By Amber King ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ Aug 26, 2019
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The Women's Smartwool Hike Medium is what you need when you're considering a long and technical trail. It's the sock that you look forward to slipping on after a long day. It's loaded with soft, plush merino wool that will keep your feet singing happy tunes when exploring the outside world. We hiked it through wet mountains, dry deserts, and across snowy slopes. In all conditions, it performed well, especially in our sleeping bags. While its design lacks creative compression paneling and breathability is an issue on super hot days, it performed in pretty much every other condition. As a result, it earns top marks, making it one of our favorites. Hiking your local trail? How about the PCT? No problem. This is what it's made for!
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Our Analysis and Test Results
The Smartwool Hike Medium is a hiking sock that provides a well-rounded level of performance. We love to take it day hiking, climbing, and backpacking. Smartwool has taken the time to manufacture this sock specifically for both men and women's feet with separate models for each.
Performance Comparison
This is an all-purpose hiking sock built for any kind of adventure. It is plush, comfortable, and just downright cozy. Be careful when you slip your feet into them because you're never going to want to take them off.
Credit: Amber KIng
Comfort
This midweight full-boot hiker features a 66% Merino Wool, 33% Nylon, 1% Elastane blend that makes it one heck of a cozy and comfortable sock! The fabric is thick underfoot and concentrated around the forefoot and heel. There is some compression paneling around the arch of the foot and the forefoot that keeps the sock from sliding up or down on the leg. The fabric is just sooooooo cozy. It's not just comfy to hike in for several comfortable miles, but it is a favorite for lounging and camping too. What's more, the full-boot construct is perfect for either hiking boots or hiking shoes.
The most comfortable and cozy socks are the ones with ample cushioning. Here, we lounge out in the morning at Blue Lakes in the Sneffles Wilderness while taking in the early morning sun on the peaks above.
Credit: Amber King
While this sock is super soft and cozy, its fit isn't as precise. While the fit is female-specific (a male option is available), our testers noted that the sock isn't as tight around the heel and arch. Some of our testers liked this less fitted design, while others did not. So what it comes down to is a matter of preference. If you're looking for a sock with a female-specific design and a less fitted design (with softer materials), then this is an excellent choice.
The isn't super specific but it doesn't slip while hiking either. It offers a less constrictive fit, adding to its overall comfort.
Credit: Amber King
Wicking and Breathability
We recommend this as a four-season option, as it does a decent job at wicking and breathing while on the trail. Excellent warmth for cold days, but it's also an option for cooler summer days as well. The fabric is porous and offers good breathability while hiking and backpacking. That said, we wouldn't recommend it for high-intensity activities like trail running in the summer. Our testers thought it was a great running option during super cold early morning runs.
This fibers are fairly porous allowing decent breathability and great wicking capabilities.
Credit: Amber King
Warmth
When evaluating warmth, we are not so surprised that it does well in all four seasons. The length of the sock makes it a good option to wear with a pair of winter boot in the winter. During our wet tests, we hiked around in the river in late Fall, completing saturating it. While we hiked, our feet stayed warm and comfortable in forty-degree weather. It continued to stay warm as the temperatures dropped, but only if we were moving (Note: No wet sock will keep you warm if you're not moving).
In our dry tests, we learned it is one of the warmest in our tests. While hanging out in 0 F weather around a campfire, our feet stayed toasty and warm. This was also a go-to option during cold camping nights to wear to bed. Overall, we are very impressed with the warmth of the Smartwool Hike Medium for women and would recommend it for all seasons - including the cold ones.
We pushed the limits of each hiking sock by testing throughout the winter. Here we backpack our things in and out of a hut while wearing a hiking sock on each foot. This helps us determine relative warmth when on the move and while standing still.
Credit: Amber King
Durability
We aren't super impressed with the durability of the Smartwool Hike Medium sock - but we also didn't think it's bad either. In our testing, we noted a bit of compaction after just 20 miles and a few thread fly-aways.
Here we note some stitching fly-aways and pilling along the length of the sock. A reason it didn't score high in this category.
Credit: Amber King
Drying Speed
A midweight merino-blend sock that dries quickly? Heck yes! We are happy to report that this woman's hiker sock dries quickly. As a result, we'd recommend this sock for all sorts of weather conditions.
Value
Given the price of socks these days, it sits about the middle of the road and offers great performance. While the value isn't stupendous, it isn't bad either.
Mt. Sneffels in the San Juans. The Smartwool Hiking socks kept our feet protected while trundling up 12 miles of rocky trail with 5,000 feet of elevation gain.
Credit: Amber King
Conclusion
The Smartwool Hike Medium Crew is perfect for those looking to hike, backpack, or just get out in nature. It features some of the coziest materials that are both breathable and quick to dry. It boasts versatility as one of the few socks that we recommend for all four seasons.
The Smartwool Hiking sock is comfortable and versatile. A great choice for colder weather, sleeping in your tent at night or wearing while hovering next to a warm fire.
In search of a cozy and comfortable sock with will perform...
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