I hate issuing warnings, but sometimes they are needed. This is one of those times.

A bunch of years ago I purchased REI brand wool socks and really liked them. And like all socks, they finally wore out. Time to replace them!

So about two months ago I purchased a couple different pair of REI Co-op brand socks. And here is the sad part…I didn’t really spend enough time looking at the “tech specs” of the socks I purchased. Yeah…me!

A couple of weeks ago I noticed one night as I was taking socks off that the space underneath my toes, just forward of the ball of my foot was damp. That is not supposed to happen with wool socks! So, I tried another pair of REI Co-op the next morning, and the same thing that night. Time to test!

So, I take all four pairs of the REI Co-op brand wool socks and wash/dry them. I wear each pair (1 pair all day, I day each) for four consecutive days. All had the same results. Bad!

Wool socks that make your feet damp is a bad thing…a very bad thing! In cold weather that good spell disaster.

I then tried a couple pair of my Smartwool socks and my feet were just fine.

That means I now have to say don’t buy REI Co-op brand socks. They are not good for your feet.

Why were they creating the dampness? The REI Co-op brand of socks actually have a high percentage of “non-wool” materials (i.e. nylon, spandex, Lycra, etc.). I think anything less than 90 – 95% wool is not the way to go.