Ecosox Bamboo Hiking Socks

Ecosox hiker socks are made of bamboo and designed for maximum comfort and durability. Padded throughout the foot and with an arch-support to fight foot fatigue, Ecosox bamboo hiking socks will keep your feet feeling fresh. Whether taking a leisurely stroll through hiking trails or trail-blazing yourself, the ultra-soft bamboo fibers will cushion your feet. The moisture-wicking properties of viscose from bamboo help to keep your feet cool in warm weather and warm in cooler temps by absorbing sweat and moisture and pulling it away from your feet. Best of all, the bamboo will keep these socks smelling fresh and new for multi-day backpacks.

Disclosure: BBS Hosiery, Inc. contacted me to try their Ecosox bamboo hiking socks at no cost to me. My only responsibility was an agreement to complete this review after trying the items. I was not pressured in any way to make a positive endorsement.

My initial reaction upon receiving the Ecosox is that they are well made, nice and stretchy, and lightweight. These definitely aren’t socks for winter hiking. Best to keep them in your warmer weather socks drawer. When I pulled a pair on my feet they are comfortable, but they seem just a touch too long. My feet have always been between size medium and large socks. However the Ecosox medium are a bit long. Keep that in mind if you order some for yourself.

These crew socks also come up very high on the leg, almost knee socks. Most crew socks, in my experience, come about half way up the calf, but the Ecosox are a good 4-5 inches higher. I solved that problem by merely folding the top down to my ankles so the height was that of a normal crew.

 

Why Bamboo?

 

Bamboo fiber fabric is emerging as a new green use for one of the most ecologically friendly grasses on our planet, and becoming a go-to alternative to cotton in the natural fibers market. Most people have seen bamboo fiber at some point or another, in the form of towels, sheets, shirts, or even socks and have thought “bamboo fabric?” What’s so great about bamboo and how is it different than the lesser priced cotton products?

Ultra-soft, warm, and odorless are perfect descriptions of viscose bamboo. Viscose is the derivative of hard bamboo stalks after being turned into a cool and cozy fiber. It can absorb 3-4 times as much moisture as cotton. It is great at helping to fight odors as well as helping to prevent friction build up. When compared to cotton, viscose bamboo material is much softer and considerably more absorbent, very important to hikers for preventing blisters.

For environmentalists like me, there’s a lot to like about bamboo. It requires no irrigation to grow because it thrives under natural rainfall. It requires no chemical pesticides or fertilizers to grow because it naturally fights pests and lives great in many different natural settings. Once mature, it can grow more than 3 feet in a single day. Bamboo does not need replanted after harvest because, unlike trees, bamboo will regrow right from the cut. As if that isn’t enough, a stand of bamboo creates 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees while absorbing 5 times the greenhouse gases.

Ecosox Logo

 

Hiking in the Ecosox

 

I put the Ecosox through their paces on an eight mile hike in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s about 90 minutes from my house, so I wore sneakers for the drive, then changed into my hiking boots at the trailhead. Removing my shoes was a reminder to pay attention to how the Ecosox performed while I was hiking.

The hike itself involved 1,500 feet of elevation gain, and loss, so I was able to experience the socks both uphill and downhill. The air temperature ranged from about 45° when we started to 65° when we finished, so I could determine both the warmth of the socks, and whether they got wet from perspiration in my boots.

I imagine the Ecosox folks will like hearing me say that when the thought about socks left my head after five minutes, I never thought of them again until I got back to the car. That’s the best compliment a hiker can pay to his socks. I never had to think of them while hiking. The last thing a hiker wants to worry about is his feet.

They didn’t bother me in any way. They didn’t bunch up inside my boots. They didn’t slip and slide on my feet when going downhill creating hot spots. They stayed dry. When I put my sneakers back on at the end of the hike, the socks weren’t even the least bit damp. It’s clear to me that Ecosox bamboo hiking socks work as a hiker would expect.

 

Is There Anything I Don’t Like?

 

Well, yes, there are a few things. As mentioned up top, they seem to be just a little too big, and I really don’t like how far the crew socks come up on my leg. Ecosox also sells compression socks, so perhaps it’s a carryover from that.

I would also like to see a heavyweight version of their bamboo hiking socks. It will be very difficult to talk me out of my merino wool hiking socks. Merino has been my go-to sock fabric ever since I first discovered it about eight years ago. Especially in winter, I absolutely love the feel of the heavyweight merino socks. I like to hike in winter, but I don’t like being cold. The Ecosox mid-weight hiking socks just wouldn’t be warm enough for those early morning starts in January.

 

Summary

 

Ecosox has a complete line of bamboo socks products, including diabetic and compression socks, hiking socks that include a 17% merino additive, active sports socks and a special variety of pink accented socks that help support breast cancer awareness. Ecosox is a Dayton, Ohio company and for every 3-pack of their pink accents, one dollar will be donated to the Dayton Breast Cancer Foundation.

I will definitely continue to wear my Ecosox bamboo hiking socks. They are quite comfortable and perform well under the stress of hiking. It’s too early to know about durability, but if I think about it I’ll come back to this review with an update after a couple years of wearing the Ecosox. I think the pricing of Ecosox is competitive, especially when compared with merino wool. So if you aren’t satisfied with you current hiking socks, consider giving bamboo a try.

Disclosure: BBS Hosiery, Inc. contacted me to try their Ecosox bamboo hiking socks at no cost to me. My only responsibility was an agreement to complete this review after trying the items. I was not pressured in any way to make a positive endorsement.

 

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.

 

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