What do you wear underneath your hockey skates? Some hockey purists say barefoot is the only way. Others swear by women’s knee highs. Then there are players who use a plain old tube sock. What’s best? I’ve tried a variety of setups and I’ll tell you which one works best for me.
After trying on a million pairs of skates, I settled on the Bauer Supreme line. They seemed to fit better than any others. I have flat feet, so the boots didn’t accommodate my arches as well as I’d hoped. To solve this issue I had custom footbeds made. Just when I thought my feet couldn’t have it any better, I wondered if my experience could be improved with a different pair of socks.
Here’s what I tried:
| Socks | Composition | Thickness | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sock Liners | Poly/Nylon | I | Wicks moisture well, but not enough cushion. Tried Wigwam Coolmax and Thermax; didn’t notice much of a difference.As close to barefoot you can get. Handwash only was a major con for me. |
| Dress socks | Cotton/Nylon | I | Sightly thicker than sock liners, but don’t wick moisture as well. Cheap. |
| Cycling Socks | Poly/Nylon | I | Similar to dress socks, but much better at wicking moisture. Tried DeFeet brand which had reinforced heel and toe. |
| Half-Cushion Compression Socks | Poly/Nylon/Cotton | II | Tried Nike Dri-Fit and Feetures brand. Both had elastic in the arch. Nearly identical in performance. Very effective at wicking moisture. Perfect amount of padding. |
| Wool Hiking Socks | Wool/Nylon | III | Good padding, good moisture wicking, but too thick. Used Smartwool brand |
The Winner
At $15 for a 3 pack, the Nike Dri-Fit socks were the standout performer. I opted for crew length, which hit just above the tounge of my boot. The Nike socks are labeled for left and right foot, which is a gimmick if you ask me. The Feetures compression socks were almost the same as the Nikes only they were a tad longer and not foot specific. Each sock had an “L” stitched into the side which stands for large. At first I thought they sent me two left feet. My final recommendation: Go with Feetures or Nike,whichever costs less.
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Tags: product review, socks
How’s the thickness of the Nike Dri-Fit’s compared to the Bauer Vapor sock?
I actually never tried the Vapor…I couldn’t justify paying $15 for a pair of socks 🙂