this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2025
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backpacking
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Wash them?
If you are backpacking, you should have at LEAST 2 pairs of socks and you wash them at the end of the day. Use campsuds or the equivalent. I also had a ritual of washing my feet every morning with the cold stream water right before putting on the socks. It helped prevent blisters. This was back in the day when you had to have a pure wool sock and a polypro liner as a separate sock. now the smartwool is much easier to deal with.
I guess my worry was that they wouldn't be dry by the morning.
I wash my feet before going to bed, and I have a second pair of socks that I only wear at night (when it's cold, otherwise none).
Like I say, if I had to go more than two nights, I'd have to figure something else out. Maybe two pairs of hiking socks, so one has 36 hours to dry instead of just 8 or 10.
That's actually not a bad idea.. I could do that now for little effort ๐ค
Sleep socks are so nice when it's cold!
For low humidity, I only bring 2 pairs of hiking socks for up to a week out: one to wear and one to dry. Even without making campfires, they'll dry on a sunny rock, in the mesh pocket of a backpack, on a clothesline outside, hanging in the tent overnight...
If it's super humid, good luck.
The type of sock also matters. Thin polyester/nylon running socks will dry faster than heavy cushioned stuff.
They are! In fact, I usually hate sleep socks at home, never will I ever. But camping? Absolutely