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 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
I’ve been a fully paid-up member 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 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 my 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.
The Kiprun range from Decathlon contains a variety of good-value socks to suit different tastes, and the Kiprun 900 Mid Thick are my favorite of those I’ve tested. The socks are well padded around the toes and heel, with flat seam finishes helping to ensure that there is no chafing and a midfoot band holding them in position, which also helps reduce the risk of rubbing. They’re not the most exciting-looking socks available and they lose some of their soft feel after a few washes, but they match the performance of socks that cost twice as much.
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 colors 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.
CEP’s range of compression socks includes a couple of stand-outs. While the Ultralight sock is well suited to those running in very hot conditions regularly, I prefer the thicker, more supportive feel of The Run socks. They feel comfortable over runs of any length—I’ve used them for a 51km run, as well as shorter, faster runs—and they never feel overbearingly tight or hot.
The benefits of using compression socks during runs are still debated but while managing an achilles niggle, I have felt more comfortable using long compression socks for harder or longer runs. It’s almost certainly all in my mind, but anything that makes you feel better while running is a good thing.
I’m a fan of bamboo running gear in general—the soft material is eco-friendly, wicks sweat and is naturally odor-resistant—and BAM has a good selection of socks for active use. These Technical Trainer Socks are 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. Even when I used these a couple of times in a row, they never got smelly.
I rate Bombas socks among the most comfortable I’ve tested: The thicker material and padded sections make for a pleasingly plush ride, especially in the colder months. Even in hot weather they didn’t overheat my 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 I’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 fairly breathable, though these do run a little hotter than some others I’ve tested. There’s an extensive range of colors 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 I found ideal for running on hot days. If you want something warmer, we recommend Soar’s All Weather Sock. 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.
Sporcks has running, triathlon and cycling socks in its range, and they’re all great for running in my experience, but the Icon range is specifically targeted at runners. The outstanding features of the socks are how light they are and the exceptional breathability of the mesh top of the sock. That makes them a good pick for those with sweaty feet, because the Sporcks socks are well ventilated and dry quickly, so the sweat doesn’t linger in the fabric and eventually cause rubbing. The downside of the thin design of the socks is that I have found they don’t last as long as some thicker options. They’re not flimsy and I still get a lot of use out of any one pair, but others are more durable.
The idea behind SHYU’s range is a simple and smart one. The socks are designed to match the colors of popular running shoes, in particular the best carbon plate running shoes. SHYU moves fast to update its range, getting new designs out to match launches from the likes of Nike and Adidas, so you can line up on race day with socks matching your super-shoes.
I found it more pleasing than I expected to pull on a pair of bright pink and orange socks to match my Nike Vaporfly 3, and SHYU is branching out into socks matching training shoes too, so you can always match. Obviously keeping up with every single shoe out there is impossible, so be prepared for disappointment if you mainly use an older color of a shoe, or one from a smaller brand.
I 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. I’ve yet to have any indication that I’d need to use that guarantee for these socks, despite the fact they are made from a lightweight Merino wool that’s thin and breathable. The socks also stay firmly in place during runs, so there’s no bunching or rubbing, and look pretty good too, though the range of designs is smaller and more conservative than with some other brands.
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, and I found them comfortable for long flights as well as on the days after 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 trying these socks 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.
I’ve picked out the Razer as my favorite, 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 me 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.
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 me from running for at least an hour with freezing cold and sodden feet one winter, when faced with a flooded field early in a point-to-point countryside run. Sealskinz also has a range of waterproof running socks 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 that downpours can occur in summer too.
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, I 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 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 colors, 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 prime them for running. I 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.
The padding on these socks cushions the foot well, and I found that they didn’t bunch up or move around on the foot, which means they help to reduce the risk of rubbing and blisters. The toe section is linked seamlessly to the rest of the sock so there are no raised parts that could rub, and although the material used is thicker than on many other running socks I’ve tested, it still breathes well and dries quickly.
