By Nick Clark
Of these three sock manufacturers, I was well aware of Drymax, had heard of Darn Tough, and was completely in the dark about Bridgedale. This of course says nothing about the socks, but everything about each company’s marketing efforts.
Drymax has launched a very successful grassroots marketing campaign that has largely centered on endurance athletes who, by and large, end up touting the socks for their wondrous ability to keep blisters at bay — something to do with the ‘wicking’ qualities of the materials used, which supposedly keeps moisture from lingering on and around the foot for too long.
I knew far less about Darn Tough, but I was familiar with the name, which I assumed was directly related to the materials the sock itself was made from. If this is the case, as it turned out to be, then they immediately score high marks with me as there is nothing more frustrating than spending extra dollars on a premium pair of socks, only to be chucking them weeks later with wear holes threatening blisters.
As noted above, I had no prior knowledge of Bridgedale — the company or the sock — before receiving a review pair from Wilderness Running, so will begin this three-sock comparative review by talking to first impressions.
First Impressions
First impressions can of course be deceiving, but in this particular case the three socks being reviewed are so apparently different from a visual standpoint that a note on first impressions is well warranted.
- Bridgedale X-Hale Multisport
The Bridgedale has the look of a wool hiking sock with structural elements designed to keep the sock hugging the foot. This sock, with its wooly fuzziness looked more like a winter sock to me, but it also looked like a sock with good cushioning and all-around comfort — the chicken soup of running socks, if you like. The feel of these socks once on is actually one of padding and structure. The sock has additional padding in the heel, the toes and the balls of the feet, while also offering elastic fit bands around the ankle and over the top of the foot. Those areas not requiring elastic fit material, or extra padding (mainly the arch) are made of a thinner material that looks to be designed for moisture-removing purposes.
- Drymax Lite Trail
In stark contrast to the natural-fiber look of the Bridgedale, the Drymax Trail Running sock has an artificial polyester look about it. In addition, they look and feel very thick, and have a no-nonsense design to them (no outrageous colors or designs). The feel of the Drymax Trail Runner is one of padding. The inner bottom part of the sock has a terry-cloth look and feel that adds significant padding. In fact, the bulky padded feel had me a bit worried that it would result in tightness akin to that experienced with winter hiking socks. The upside on the feel was that the padding gives the socks a certain bounciness.
- Darn Tough Merino Wool Mesh
The Darn Tough was easily the most exciting sock to my eye. The fibers looked natural, but at the same time well engineered with the promise of a very cozy, foot-hugging fit. Being much thinner than the other two socks, I was immediately thinking trail feel for my feet and excellent responsiveness. Out of the box, and with no wear testing, these were easily my favorite pair of socks. The look of these socks is not deceiving: they hugged my feet and felt thin enough that my toes definitely had an extra sense of feel than when in the other, more padded socks in this review.
The Run Test
- Bridgedale X-Hale Multisport
The cushioning feels great in full stride and the sock is actually a lot cooler than it first appears. The material allows for good ventilation, while also providing the extra cushioning that might be the difference between a blister that cuts your race effort short, or allows you to keep going full tilt. The best thing I think I can probably say about this sock is that I never really think about it too much when I’m running, which means it is doing its job with no annoying rubbing on the seams or any constriction within the shoe. In my opinion, most premium running socks these days tend to be of a high quality, and this sock sits right there among them with no major downside that I could find.
- Drymax Lite Trail
I was pretty concerned about the very padded nature of this sock before running in it, thinking that my foot would feel constricted inside the shoe. Therefore, my first run in these socks was in a pair of shoes that run a little big for me and usually require double socks. The Drymax sock felt great solo in my slightly oversized shoe, and the padding was a great surprise. Normally with padded running socks, I don’t feel a great difference, but there was a definite sense of pad and maybe even spring from the sock. Nice! Running in a tighter fitting shoe, such as the La Sportiva Crosslite, the sock actually compressed well, and rather than cause constricting discomfort, added an extra element of snugness to the already snug Crosslite, molding well with the shoe and filling it out perfectly. This was a pleasant and welcome surprise. As to the wicking and blister-reducing qualities of the sock, I’ll bow to the many (sponsored) athlete claims that they reduce blistering, as I am fortunate enough to rarely suffer from blisters; however, I do feel compelled to call Drymax out on the moisture wicking qualities of the sock. My feet simply did not feel they were any drier any sooner than with other premium socks after wading through a water hazard, and I put them through a few.
- Darn Tough Merino Wool Mesh
As I mentioned in the opening section of the review, appearances can be deceptive. I loved this sock out the box for looks and non-running feel: a true foot hugger. However, I had issues with slippage within the shoe, particularly on inner soles with less friction than others. The sole of the sock has a certain sheen to it that translates to reduced friction with inner soles. I ran these socks in three pairs of shoes, and with the two Sportiva inner soles (Crosslites & Wildcats), the sock worked well and was as responsive as I originally thought it would be due to its thin, but tough, design. However, in combination with my Vasque Celerators, this sock has to go down as something of a disappointment, with an almost ski-on-snow feel to it within the shoe. I never ran this combo long enough to get into blister trouble, but on a long technical run, I definitely felt like even my elephant-skinned feet would succumb to bubbling. I would still recommend this as a good quality, responsive sock, but would recommend that runners pay attention to the shoes they are being paired with to avoid slippage within the shoe.
Wear
Well, each pair has probably been through a couple hundred miles, and I am happy to report that none have developed holes or major signs of wear, so top marks all around on that front. I would note, however, that the Drymax sock has lost its heavily cushioned feel, which is not the case with the Bridgedale. The Drymax are also showing early signs that holes are on their way in the heel in maybe another 100 miles or so. The Bridgedales look pretty much as they did the first day I put them on, as do the Darn Tough, so if I had to pick wear winners, these two would be tied, with Drymax a respectable second.
My Favorite?
Tough call, but for all around non-issues, I think the Bridgedale wins out. I loved the padded feel of the Drymax, and its ability to mold into pretty much any shoe I put them in, but also felt like the sock lost some of that pad with wear. The Bridgedales, while not as padded out the box, have maintained their extra padding in major contact areas. They look and feel like they still have a ton of life left in them after a couple hundred miles, and, as noted above, the tallest complement I can give them is that I rarely think about them when running, regardless of the shoe they are in. The ‘slippy’ nature of the Darn Tough was my biggest disappointment of any of the socks, although this is dependent on the shoe. Once I learned which shoes to pair them with, I found them to be highly responsive, yet tough, despite being significantly thinner than the other two pairs. The Darn Tough strikes me as a good racing sock on less technical trail.
***
***
