitive skin

Cons

- holds on to moisture, causes friction and blisters if worn for extended periods

Best For

- Everyday wear

Not Suited For

- sports, running, formal wear, professional wear

Merino Wool

What Is It?

- natural material grown on merino sheep

Pros

- very soft, great for regulating body temperature, naturally moisture wicking, odor resistant

Cons

- difficult to maintain, not very durable

Best For

- sports, running, outdoor activities, lounging

Not Suited For

- everyday wear

Alpaca Wool

What Is It?

- natural material grown on alpaca (not to be confused with llamas)

Pros

- insulating to help keep feet warm, softer than merino wool, better for the environment (more sustainable) than merino wool

Cons

- more expensive than other natural fabrics

Best For

- winter/colder weather, lounging

Not Suited For

- everyday wear, warm weather

 Polyester

What Is It?

- generalized term for synthetic materials made from a chemical reaction between specific acids and alcohols 

Pros

- very durable, easy to maintain, holds color well

Cons

- not naturally breathable, doesn’t repel moisture by itself, needs to be blended with other fabrics to produce quality materials

Best For

- everyday wear, sports, running (all when combined with other materials)

Not Suited For

- outdoor activities, wet weather, warm weather

Nylon

What Is It?

- generalized term for specific synthetic materials derived from petroleum

Pros

- very flexible, lightweight, stretches and retains shape, moisture wicking

Cons

- too light for it to stand on its own, not very breathable

Best For

- sports, formal wear, professional wear, blending with other fabrics to provide elasticity

Not Suited For

- warm weather, everyday wear

Bamboo

What Is It?

- natural fiber made from the pulp of the bamboo plant (a grass)

Pros

- breathable, moisture-wicking, soft and comfortable, temperature regulating, lightweight

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Cons

- not the most durable, expensive

Best For

- everyday wear, sports, running, outdoor activities

Not Suited For

- formal wear, professional wear

 Silk

What Is It?

- natural fiber made from insects and silkworms, who make the material for cocoons

Pros

- very soft, lightweight, moisture wicking, insulating

Cons

- not the most durable, difficult to maintain, difficult to clean delicate and fragile

Best For

- cold weather, warm weather, formal wear, professional wear

Not Suited For

- sports, running, everyday wear

 Olefin

What Is It?

- also called polypropylene, a synthetic fiber similar to a plastic

Pros

- moisture resistant, durability, soft, lightweight

Cons

- difficult to maintain, doesn’t handle high heat well

Best For

- wet weather, hiking and outdoor activities 

Not Suited For

- extreme heat

There's Not Just One "Best" Sock Material

As you can see above, there’s quite a few options available on the market when it comes to socks. And this is just talking about materials and fabric; this blog doesn’t even discuss the different heights that are at your disposal when choosing and purchasing a new pair of socks. Ideally, your top drawer would contain a mix of socks made of different materials for the different activities of your active and busy life.

If you had to choose just one fabric for socks, we recommend it be a polyester blend. Polyester is durable, long-lasting, and integrates well with other synthetic fabrics, such as nylon for stretch and flexibility, and olefin for moisture control. This will be your best bet to cover all sorts of activities - running, outdoors, athletics, everyday wear, formal attire, professional wear, and just lounging around the house. That said, you’re better off having a full sock drawer with lots of different socks made of different materials for different parts of your day.

How to Pick the Best Pair of Socks for You

A lot more than material should go into selecting the best sock for your needs. What else should you look for?

Height

- a lower sock, such as

ankle socks

or quarter crew, performs best in times when your foot needs more room to move around, such as during running or athletics. However, a higher sock, such as a crew or over-the-calf, gives you more support and stability when you need it, such as in a professional setting

Size

- no matter the sock, you need to make sure it fits, especially if you have XL feet, XXL feet, or even XXXL feet. Find a sock that fits your foot size properly. If you’re 6’9” like me, or even taller, you’ll want to make sure you find the right

big & tall socks

Price

- you need to decide for yourself if making the investment in premium socks at a higher price is worth it in the long run (refer to our previous blog on

expensive socks

)

Additional Features

- look for features such as built-in arch support,

extra cushioned socks

, or compression to suit the specific needs of your feet and your lifestyle

Brand

- how do you identify with the brand on the socks and what do they support? Do they give back to charity? Are they environmentally sustainable?

Our Expert Picks

After talking with our fellow sock fanatics here at Tall Order, here are our consensus top materials for each type of activity.

