Remembering that my old ragg wool hiking socks and sweater that I used in the 1980's took days to dry and that even the thought of wool is enough to start me itching, I have been loath to try Smartwool. Last weekend, I bought a pair of Smartwool hiking socks and a comparable (in thickness) pair of Thorlo (acrylic) walking socks to try with my new trail runners. First, I stood or walked around the house for about 10 hours with the Smartwool sock on one foot and the Thorlo sock on the other (switching feet halfway through). (This was also the last test for the trail runners while I could still return them.) The Thorlo sock was softer but both were very comfortable. No itching with the Smartwool, either.

The next test was the real eye-opener. I rinsed both socks in the sink, wrung them out by hand and hung them out in the sun to dry, to simulate what happens when rinsing socks on the trail or getting wet feet. The Smartwool sock was dry in about 20 minutes while the Thorlo sock took over an hour. And the Smartwool sock felt more comfortable (tested by sticking my hand inside it) even when wet. Amazing stuff, merino wool--I'm now a convert!