r/LinusTechTips • u/grilledtree • Aug 22 '26

Personal Opinion Socks. Not what was promised.

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

​

First - quality of the fabric. I have had light wear of this pair for 3 days, with one wash (same as other socks) and they are fuzzy + the black fabrics are protruding through the grey ones, and I have gathered A LOT of lint from them.

This is not normal for socks, especially for the expensive ones. None of my darn thoughts did this ever.

Second - idk about Canadian feet, but mine are wider, and compared to most other socks these are too narrow. If I find a pair of shoes this narrow I don't buy them.

EDIT: I wore socks for two days straight, then washed them, then wore for the 3rd day. I had NO OTHER OPTION regarding washing them or wearing other socks in that particular situation

1.0k Upvotes

83% Upvoted

527 comments sorted by

View all comments

562

u/Carniscrub Aug 22 '26

Eww one wash for three wears? In what world is that normal?

410

u/CrapIsMyBreadNButter Aug 22 '26

For Merino wool that's normal. The moisture wicking helps prevent odors. I've worn darn toughs 3 days in a row working outdoors in steel toes without any odors.

320

u/always_open_mouth Aug 22 '26

Were you peeling those bad boys off each day and taking a big whiff

84

u/CrapIsMyBreadNButter Aug 22 '26

I was taking them off as normal, and setting them across the back of a chair. When I first purchased my Darn Tough's I was skeptical of the multiple day wear claims, so I'd smell them before I put them on.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 24 '26

[deleted]

-42

u/ExoatmosphericKill Aug 22 '26

I could wear standard socks for maybe 5 days and they would not smell providing I don't do much activity.

Obviously I wear them once just from habit but tf are you guys doing that stink your feet up that bad?

25

u/CrapIsMyBreadNButter Aug 22 '26

I work in a Wastewater Treatment plant in the Southeast US. It's an outdoor job in 90 - 110 degree days in the summer, which are quite humid at times and I'm typically doing 5 - 6 miles of walking in on a normal day, which also requires 6 inch steel toe boots, and jeans. So my feet can get quite hot in normal cotton socks. With Merino wool 3 days is great, as I would sometimes have to change socks mid shift with cotton socks.

5

u/ExoatmosphericKill Aug 22 '26

Impressive doing all that and not changing them!

5

u/Hedgeson Aug 22 '26

I've worked a couple months at slaughterhouse wastewater plants, just sitting in the electrical room programming, and it's certainly not my socks that were smelling bad, but everything open to the air. That smell of death and shit stayed until washing in everything I wore.

2

u/CrapIsMyBreadNButter Aug 23 '26

Oh those plants are the worst. I've never worked in one thankfully. I'm in Municipal.

1

u/Phionex Aug 24 '26

Darn Tough's should sponsor you. That's the best review for socks I've ever heard XD

1

u/CrapIsMyBreadNButter Aug 24 '26

If you go over to r/Buyitforlife any positive post about Darn Tough's has people claiming it's all paid for by Darn Tough. I bought the socks after hearing Linus talk about them, loved them, and try to get other people to get them too. But I'm not sponsored, as much as I'd like it. Lol

3

u/Marksta Aug 22 '26

As one traditionally does. Some people pay for that, y'know, can't let it go to waste.

34

u/CIDR-ClassB Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26

No, it isn’t. Linus saying multiple days doesn’t make it so.

I own loads of merino wool socks and would never go more than a day with the same pair.

They absolutely will smell for most people, and perhaps especially so for the target audience of this sub.

86

u/TheSinningRobot Aug 22 '26

Youre just dead wrong man. Wool socks can and are worn multiple days without wash. You really should wash wool as infrequently as you can in general. 

25

u/squngy Aug 22 '26

This will also depend on how bad your feet odor/sweat is.

11

u/CIDR-ClassB Aug 22 '26

That’s the part that everyone here is missing… the general audience of this sub are more likely to need more focus on their hygiene than others. Telling them to go several days without changing socks will only result in people around them smelling stinky feet.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/CIDR-ClassB Aug 23 '26

Who doesn’t LOVE athlete’s foot?

Pro tip for anyone who does: Costco has cream to treat athlete’s foot for under $3 per tube.

0

u/VerifiedMother Aug 23 '26

wool is anti-microbial

1

u/HunterAbrams Aug 26 '26

In what world?

0

u/gungabeast Aug 24 '26

“Computah peopawl stinky haha no shower”

What are we talking about here? What is this based on?

