If you're looking for a good overall sock that won't break the bank, Costco has their Kirkland branded merino wool socks, 4 pair for $13. I've been using them for a year or so and they've been great. Pair them with a good liner sock and you're in business. I have way too many socks and these guys seem just as good as the expensive ones.

Thanks for the heads up, 4 for $13, can't beat it!!!

that's all I've been wearing - every day - since I first started buying them 3 or 4 years ago. just a warning, they don't carry them in the summer so stock up in the winter to last you through to the next winter.

They are made in the USA and resemble Smartwools. Some say they are Smartwools with the Kirkland label.

Been using them for years and they hold up well (I stocked up a couple yrs ago).

MtnHtr

Same here. Good socks at a good price and they seem to wear very well. Worn them nearly every day for 3+ years and haven't worn a pair out yet (yes there are a lot of pairs in my sock drawer). Have a bunch more unopened for the future just in case a pair ever wears out.

Great heads up! I have been wearing these ever since my inlaws decided to include some for me as a Christmas stocking stuffer a few years back. Great price and product and more durable than other smartwool-ish type socks I have tried.

They were only $10 for four pair in Canada a few weeks ago! Great socks......bought 16 pair and really like them. I'd paid $26 for one pair of Smart Wools a few days earlier, and think the Costco Kirklands are as good.

Patrick Smith of Kifaru fame told me that's all he wears...

Do they come in different weights ?
If so, the closest Costco is 3 hours away, anyone mind getting me some and shipping them ?
I wear smartwool's and would like to try these.
I'd like the heaviest they have.

Now that's cool right there !

I've been using them regularly for the last few years (even now in fact) and think they're the best deal going. I just bought another 4pk a couple weeks ago. They're very good quality (maybe not quite SmartWool) but priced about like cotton tube socks. Win-Win.

wish we had a Costco nearby

They are great socks and hold up as well as the Smartwools. Just let them hang dry after a gentle cold wash, and they will last.

MtnHtr

+1

Ive been wearing them everyday for three or four years now. Even in the summer.

Off topic but Smartwool(thin neck to skin) Liners SUCK almost as bad as REI's Liners..

Lorpen Liners are bullet proof.. Thank me later!

I have a doz or so pairs. For the $ cannot be beat

FYI - after reading this post I just went and got a few packs of them. At least at the Costco by my house they are now $10.99 for the 4 pack. Nice socks for sure, I'd maybe call them a light/medium weight hiker? The packaging has Outdoor Trail Sock on it. But for $10.99 I sure like them, and yes they sure do look just like a Smartwool product.
Thanks for the heads up on this.

Wife just bought me two packs here in Colorado for $10.99 a pack as well. Seems like a smoking deal.

I'll look for them this week. Wish they would send over a few pallets of Mountain House.
Another site had a good review on some other brand called Hawk Vittles. Was an experienced hunter/backpacker who always thought Mt. House was the best. They have their own website.

They are the same as the medium weight Smart Wool hikers. Only difference is 1%. I wear them every day and your feet will be happy! Best value out there!

I saw these at Costco about 2 months ago and picked up a 4 pack and like them so much I bought another 4 pack this past weekend. From what I found they are only offering 1 weight, I believe it is a medium but they are super comfortable and my feet don't sweat near as much as they use too.

Picked up a 4 pack today - $10.49. We'll be checking them out.

I still have my first pairs from over 10yrs ago. I only wear them for hunting in the fall/winter and they are still going strong. I can't say that for a few other brands I've owned. A couple yrs ago I bought a bunch of extra pairs for about $8 per four pair at Costco (a real bargain).

The key to making 'em last is a gentle wash cycle and hang dry.

MtnHtr

Wore them today on a 3 hour grouse hike. Really did well. Purposely wore them without a silk under sock just to see how they would work out. Very nice! I'll grab another 4 pack next time I'm there.

Thanks for the tip guys. Picked up 8 pair for me and another four for the wife.

I wear 'em year round, and love the comfort. Ironically, or at least counter-intuitively they do VERY well in hot weather. My cotton socks haven't left their drawer in years.


Ditto. Gentle cycle, then the drying rack. A bi-monthly ritual.

