Rohner Backcountry Sock; $29.95
The Good – The socks are specifically designed for left and right feet, so support and cushioning is right where it should be.
The Bad – The thin sections of the socks are pretty light, I found myself wishing for a little more padding.
The Awesome – Socks that won’t stink no matter how much you put them through? Is there anything more awesome than that?
Socks might just be the most underrated piece of equipment of any outdoor enthusiast. When the socks are good, No one ever thinks about them. But when they’re not, there’s no end to the misery they can cause.
I took the Rohner Back-Country socks late-season skiing, early season mountain biking, and hiking in temperatures that ranged from very cold in the morning to unseasonably hot by late afternoon, and the best thing I can say, is during all the times I was wearing them, I didn’t think about them once.
The Back-Country socks are made with 40 percent merino wool – which is always a huge selling point – but they also include other materials that are designed to help provide added cushioning, support, and moisture wicking properties. They even include silver fibers which provide an added level of anti-odor protection to the merino wool – a feature that my whole family was extremely grateful for!
While most people don’t put much thought into their socks, it’s obvious that Rohner did when they designed the Back-Country. The various zones of the sock incorporate different levels of padding and the support all seemed to be exactly where it needed to be – and most of them were in places where I never even realized it was needed.
Based on the first few tests, I’m looking forward to the chance to take a multi-day trip to further test out the comfort (and anti-odor properties) of the Back-Country socks. I have a sneaking suspicion that when I do, I won’t think about them at all during the entire trip.