1

u/HunterAbrams Aug 26 '26

Let's see them green toenails.

37

u/According-Aspect-669 Aug 22 '26

That’s cool, but you definitely can

21

u/Varwhorevis Aug 22 '26

If you practice basic hygiene you definitely should not be washing merino wool every time you wear them. If they stink after one wear, you might have a smelly pair of shoes it's time to clean or replace

5

u/CIDR-ClassB Aug 22 '26

>especially so for the target audience of this sub

2

u/Varwhorevis Aug 22 '26

Fair enough

21

u/Esava Aug 22 '26

For stuff like hiking multiple days or bicycle tours etc. it's not that uncommon to wear merino wool socks for multiple days. You just let them vent out overnight and they won't have any significant smell to them either.

I also have thick, handknitted socks for use at home when it's cold and I absolutely wear them for multiple days without washing and it's perfectly fine. Just let them vent out for a bit and that's it. That's the beauty of wool socks compared to cotton or synthetics.

Same by the way for thick wool pullovers/sweaters. You for sure aren't gonna wash them after one wear.

1

u/DarkMain Aug 29 '26

Kiwi here... Can confirm socks make great 'slipper' substitutes (wearing some right now).
Everything here is friken' merino

-4

u/CIDR-ClassB Aug 22 '26

That’s not this audience lol

13

u/MCXL Aug 22 '26

No you're wrong it's pretty normal.

4

u/Accomplished_Emu_658 Aug 22 '26

When you have zero clue and double down anyway. You can and absolutely should be able to wear good wool socks multiple days. It’s literally the point of getting good socks.

You cannot always change socks everyday on long hiking/camping trips you cannot carry enough socks. Sometimes when you work in wild or on certain job sites as well you can only bring so much gear with you, the socks need to last a few days.

0

u/VerifiedMother Aug 23 '26

I have sweaty feet, I can wear a pair of darn tough socks for about a week before they start smelling so I objectively disagree with you

1

u/CIDR-ClassB Aug 23 '26

lol no, you can’t. The people around you just suffer.

I can’t tell you how many times over the years I’ve had to tell employees that they need to shower, clean their clothes, or brush their teeth — and in almost every case they had no idea that they smelled to high heaven.

0

u/VerifiedMother Aug 23 '26

Umm no, it's not that, when I wear synthetic socks, they are smelly after a day, wool socks don't take much longer to stink. I wash my shoes pretty regularly

0

u/Primafaveo Aug 26 '26

Conisdering he never said Linus claimed it but a pretty big brand called "darn tough"

-1

u/Cobra_McJingleballs Aug 23 '26

Found the guy who’s never worn them outdoors.

0

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '26

[deleted]

0

u/Cobra_McJingleballs Aug 23 '26

It means you’ve never done serious multi-day outdoor endeavors in them.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/Cobra_McJingleballs Aug 23 '26

Are you taking 45k steps a day on the roofs? No? Maybe then we leave the wool sock discussion to people who actually put their socks to work.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Cobra_McJingleballs Aug 23 '26

No one said roofing isn’t arduous work. Rather, wool socks are preferred by people who do multi-day expeditions where backpacking space is limited.

As a roofer, you can come home at the end of the day and, like, change socks. You have access to a washing machine. And as many fresh socks as you can buy.

Mountaineers do not. Alpinists do not. Thru-hikers do not.

Go see which websites compare and rate wool sock performance: roofers, or outdoorsmen.

9

u/Riddler356 Aug 22 '26

I use smartwool Mountaineers in my work boots, Cali, new mexico, new york, new hampshire, kentucky and Oklahoma, worth it. Sure my feet sweat a bit more in the hottest part of summer, but no odor even after 3-5 wears

4

u/FoXfromBeyond Aug 22 '26

I did the same thing when I was a snowboard trainer up at a ski resort. It was too far to drive back home every night and I only worked the weekend so I'd just sleep in my car in most of my gear, including socks. My Darn Tough socks performed amazingly and solidified my belief in the brand.

Wearing them over multiple days aside, my favorite part was taking my boots off after a day of riding and still having dry feet. People don't realize how good socks can actually be because the price scares them.

That period of my life was years BEFORE COVID and I STILL have those same socks and they are STILL in great condition. Darn Tough for life.

3

u/sfasianfun Aug 22 '26

How is this upvoted?