I'll have to see if they'll fit in my running shoes.

went to costco and they had a 3 pack of wool socks called wigwam for $11.49 these appeared to be a little thicker type sock, they also had a thin wool sock in a 2 pack for $12 something. are these different socks than what you guys are buying?? are the good socks kirkland branded??

I dont think you saw the right socks. The wigwam ones are junk. These socks are merino wool, kirkland branded, medium weight, and come 4 pair to a pack.

I just got mine for $10.99 for a 4 pack.. got 2!! Don't ya just Love Costco!!!!

Costco socks are great, but don't overlook the Omniwool socks from Sam's Club. They are a more structured tighter-knit sock. They are really good too.

Thanks for the tip. I just Googled them to check the Merino content, and it's 75%. Very nice for $5 a pair.

I couldn't get the Costco socks here but got the Sams and they are very nice. Thanks for the heads up ..............

The Wigwams are not junk, you have to use them for what they were made for, cold weather. They are a heavier weight merino wool blend that work great in colder weather, I use them when snowmachining and whenever I am outside, love them for those purposes. I wore them 1 day during my sheep hunt and they were way too warm so I switched back to my lighter Costco socks.

I'm probably thinking about a different wigwam sock. The ones I tried were cotton and bunched up like crazy.

These new ones are a merino blend and I think they cost $10+ for 4 pair.

The wigwam ones are a tube sock that don't hold their shape very well. It doesn't take long to rub holes in them either. Fine for non-hiking uses in colder weather. Snow machining sounds like a good plan.

Costco socks are 71% Merino....

Saw some 75% merino wool socks (3 for $15) at Sam's today. Only had $100 on me. Ink, milk, snack bars, bread, OJ & lemon aide for the kids won out.

Rest assured, I'll be back...............................<grin>

this is what you want -

Cost was 10.99 for 4 pair.

thanks guys, I ended up finding some at the lehi utah costco, the sandy store didn't have them. I at first only saw the price of them and a sign, I had to move out an entire column of wig wams and they were on an inner pallet out of view in the middle surrounded by 7 feet high of other socks, LOL.

I would deem them a medium weight sock, the weather is going to need to cool off a bit more for me to start wearing them. however they will be perfect for cold days were I must walk through alot of snow going to and from homes in the course of my normal work day. I will prolly wear these everyday from novmeber to march.

I wonder if they have something similar at Sam's Club? Those appear to be a bargin but I am not a costco member.

I like'em so much I wear them to work. Going to pick up 8 more pair on Friday and set some aside for my mountain hunts for next year. You never know when they might run out of them!

How thick are these? I"ve asked Mom to look whenever she gets to a Sams, just curious though...

Kind of a "medium hiker" weight. Not light, not heavy. Pretty much the Goldilocks Socks

sounds good, probably same thickness as our old bass pro lifetime warranty thermal ones... which would be ideal.

Sams doesn't carry them Jeff, if you need some and can't find any let me know.

Had the wife pickup two more 4 packs. I'll give one to my brother.
Now if the MN Costco would carry Mountain House!!

As I noted on the previous page, they do have them at Sam's and they are now on my feet as I type. 3 to a pack, a medium weight sock. Marked Omniwool, offered in medium or large size.

I bought 8 pairs on Browning merino wool blend socks a few weeks ago now these. A couple more packs of these and I should be good for a couple years or so of daily use.

Found 2 packs of omniwool... will try that out, but then again if you had a single pair you could spare, I'd buy it from you just to see if omniwool is as good/thick etc... before we dive in and buy 5 or 6 packs of them each for the future in 2 sizes...

Jeff

PM sent Jeff.

If they are made by Smartwool for Costco, then they aren't made in the USA. Darn Tough of VT is my brand of choice. Made in the USA. Worthy of their name. Very well constructed, woven out of high quality merino.

The Costco socks say "Made in the USA" prominently on the label.

71% Merino Wool
21% Nylon
7% Polyester
1% Lycra Spandex

I bought 8 pairs last year and have worn them almost daily since. They are very comfortable and durable, really absolutely wonderful.

