There is no more underrated piece of clothing than socks, especially for runners. While you might spend weeks selecting the best running shoe and agonise for hours over the technical T-shirt you want to wear on race day, the chances are you’ll devote mere seconds to sock selection.
This is a huge mistake – we’d even go as far as saying it’s a travesty. The best socks will not only make blisters less likely and keep your feet dry and cool, but they’ll also make the whole run just feel right. Simply pulling on the perfect pair of socks can do away with any motivational misgivings before a run. You’ll be desperate to get out there.
In the past running socks were very plain affairs, especially for men, but brands like Stance have helped to spark a revolution in design that means your socks will often be the most exciting bit of kit you pull on for a run, so make sure you pick a few pairs you’re ready to show off.
Here are the very best running socks to consider.
The Best Running Socks
We’ve been fully paid-up members of the Stance socks fan club for a few years now – it’s a brand that offers a winning combination of style and substance. The socks have eye-catching designs and use long-lasting technical fabrics pretty much across the range, but there are two key features for runners. One is Infiknit, a winning pun that points to the durability of the socks – Stance offers a lifetime guarantee on the products that have it. The other is Feel360, a wicking fabric that ensures the socks dry in a flash, even after very sweaty long runs, in our experience. The Stance range contains a variety of great designs and socks of different thicknesses to suit your preferences, but the Run Light Crew socks are a great staple option if you’re not sure where to start.
These 5in crew socks tick all the right boxes. They are made from a lightweight and breathable fabric, with a mesh section on the top of the foot to ensure there’s no overheating, and extra cushioning on the heel and achilles for comfort and to prevent rubbing. The socks come in a range of appealing colours that match up with the rest of Tracksmith’s range, but there are no outlandish designs here for those who like to make a statement with their socks.
We’re fans of bamboo running gear in general – the soft material is eco-friendly, wicks sweat and is naturally odour-resistant – and BAM has a good selection of socks for active use, with these Technical Trainer Socks coming in as the best option for runners. They are comfortable and more lightweight than other bamboo options, partly because the fabric is a mix of bamboo viscose and recycled polyamide, and have a mesh panel on the top of the foot for extra breathability.
We rate the Bombas socks as among the most comfortable we’ve tested: the thicker material and padded sections make for a pleasingly plush ride, especially in the colder months. Even on hot weather runs they didn’t overheat our feet, although you may feel a warm glow when wearing them because for every pair bought Bombas donates a pair of socks to a homeless shelter.
Higher State offers terrific value across its range of running gear (you can generally ignore the RRP, because we’ve never seen its gear not reduced on the Sports Shoes site), and that’s certainly the case with these socks. They are comfortable, with plenty of padding in key areas, and thinner sections ensure the material is still breathable. There’s an extensive range of colours too, and those hunting for socks on a budget could do far worse than filling their sock drawer with the Freedom Running Anklet.
While a few of the socks on this list stand out thanks to their design, none is quite as eye-catching as Proviz’s Classic Airfoot sock, which is all about making you as visible as possible. As you can see, it makes the most of fluorescent yellow or pink fabric, but the silver bits at the top of the sock also reflect light to make you more visible to drivers at night. The socks are also thin and comfortable to wear for long runs, and there is also a shorter version if you don’t want any part of your calves covered.
“Natty” is not a word you hear a lot these days, but it is the right word for these socks, which come in a range of diamond designs. The look is just part of the appeal – the socks are made from a lightweight and comfortable fabric that’s ideal for running on hot days. If you want something warmer, we recommend Soar’s All Weather Sock (opens in new tab). It uses a hollow yarn that locks in heat and has a water-repellent treatment that stops water from sinking in on chilly, wet runs.
We have a range of great options for those who like to run in compression socks in our round-up of the best compression socks, but the benefits of wearing supportive socks during recovery are more established, and that’s where the CEP Infrared socks shine. The infrared tech in the fabric is designed to reflect heat emitted by your muscles back into your legs to boost recovery. The medium level of compression in the socks allows you to wear them for long stretches in comfort, making them ideal for long flights as well as the days after your long runs.
1000 Mile’s double-layer socks come with a blister-free guarantee, such is the company’s confidence in their preventive properties. The idea is that the inner layer stays with your skin while the outer layer moves with your shoe to prevent any rubbing directly on your skin. It’s worth giving the socks a go if you do struggle with blisters, since the guarantee means you can return them within 12 months if they wear out or give you blisters within 1,000 miles of use. The Lite Anklet is a breathable, lightweight two-layer sock that’s made with REPREVE recycled materials.
We’ve picked out the Razer as our favourite, but in Rockay’s wide range of socks all runners will find something they like – whether they prefer their socks to be thick or thin, long or short, or even constrictive in the case of the compression socks. Rockay puts an emphasis on sustainability, making all its gear from recycled materials, with the result that the equivalent of 13 plastic bottles are removed from the ocean for each set of socks you purchase. The Razer socks get the nod from us because they offer a little cushioning without making the material too thick, and have an anti-odour coating so you can use them a couple of times before washing.
We love an unconditional guarantee, and the good folks at Darn Tough are prepared to back up their brand name with a lifetime warranty on their socks that says you can send them back at any point and get another pair for free. We have a few pairs of Darn Tough socks and have yet to get any inkling that we’ll need to make use of that guarantee. Our favourite set is the ¼ Ultra-Light Cushion, thanks to the comfortable seamless design and ability to dry rapidly after even the sweatiest of runs.
You wouldn’t want to use these for all your runs, but they’re immensely valuable to have in your kit drawer. The impermeable membrane sandwiched between the inner and outer layer means they are unfailingly waterproof, which saved us from running for at least an hour with freezing cold and sodden feet one winter, when we were faced with a flooded field early on in a point-to-point countryside run. Sealskinz also has a range of waterproof running socks (opens in new tab) for warmer weather, which come with a barrier at the top to stop water streaming down your leg and into the sock – a useful addition given the downpours that are increasingly a feature of the UK summer.
How cushioned do you like your running socks? Are you the type who prefers as much cushioning as possible for easy long runs, but on race day wants to slip on something lighter in the pursuit of marginal gains? If so, we salute your discerning taste and feel obliged to point you in the direction of Feetures’ Elite sock range. This allows you to pick not only the height of sock you like – crew, ankle or no-show – but also the level of cushioning – ultra light, light or max. There’s also a huge range of colours, so you’re sure to find socks to satisfy on that front as well.
When your socks look this good it makes no sense at all to hide them away by opting for the low or mid versions. The high sock comes up to mid-calf and is made from a quick-drying fabric that lightly compresses the foot during your run. The pattern on the arch of the sock isn’t just for show – it’s designed to hit sensory receptors in the foot to somehow prime them for running. We reckon the key here is not to try to work out what that means, but just to lean in to the idea that your socks are making you more ready to run.
Are toe socks ever-so-slightly unsettling? Yes. Are they are a bit of a pain to put on? Also yes. However, they’re a great option for anyone who is regularly beset by toe blisters because they prevent toe-on-toe rubbing. Injinji offers a huge range of different designs, so you can match them with the rest of your running outfit.
The padding on these socks cushions the foot well, and they don’t bunch up or move around on the foot which helps to reduce the risk of rubbing and blisters. The toe section is hand-linked to the rest of the sock so there are no raised seams that could rub, and although the material used is thicker than on many other running socks we’ve tested, it still breathes well and dries quickly.
