By my best guess, I鈥檝e rigorously tested more than聽60 different socks聽for everything from hiking to skiing to running. While my favorite hiking or skiing models may change from test to test, my running sock of choice has remained the same for years. I鈥檝e logged hundreds of miles in the聽聽($18) and will pick them鈥攂loody and stinky as all hell鈥攐ut of my hamper instead of reaching for other pairs lying clean in my drawer.
Why, you may ask, would I pluck disgusting socks from the dirty laundry basket instead of fresh, clean ones? Well, I know I鈥檒l have a better run in them. While I prefer my ski socks thin, nearly to the point of being nonexistent, running demands a little more protection, and I appreciate that Fits placed just enough padding in the ball and heel. That keeps my dogs from barking on double-digit runs without messing with my stride like a heavily padded sock would. At the same time, the rest of the sock is light, and the merino-nylon-polyester blend doesn鈥檛 cause my abnormally sweaty feet to overheat during summer jaunts.
Not only do my feet sweat a lot, they blister easily and resemble a caveman鈥檚, making it tough to find a proper fit. The Light Runner No Show solves those problems better than any sock I鈥檝e used, with its stretchy weave along my arch, extra room for my toes to splay with each step, and a deep heel cup. They work on such a wide range of feet that my wife and I fight over the same pair of size mediums. Never mind that she has thin women鈥檚 size eights next to my rugged, Fred Flintstone size tens.
Another key factor in the Light Runner No Show鈥檚 staying power is that I鈥檝e never had one slip below the heel of my running shoe. I prefer a no-show running sock purely out of vanity; my kit just looks cleaner. Before discovering these Fits, I would pay dearly for this preference, as other brands鈥櫬爋fferings slinked down the back of my kicks聽during runs, which usually led to a raw, blistered heel. The perfect fit and lip at the cuff guarantee that these socks stay up even during steep multi-mile ascents.
Now, these aren鈥檛 my longest-lasting running socks鈥攖hat title goes to the pair of 聽I just can鈥檛 seem to kill. I can probably get 250 hard miles on the trail out of the Light Runner No Shows before they start to fall apart. So more durability would be nice, but I can鈥檛 knock that perfect fit.