When they stopped selling them in the summer I got worried, but they are back. Price today was $10.99 for four pair! Incredible deal.

I've bought 12 pairs in the last month or so and plan on buying more. I love these things and all my other socks have been thrown in the rag pile.

These Kirkland Trail socks make for poor boot socks on my feet. I tried them once, but decided to give them another shot being so many are raving about them on this thread. The two packs I just purchased are the same as the packs I previously purchased, not too good. I believe they are manufactured by Burlington to meet Costco's price point.

Not saying Smartwool Hikers are the best as they are not, but they did win Backpacker Magazine Editor Choice, and they are not too bad. Comparing these Smartwool Hikers to the Kirklands, the Kirklands are thinner with less padding. In addition, the construction is such that the Kirkland sock is poor at retaining shape in the heel and toe box. The Smartwool Hiker retains its shape throughout the day whereas the Kirkland stretched a measured inch out of shape within half a days hike. I'm measured size 11-3E, a fresh sock from the pack fits my foot well over a liner. The design has a band which holds its shape well around the mid-foot between the toe and heel, but the toe box and heel rapidly looses shape and begins to stretch, walk, bunch and fold within the boot. I tried every combination I could think of with these socks over numerous days afield, and the end results were always the same with the sock markedly deformed in the heel and toe box.

In my opinion, they make for an okay lighter than mid-weight walking sock, but they are a piss poor boot sock for hiking. Good socks can make or break a pair of hiking boots, these are not very good socks and they can make a good pair of boots miserable. With every sock, within every pack, purchased both currently and past, losing shape so badly and so quickly, I don't see how they are working for anyone with feet my size or smaller.

Best

The Kirkland's look to be the same as the OmniWool socks that Sam's Club has. I have been wearing them daily for a number of years and really like them. The colors are even the same.

Nope, the Omni-Wool socks are a tighter knit, more structured sock. Both socks, Omni-wool and Kirkland, are very good, and outstanding for the price.

Sort of related, what would a good sock liner for a wool sock be made out of, gortex?

I've been buying the merino wool socks from Costco for several years now, and wearing them almost every day. In the beginning, the brand name was "Head" and IIRC they came in a 3 pack. Later what appeared to be the exact same socks had the Kirkland brand name and came in a 4 pack. I love these socks. I agree with one of the other posts that they may not be the best for a heavy duty hiking sock, but for my purposes I rarely need anything else. I need to go to Costco and pick up a couple more packs before they run out. I believe they usually stock them at least up until Christmas.

I've been testing and wearing these socks each and every day since October, but I have given up on them for hiking distances. As example, I've been wearing a pair since 6:00am this morning and will keep them on till around 11:00pm. I've spent the day with family, did some shopping, worked on chores around the property, and did some light walking. In this context, the socks hold up well. Flip-side, if I attempt to hit the hills and hike for miles, the socks will not hold up at all. Within the first couple hours the heel and toe box will completely lose shape and bunch badly. The only foot portion of the sock which retains shape is the center band. Using the Smatwool as example, if you turn them inside out to compare construction with the Kirklands, you will quickly notice the whimpy construction within the areas of the toe box and heel which loses shape when worked. There are better socks than the Smartwool, but the Smartwool do retain shape which is one of the reasons they receive high marks.

The Kirklands I have will stretch so far that I'll end up with about an inch of excess material around the front and back of my foot. Maybe if my foot was a size or two larger, like a 12 or 13, they would still fit. But at size 11-3E, they stretch too far to work.

Best

i have been to four costcos in three different cities, and two states and cannot find the damn things. both dallas fort-worth Texas costcos, san antonio Texas and even las Vegas, Vegas has [bleep] everything! accept these socks, FML. on a side note Halloween in Vegas..AWW yeah.

They are not bad socks but the darn tough socks are still my favorites.

They all might be made by a company called "Fit" they used to make smartwool socks till they went else where.

I think they are pretty warm for normal wear. I find them to be hot unless the temp is below about 40 degrees. I prefer a lighter weight sock in warmer weather.

Sam's Club carries OmniWool socks almost year 'round. In some select cold weather clubs, they also carry OmniWool baselayer.

I like polypro liners.