The socks protects against mechanical damage as well as from cold and sweat. How to choose the right size, type, material ? Are there any different cuts ? This all is good to know.
When walking, the most stressed are bottoms of the legs and feet. At the same time they are exposed to cold, sweat and cause chafing inside the shoe. Socks, that have many advantages, are great to protect them. Socks are, really simply put, "tubes" shaped after the bottom of the foot. Replaced the previously used "puttees", that could not be equal to the comfort of the socks. Replaced? The socks were here in Ancient times already. That is true, but only higher society could afford them. With the invention of a flat knitting machine have become available for the general public, but in the cold months the puttees were still the better option.
Nowdays , there are summer and winter socks, knee high socks and ballerina low cut socks. Such extremes that greatly express variability of the offer from our e-shop. The socks usually go over the ankles. Such socks are great for higher footwear or for winter months. It depends on the fabric too. What about hiking shoes ? The higher socks are obviously appropriate, otherwise we could cause some chafing. For summer there is other alternative. Low cut socks, which are great option for sneakers or low footwear during the summer months. These socks are made and adapted to wick the moisture away rather than for warming. We should also mention knee high socks or disposable hygienic socks.
The first material for socks were actually hair as it is mentioned by poets from Ancient Greece. Fortunately, the times are different and today we have socks made from wool, cotton and artifical fibers or their combinations. The use and right selection can be complicated. No wonder, that functional or thermal socks are modern nowdays. Wool and cotton always have been and still are great materials. They are breathable and warming. Unfortunately they become little outdated due to the development of new materials. There are still places where they are being used, but those places are diminishing. Every modern tourist, adventurer, soldier...wants something, that is functional. Even know we pay little extra for these items, they offer us something, that cotton can not provide. If we want socks, that will not dissapoint us, we should reach for those functional ones. They will do great job and last long.
We hear about thermal and functional socks more and more. But do we know how they work ?Thermal socks evaporates moistuire better, giving us feeling of warmth. That is caused by a larger area of individual fibers. When the feet can not breathe and keep moisture, they can smell badly. The socks focus on this as well. In this case, active silver is used, that prevents spread of bacteria and thus odor. Last, but not least, types/shapes of the socks. The shape indicates the type of sock. Sport shoes fix the instep, medical socks are more loose, etc.
We did not expect the proper choice to be such a "rocket science". Anyway, let´s rely on the fact that a good selection will also guarantee us a good experience with different types of socks for different uses.