Injinji socks; weird name, funny look (as far as socks are concerned) but very comfortable and they help with keeping blisters at bay. Or at least that is the thought process and their claim.
I don’t typically get blisters when hiking, but I also don’t hike 20 miles a day, day in day out. On the days that I do decide to hike longer distances, my feet start screaming at me; they sweat, swell, and ache especially when it is in the upper 90’s during a Texas summer.
I bought these socks to test them out, especially after seeing them recommended by so many well-known hikers.
According to their website, their socks help with blister prevention, total foot utilization, and moisture management. So what does that mean?
Blister prevention is obvious, as they state skin to skin friction is totally eliminated which protects your foot from blisters and hot spots.
Total Foot Utilization happens when your toes are separated, properly aligned and sprayed which allows your weight to be evenly distributed allowing your entire foot to be engaged in the activity.
Moisture management – Since the toes are individually wrapped in sweat-wicking material it allows your feet to stay drier than traditional socks.
My Test of the Injinji Midweight Sock
For my test, I intentionally wore the same pair of Injinji Midweight Mini-Crew socks the entire 3.5 days. Well, I had no choice as I only bought one pair! The idea was to see how well they help up to their claims, how well they dried out after being taken off, and to see what kind of smell they had after so much nasty foot sweat. For the purpose of this test, I only took them off before going to bed and put them back on first thing in the morning.
The day they arrived, I decided to test them out for a few days doing my normal everyday activities. I won’t lie, they felt weird, very weird and my husband laughed every time he saw my feet! They do take some getting used to but don’t dismiss them right away.
The first full day, I wore them around the house doing my daily chores and did some grocery shopping and running errands.
On day 2, I decided to mow our lawn. We live on a large corner lot and it takes several hours to mow and about an hour to weed-eat. This was also in the middle of August here in Texas, where you wake up in the morning and it is already hotter than hell outside. After mowing was done, it was time for more household chores.
On day 3, I opted for a short 4-mile hike in the middle of the day in the summer Texas heat. By day 3, my toes were used to the fabric between them and the way they were separated. In fact, at this point, they felt like normal socks.
Do Injinji socks hold up to their claim?
Surprisingly, yes!
The biggest obstacle I had, was getting used to them. They felt oddly weird for the first couple of days. I have had a couple people tell me they felt the same way and just couldn’t do it after trying them on. Keep in mind, you need to wear them for a couple of days before you make up your mind!
Injinji Socks Pros:
Kept My Dry Feet – I was surprised! My feet never felt sweaty in my shoe or even after taking off my shoes.
Less Foot Ache – This was a big thing for me! My feet always ache after being on them all day, whether I am hiking or not. I noticed that during the day and even after a long day, my feet didn’t ache near as bad as they normally did.
Dried Fast – Both on my foot and off. After taking my shoes off, while my feet didn’t feel sweaty, the socks would feel slightly damp. Even if I left them on, they seemed to dry within what felt like a matter of minutes.
Less Stink – This is one cool pro that I wasn’t expecting. But it only makes sense that if the moisture is wicked away, there would be less smell. But, here is the kicker, even the Injinji socks didn’t really have a smell to them after 3 days of wear! Now the real test on this will be buying my 14-year-old son a pair and have him wear them (his entire room smells like a men’s locker room). I will update this when that happens!
Injinji Socks Cons:
They feel weird at first – They do take some getting used to. You will need to wear them for more than a day (or even a couple of days) before your feet adjust. Some people may not be able to adjust to them at all.
The price tag – They run anywhere from $10-$20 for one pair. The ones I tested out where the Midweight Mini Crew which runs about $16 a pair. But, with all the benefits and pro’s, for me the price tag is worth it, maybe not for everyday wear, although it was nice being up on my feet all day (non-exercise related) and having less ache in my feet at the end of the day!
My Overall Thoughts
I ended up buying 4 more pairs if that says anything!
Where to Buy?
I love Amazon, in fact, that is where I buy most of my stuff. Also, keep an eye on Massdrop as they typically run deals on there too. Basically, you can get a 3 pack for the price of 2, and so forth.
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