Brasher Travel Lite Socks

I am learning at the moment that it is not only important to give your feet good quality shoes, trainers or boots, but that it is also important to give them good quality and suitable socks too. “Proper” walking, running, cycling, hiking, skiing and other kinds of socks are packed full of technology just like shoes are these days, and you are really doing your feet a favour by spending a decent amount of money and choosing those over bog standard socks from any clothes shop.

But that’s not extended to every day socks is it? I mean, those bog standard socks you buy from department stores and fashion shops are fine for wearing to work or just for wandering around town aren’t they?

Brasher have a wide range of socks for walking and hiking, and amongst them are these new Travel Light Socks. These aren’t designed for long treks or harsh conditions, but for wearing on a normal outdoors day. They are designed to wear with any pair of walking shoes or boots, when you are travelling or spending a leisurely day on your feet.

These socks have been designed for comfort – they are made from Merino wool which is light, warm and soft. They also have “Thermo Cool” technology which aids heat regulation, keeping your feet not too hot and not too cold whatever the weather.

What you get is a pair of symmetrical socks (marked left and right), with extra padding under the heel, underfoot and toe area. The double cuff at the top keeps the socks pulled up, the lycra support bands prevent slippage and rotation, and the flat toe seams stop those annoying indentations.

Wearing Them

My first outing in these socks was probably a bit more strenuous than what Brasher have designed them for… perhaps. I walked 10 miles in two sittings and spent a very pleasant day being a tourist in Lincoln – I was on my feet all day. I teamed these Travel Lite Socks with my trainers because I knew I would be on tarmac and concrete all day and so I needed the cushioning.

My first thoughts were that these socks are thicker than the socks I normally wear with trainers, I had to loosen my laces quite a lot really. But once my trainers were locked in place I have to say I hardly thought about them all day (I don’t think I even pulled them up once). The socks offered comfort and warmth and I did appreciate the technology such as the flat toe seam – while my feet ached after being on them all day like that, there were no sore areas or blisters or anything like that.

Since then I have already washed, worn, washed and worn these socks. And I am impressed. I have not worn them with trainers since, I think I’ll stick with a different type of sock with those, but I do like to use these socks when wearing walking shoes.

Once again Brasher has turned me into a sock snob. At £11 a pair from the Brasher website these are way more than I would normally spend on everyday socks (for example, I bought three pairs of what I thought were decent socks from M&S for £4.50 just before these arrived), but I am really tempted to treat myself to a couple more pairs of these so when I’m on my feet all day on holiday or something like that I have some really comfortable and sensible socks that are going to look after my feet nicely. They aren’t going to replace my drawer of ordinary socks, but I definitely am beginning to appreciate the need for a decent sock more often than not.