Here’s a question. How much do you spend on a pair of socks?
Until a couple years ago, I spent as little as possible, buying my hosiery at discount stores where they packaged several pair in a big plastic bag. They usually had a sale sign on the bag too.
But that was before Earl bought me some super-ugly, super-heavy rag socks in which to pad around the house in winter. (We don’t wear shoes indoors, so socks become our slippers.) They were wonderful. And I was sure they didn’t come with sale signs on them.
Then one day we were at Lunker’s when I noticed some really fancy socks to wear while hiking. Since we had planned to hike in Costa Rica, these seemed like just the thing. Except they cost fifteen dollars per pair. However, fresh from wearing rag socks, I weighed the pros and cons and finally decided to try a pair, given that hiking in Costa Rica was not something I would do every day and I wanted to be comfortable. So I popped for the Thorlo® brand socks, and haven’t looked back.
In fact, I’ve decided that discount socks fit in the category of “You get what you pay for.” Compared to the rag version and the hiking version, you don’t get much if you want to go cheap.
Think about it. Your feet hold you up all day. They fit into clunky things called shoes, which may or may not be comfortable. So socks provide a buffer. They also keep the feet warm.
I didn’t know there were so many kinds of sock until I received a catalog called Campmor. Inside, pages 133 through 138 have enough variety to make one’s head spin. There are stretch socks, fleece stocks, smartwool socks, coolmax socks, liner socks, wigwam socks, merino wool socks, all terrain crew socks, X-Static socks (whatever that means), and backpacking socks. In other words, socks for every occasion. If you’re interested, go to http://www.campmor.com.
I no longer haunt the discount racks when it comes to socks; on the contrary, I’ve become a sock snob. I don’t know what my feet feel about all this; I do know they’re not complaining.
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