We Tested Cotton, Cheap Wool, And Buffalo Wool. Only One Did Not Betray Us.
THE LAB, WHICH WAS JUST A DEER STAND AND A CHURCH PARKING LOT -
In the interest of journalism, and also warm toes, we tested three kinds of socks in a long workday, a wet hike, an unheated fellowship hall, and boots that have seen things.
Cotton committed fraud. Fine for 7 minutes, then damp, then a small stinking crime scene in each shoe. By lunch the wearer had developed a theology of suffering centered on his own feet. Cotton is a summer T-shirt pretending to be gear. Do not trust it.
Cheap wool was a bit warmer, then itchy, like a midweek prayer meeting that should have ended 20 minutes ago. Wet, it stayed heavy. Dry, it still smelled like it had opinions. Testers recalled the ancient lie - "wool just itches, that's how you know it's working" - and considered sandals in January.
Buffalo Wool, bison fiber was the only sock that behaved like it had a job. American bison stay comfortable past -60°F on six to eight ounces of soft undercoat. The Buffalo Wool Co. turns that fiber into cashmere-soft socks that wick better than sheep's wool or synthetics. Bison down can hold more than a third of its weight in moisture before it feels wet, and testers' feet stayed dry after conditions that ruined the other pairs. They also did not stink, even after wearing a week straight.
Iditarod musher Justin Savidis used to pack 25 to 30 pairs. In Buffalo Wool Trekkers, he packs five. Family ranchers, U.S. mills, 100% guarantee: love them, or they replace, exchange, or buy them back.
THE LAB, WHICH WAS JUST A DEER STAND AND A CHURCH PARKING LOT -
In the interest of journalism, and also warm toes, we tested three kinds of socks in a long workday, a wet hike, an unheated fellowship hall, and boots that have seen things.
Cotton committed fraud. Fine for 7 minutes, then damp, then a small stinking crime scene in each shoe. By lunch the wearer had developed a theology of suffering centered on his own feet. Cotton is a summer T-shirt pretending to be gear. Do not trust it.
Cheap wool was a bit warmer, then itchy, like a midweek prayer meeting that should have ended 20 minutes ago. Wet, it stayed heavy. Dry, it still smelled like it had opinions. Testers recalled the ancient lie - "wool just itches, that's how you know it's working" - and considered sandals in January.
Buffalo Wool, bison fiber was the only sock that behaved like it had a job. American bison stay comfortable past -60°F on six to eight ounces of soft undercoat. The Buffalo Wool Co. turns that fiber into cashmere-soft socks that wick better than sheep's wool or synthetics. Bison down can hold more than a third of its weight in moisture before it feels wet, and testers' feet stayed dry after conditions that ruined the other pairs. They also did not stink, even after wearing a week straight.
Iditarod musher Justin Savidis used to pack 25 to 30 pairs. In Buffalo Wool Trekkers, he packs five. Family ranchers, U.S. mills, 100% guarantee: love them, or they replace, exchange, or buy them back.
