Duckworth Lightweight Mid Crew Sock

Our take First, some sheep biology. Duckworth gets its merino wool from a flock that lives in the Montana Rockies. At 9,500 feet, the summers are super-hot and dry and the winters are super-cold and dry. To cope, the sheep have developed wool that’s ultracrimped (tight curls), which, among other attributes, has better loft than other wools. Why you care: These socks retained their shape better than any other socks in our test.

Trail cred “Socks that mold around the contours of your feet help prevent blisters, but it’s hard to find ones that don’t bag out after lots of sweating or require super-human strength to put on,” says an editor. “You can put these on one-handed, and they always hug your foot. On a three-day trek they were just as snug on the last day as on the first.”