Choosing Your Trusty Trekking Socks

To choose the best trekking sock for your journey, there are four things that are important to keep in mind:

• Sock height - A properly fitted sock shields your feet from abrasion. It can also help support your ankles when you’re walking for long periods on uneven ground.
• Fabric - While most hiking socks are primarily made of merino wool, some are mainly made of nylon or polyester.
• Fit - This will affect how comfortable you are, a good fit will also fight irritation and fend off blisters. This one is a lot more important than you may think! An ill fitting sock can even mean blood flow issues in your feet. So, if you are going to go for a more technical boot, be sure to ask for advice.
• Cushioning - The amount of cushioning affects comfort and warmth

As I mentioned previously, there are a wide range of socks for you to choose from. Where you’re headed, the climate you’ll be facing, the length of time you plan to wear them for and the type of ground you’ll be walking on are all things to consider. So, let's jump in shall we?

The Sunrise Hut in the Ruahine Forest Park is the ideal place to kick off our list. Sunrise Hut is located on the top of the Ruahine Ranges in the mid-eastern Ruahine Forest Park. One of the park's most popular tracks, the hut is located in a tussock bowl by the bush edge giving spectacular views of the Hawke's Bay.

This walk is perfect for adventures of all ability levels. For beginners, it’s a chance to safely spend a night in the mountains, for experts it’s a diving board to the Ruahine tops, and for all visitors, it’s one of the North Island’s most impressive huts.

Don’t forget to book into the Doc provided hut to secure your accommodation for the night.

As this is one of the simpler tracks, a less technical sock is perfect! Our recommendation for a track like this is our Adventurer Merino Wool Walking Sock. 

Designed to be a light weight hiking sock that may be used for day hikes, overnight tramps, and everyday use. Pure merino wool is used for warmth and moisture management, as well as terry reinforcing cushions for cushioning and durability. It also features a soft elastic top, arch support and a Y heel.

This sock is one of Phils, our owners, favourite socks - with his amount of expertise, you can’t get a better recommendation than that!

This track is only a stone's throw away from two of our retail sock shops in Okati and Norsewood! Socks and a sunrise, what could be better?

Next, the Kapiti Island Track. There are various different walks that you can take on the Kapiti Island, ranging from 45 minutes to 3 hours. Similar to The Sunrise Hut, there is something for everyone!

Kapiti Island is a quiet nature reserve on the Kapiti Coast, just a short boat trip from Paraparaumu. Some of New Zealand's most endangered birds and wildlife call this predator-free sanctuary home.

This track boasts arguably some of the most stunning sights there is to offer. So make sure you bring your camera!

TIP: Remember to take all of your belongings with you. By doing so, you’ll be taking care of the ecosystems and wildlife there, too!

For this adventure, the Norsewear Multi Sport Short Merino Wool Sock.

Norsewear's Multi Sport Short Sock is perfect for a variety of sports such as running, baseball, netball, golf, and tramping. With elastic insteps, reinforced soles with blister prevention, and a technologically innovative Y heel to keep the socks in place and prevent them creeping down in your shoes.

These socks have been carefully created to provide high performance support. Pure new merino wool keeps your feet toasty even when they're wet, and nylon and elastic provide durability and a superb fit.

The Escarpment Track is a walking trail that runs between Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay on New Zealand's North Island's southern west coast. It is also commonly referred to as the ‘Stairway to heaven’, as the views on this walk are simply ethereal.

This is a 3-4 hour walk, with some fair heights. Suitable for walkers at an intermediate to moderate level. If you are afraid of heights, this probably isn’t the walk for you. There are a few tricky spots that might push you over the edge. (Not literally!)

But, if you can bare it, you definitely won’t regret it!

You’ll ascend 220 metres above sea level and cross narrow, steep paths. So, for a walk of this calibre, we recommend our Tundra Merino Wool Technical 70 Mile Bush sock.

This sock features TCP (Tetra Channel Polyester), often known as 'Climayarn,' is used in conjunction with merino to give excellent moisture wicking. This is a sanitised treated, hard-wearing sock for work or tramping footwear. It is also mid-length, so whatever boot you prefer, this sock will give you all of the support that you need!

TIP: Before you pick your hiking boots, pick your sock first! A thicker sock will require more space in your boot/sneaker.

This day-long walk through the rimu and mountain forests is a great pick for an experienced hiker. The Kumeti is usually windy and foggy, exposed, with no open summits and the route is well defined. You’ll pass through the rimu and mountain forests, while also getting to experience New Zealand’s largest unbroken mass of leatherwood!

This is a 6-7 hour walk, so make sure to double check that you have everything you need before you set off!

TIP: Make sure that you have more than enough food and water, clothing that is easy to take on and off should the weather change, and if you’re tramping alone, be certain to tell someone where you’re going and when you should return.

As this is a more difficult walk, you need a sock that is as serious about your tramping as you are! For a walk like this, we suggest our Norsewear Serious Trekker Merino Wool Blend Sock.

This technologically advanced sock is the result of many years of experience. These socks offer built-in cushioning on the soles and front leg zone for comfort and shin protection, as well as arch support to keep your socks in place. There's also anti-bunch stitching to keep your ankles safe and supported.

New Zealand has arguably some of the most beautiful walks in the world. The sights available to you stretch from beautiful lakes and indiginous land, to erupted volcanoes and National Parks. The four walks briefly mentioned above, don’t even scratch the surface of the wonders NZ can present you with.

We hope that the tips given throughout the article make your tramping adventures as comfortable as a good sock can.

If you’re still looking for some more tips, check out this great blog from Two Wandering Soles. Their blog includes some insight on tramping terminology, some more great track idea’s and even more brilliant tips.

And similar to those walks, the socks mentioned in this blog are just three from our extensive collection. To view the full range, visit https://nznaturalclothingshop.co.nz/socks-sox or even better, come and see us in store.

With that being said, I hope that this blog has inspired you to invest in the best walking socks available to you, so that you are able to take those views in with comfortable, happy feet. Here at New Zealand Natural Clothing, our years of expertise and carefully chosen range can get you on your way.

Happy hiking!