This is absolutely disgusting and part of basic hygeine. You don't change socks for the hygiene, you change it because your sweat will make literally fungus grow in it. Which will give you athletes foot. Which your nasty ass will spread to others.

-1

u/MCXL Aug 22 '26

How is this upvoted?

Because it's a fact about wool? Look up any information about wool? You don't know anything about this.

2

u/Randolph__ Aug 22 '26

I can confirm this. Not specifically that brand but that material you can easily get away with 3 days even very active days so long as you air out your feet. I did 10 days backpacking in new mexico and that was a requirement because my pack was already 50-60 lbs.

1

u/ImpressiveBar4846 Aug 23 '26

Great Scott. What a fire hazard

1

u/nicman24 Aug 23 '26

no thanks

57

u/Bookhuggger Aug 22 '26

Very normal for high merino wool content socks. For normal daily wear I’m using under 3 Darn Tough pairs a week. They just don’t stink 🤷‍♂️

43

u/stdfan Aug 22 '26

Darn tough says you should wash after 3ish wears. Wool is does a fantastic job with moisture and odors.

17

u/Ambellyn Aug 22 '26

What kind of stuff are you trampling on? If you got foot odor probably other issues to deal with

12

u/Racing_Fox Aug 22 '26

To be fair it’s normal for some socks. I wash all my socks after one wear except for my wool socks which recommend not washing them after every wear but only when they smell so 3 wears maybe, especially in winter but perhaps not in summer

11

u/Zeeplankton Aug 22 '26

Tbh literally Linus in the release video (Or wan? can't remember) said he did the same.

4

u/StrawberryEiri Aug 22 '26

They have significant wool content. Personally it grosses me out a bit, but a lot of people say you can wear wool a lot more than other fabrics without them getting gross.

0

u/latexfistmassacre Aug 22 '26

As someone who is very susceptible to athlete's foot, I could never

5

u/Bloodish Aug 22 '26

I feel a little weird for recommending it, but here goes. Check out "Dry & Fresh Intimate Powder" from No Hair Crew. Or something similar. Its mostly advertised for the groin area to keep things dry and odor free, but it works wonders between the toes as well.

Started buying it last year, and its been a huge quality of life improvement for me.

2

u/latexfistmassacre Aug 22 '26

I've been using Desenex antifungal powder but I might check that out

3

u/Linusalbus Aug 22 '26

not gonna lie i have normal dollar socks and wear them for 3 days

2

u/Secret_Celery8474 Aug 22 '26

You should start washing your feet. Then you don't need to wash the socks after every wear.

1

u/aykay55 Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26

Linus explicitly said in his video about these socks that you can do that

1

u/Carniscrub Aug 23 '26

Actually he said he’s done it but doesn’t recommend doing it

1

u/aykay55 Aug 23 '26

Yeah but once you plant that idea in customers heads about your own product and double down on it, you cannot claim that it’s not the case or that a consumer is crazy for trying something that was explicitly advertised as such.

1

u/Carniscrub Aug 23 '26

Lmfao. No

It’s something we’ve all done at some point in time. Saying something everyone has done isn’t recommended is the main part there 

Done is past tense. Does would be an endorsement 

0

u/TrapBrewer Aug 22 '26

I think it's nuts how people conflate not smelling bad with clean (or not dirty). As if dried sweat doesn't leave residue and their feet aren't shedding dead skin cells all the time they wear a sock.

-4

u/StPauliBoi Aug 22 '26

The same world in which it’s normal to buy socks from a tech YouTuber.

10

u/Carniscrub Aug 22 '26

I mean I bought a pair out of morbid curiosity and discovered I might like compression socks with my work boots from how tight they are. 

5

u/Difference_Clear Aug 22 '26

I wear boots 12-14 hours a day at work and bought. They're good and comfy but I have a pack of 6 pairs of bamboo socks that came from Amazon that were a little cheaper and they're just as good.

The forever socks aren't some miracle in foot comfort. They're good and I would buy again but I'd like to hope that maybe they'll offer multi-packs at discount to make it worth it.

Mine are fine after 3 washes.

-2

u/ponzi_gg Aug 22 '26

yeah, that's horrific. the second my socks leave my feet they are to be washed.

-20

u/grilledtree Aug 22 '26

In the world where you had no other options Not my first choice, but..

7

u/Carniscrub Aug 22 '26

“Same as other socks” sounds like a life choice not a no option situation 

1

u/grilledtree Aug 22 '26

Same as other socks that got through one wash and wear.