☐ Sports/Running Socks: Polyester blends, especially those with nylon and olefin, make for the perfect running and hiking sock to wick away moisture and provide durability

☐ Cold Weather Socks: A Merino wool sock will do the best job at regulating and insulating your body temperature from frigid conditions, but a case could also be made for a polyester blend here depending on the circumstances (refer to our previous blog on The Best Socks for Cold Feet)

☐ Warm Weather Socks: anything that is moisture-wicking, such as polyester blends, cotton, or bamboo (also refer to our previous blog on The Best Socks for Sweaty Feet)

☐ Lounging/Everyday Socks: softer fabrics, such as alpaca wool, silk, and cotton are best for lounging around the house, whereas more durable polyester blends are still soft enough to provide comfort during everyday wear

☐ Affordable Choice: cotton socks and polyester blends provide the most value for your hard-earned dollar

Do You Own a Good Pair of Socks?

If you don’t own a good pair of socks to fit a specific need, we recommend starting with Tall Order’s high-quality Extra Cushioned Socks and Ankle Socks. Tall Order socks are made from premium fabrics with a proprietary polyester blend composition. This way, you get all the great features of premium and expensive socks without breaking the bank. Tall Order socks come in a variety of fun colors and prints to match any personality, and come in men’s sizes 9-20 to fit feet of any size.

Sock Materials Guide

We put a lot of care into our custom athletic socks, and we take full advantage of high-quality sock materials to create our products.

Elite Sports Socks are made from the best sock material blend in the industry - 80% acrylic and 20% nylon and elastic spandex. We use a thicker half-terry knit that is very durable and comfortable. The material blend provides exceptional moisture wicking to keep your feet as dry as possible.

Our socks are built for performance, durability, and comfort. More specifically, our athletic socks come with a slight compression designed to boost your athletic performance by supporting your feet, legs, and muscles. Our customers are always comfortable, whether they’re scoring a touchdown or raising money for their favorite cause.

Pros

• Speed to market: Off the shelf products are readily available, allowing brands to start selling quickly without having to invest time in product development. This means you can begin generating revenue much quicker!
• Cost-effective: Using off the shelf products is generally less expensive than developing a product from scratch as you’re skipping the development process. Without the need to draw up new specifications, or to invest in tooling and moulding, you can cut down on costs.
• Proven quality: Your factory is familiar with how to make this product and it has been tested already. You can generally count on it to be reliable and functional, which can help your brand avoid costly mistakes and returns from unhappy customers. 

Cons

• Limited differentiation: It can be challenging to make an ODM product stand out in a crowd. To use a lamp as an example: although you can make limited changes, you likely won’t be able to change the length, width, shape and material of the product. This lack of customisation can make it difficult to differentiate your product from others on the market. 
• An ODM product is available for everyone: That means your competitor could be purchasing from the same supplier as you, and your end product could be very similar to theirs. As a result, you’ll likely need to price your products competitively to encourage potential customers to bring their business to you rather than your competitors.

Pros

• Unique products: When developing your own product, you can create an innovative new design where you have complete control of its features: in the instance of a lamp, you can adjust the length, width, shape and material as you see fit. This distinguishes your product from the rest of the market and helps you to create products that are tailored to your target market and reflect your brand identity. 
• Potential to increase profits: There’s potential for higher profits by creating unique products that aren’t readily available on the market. To elaborate: if your lamp has a unique feature that no other lamp on the market has, you can leverage this by charging more than your competitors who are using stock-standard products. 
• Ability to optimize and improve: When you have your own products, you can always improve and optimize them based on customer feedback and sales data, which can help you increase sales and customer loyalty.

Cons

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• Can be expensive: One major drawback is that it tends to be more expensive than using an off the shelf product. You will typically need to invest in development costs such as tech packs, new specifications, and tooling and moulding, which can be quite costly and can add up quickly. 
• Lengthy and complex process: Product development is generally a longer process than using an off the shelf product, which can be a problem for businesses that need to get to market quickly. Product development is usually more complex and technical than manufacturing off the shelf products and requires more contact with the supplier, more documentation and as such, usually more back and forth communication. This will draw out your lead times and can make this a heftier process to undertake.
• Risk: Product development involves a certain level of risk. There is a chance that the final product may not meet the expectations or may not be successful in the market. This is a potential risk with any product that is differentiated to its rival products or any products that are innovative in some way.