Bridgedale Control Fit II

For such a simple piece of gear, Bridgedale put a ton of thought into this sock. Our testers’ fave: low-friction ankle and heel areas. Reinforced with super-slick nylon (it’s extra-tight, so it doesn’t bunch), these areas “slide into my ski boot without me needing to do squats or bend any plastic,” one tester says. “I noticed it right away.” We also appreciated the additional underfoot and shin padding when touring. Nice touch: Along with merino, the sock is interwoven with Endurofill, a polypropylene fiber that boosts abrasion resistance. It wasn’t as indestructible as the PhD Outdoor Mountaineer—we noticed some pilling on the heel after a season—but it did perform better than most other merino socks in our test. S-XL