Wicking Hockey Sock

[jere26 5]

Nike Pro Compression Football Sock. Thin, Dri-FIT, cheap. Shaped to fit the foot, not just generic tube socks.

[theflash0000 0]

Just stay barefoot :) I recently switched to barefoot and I will never go back. Used to wear Vapor socks but in my experience they counter-acted the liner (if that makes any sense), cancelling out any grip/traction the liner provided. I way prefer the fit of my skates now.

[pittu 15]

I would prefer to skate barefoot. The feel for the ice cant be beat, IMO.

But, I have chosen to skate in the Dri-fit Nike socks, just because I'm paranoid that I will destroy my skates faster by rotting them from the inside out with my foul feet. Anyone confirm that skating barefoot kills your skates faster than with socks? (Assuming you dry your skates out after each skate)

[shoeshine boy 242]

Just stay barefoot :) I recently switched to barefoot and I will never go back. Used to wear Vapor socks but in my experience they counter-acted the liner (if that makes any sense), cancelling out any grip/traction the liner provided. I way prefer the fit of my skates now.

I've never skated barefoot but have a few friends who do. holy crap, do their skates STINK!!! when they give me the skates to sharpen I have them put dryer sheets in the boot, wrap their socks around them, put them in a plastic bag and sometimes I STILL have to ride home with the windows open!

[dayroc 0]

I can't skate barefeet, i find i get ice inside my skates and i can feel it.

[CoachHealy 1]

After speaking to a trainer in the NHL I will never skate barefoot again. He said that you can get a disease in your foot that can cause permanent damage.

That said I started trying different "skate" socks. I found that the Elite Pro 700's to be the most comfortable sock when inside my skate.

http://www.hockeymonkey.com/elite-hockey-socks-pro-tech-sr.html

I'm sure that there are others out there that are good as well. But I found these to be quite comfortable, and as close to skating barefoot that I found.

[pittu 15]

Well, a year since my last post on this thread, and I will say that I love the Nike dryfit socks for skating.

And considering how much sweat I wring out of them after each skate, I am glad all that stanky crud isnt going into the skate liner itself...

[IPv6Freely 2096]

I had been using swiftwick for a long time (LOVE them), but recently I switched to Bauer's new lineup of undergarments, socks, shirt, and jock shorts. All are AWESOME. (Specifically the jock shorts - the elite jock is the best ive ever used. The fit is amazing, and the cup pocket is on the inside, which holds everything in place just right. The old bauer ones I have are complete crap in comparison)

[S'land9.16.7 6]

I second the Thinees Vapor Thin sock. Best thing since barefoot IMO.

[strosedefence34 175]

at the beginning of the summer I grabbed some under armor heat gear socks from dicks sporting goods. They have been great a total step up from the traditional cotton socks I was wearing.

[jere26 5]

I now recommend the Under Armour hockey liner sock. These are the best I've used so far. Even thinner than the football/soccer sport socks I've tried and they stay super soft. Had to order directly from UA website to get the XL size. Dialed in the perfect sizing with a little time in the dryer. Now I air dry them and they are perfect every time.

[kajunkrawdad 0]

Huh, would everyone here really recommend these kind of socks? Do you really notice that much of a difference? I've always just used regular athletics socks when skating and never really noticed that many guys wearing any of these liner socks either. I always sort of wrote them off as a gear-head novelty. I use the Nike dry fit soccer socks that have been mentioned by a few people in this thread, but for soccer and I actually don't really notice much of a difference between them and regular ones in that context, but my hands and feet sweat like nobody's business. To the point where I usually have to wear two pairs of socks when running/playing most other sports or else I get blisters. Sounds like I should check these out then...

[wrangler 157]

My feet are staying drier with the Miken V02FX that I picked up at SJ. I especially like the 2 year replacement warranty, considering they were giveaways.

[voxyledbetter 9]

Another vote for the Bauer vapors. I use them for ice and roller and really like them. I used to skate barefoot but had a couple issues.... 1 the stink, and 2 my old boots gave me a bunion and these in combination with the new boots gives less rub near where the toe cap meets the boot.

[IPv6Freely 2096]

These are the socks I was talking about:

Ah-MAZING. And they go along with easily the best jock shorts I've ever used (they dont have the "bum straps" in them because they're totally form fitting):

It's hard to explain. They're almost difficult to pull on, but once they're on, you can even tell you're wearing them, cup and all. And its all in the little details - the back velcro is slightly lower than the front, for example. They have a thin rubber strip along the inside of the waistband (like some dress pants do) to ensure they stay up. I'm blown away by how great they are.

I plan on buying the shirt now, too. Have to try it.

The long sleeves seem counter-productive, like theyd be too warm. But at the same time, if they wick moisture, it should actually keep me cooler overall.

[pittu 15]

Kajun, try those Dri fit socks next time you skate. I find them 100% better than old cotton socks as far as comfort goes. YMMV.

[cause4alarm 7]

It's generally recommended to wear thin socks for skating.

The simplest solution would be to use thin dress socks.

I was lucky enough to get a few pairs of Wigwam Coolmax Liner socks for cheap (3 pairs for < $10). I've gone entire seasons before rotating and washing them and still they amazingly reek less than most of the rest of my gear. They're pretty durable too--probably going on over half a decade now.

I really see no reason to pay $20+ for a skating-specific sock when just a general basic wicking liner will do.

Going barefoot will cause your skates to stink to high hell and may contribute to the insides breaking down faster.

[IPv6Freely 2096]

I really see no reason to pay $20+ for a skating-specific sock when just a general basic wicking liner will do.

I do, it's like night and day for me. But it's all in what you prefer, I guess.

[stick9 896]

Optimus, I wore the long sleeve vapor shirt all summer and it wasnt bad at all.

Before finding the right skate sock, I wore sock liners made for skiing. Very thin, very light weight and designed to pull moisture away from the skin.

[bruins89 1]

i see a lot of pros wearing long sleeve shirts

[theflash0000 0]

I just realized I posted that I switched to barefoot over a year ago and I'm still going with absolutely no problems. I take my skates out of the bag after every use and hang them upside down to dry. No abnormal deterioration of the liner with approx. 3 skates a week. Oh, no diseases either :)

[SirJW 207]

Some socks on sale today.

http://sportsgiant-dev.com/email/20120920HA/20120920HA.html

[Mattc555 22]

I wear Swiftwick Pluse 4s: http://www.swiftwick.com/pulse-socks-40-ctg.htm

Closest thing to bare foot I've tried.

[IPv6Freely 2096]

I wear Swiftwick Pluse 4s: http://www.swiftwick...ocks-40-ctg.htm

Closest thing to bare foot I've tried.

I had been using Swiftwick Performance 12 socks until I switched to the new Bauer stuff.