Gear Review: Injinji Toe Socks

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I owe my Injinji socks a big thank you. These fabulous toe socks prevented those horrid in-between-the-toe blisters during my 2013 thru-hike. If you’ve never heard of Injiniji socks, it is time you have. A couple of our bloggers/writers have mentioned these amazing socks in a few posts here on Appalachian Trials (see here and here and here and here). My fiancé, who I thru-hiked the AT with, came upon Injinji socks while looking at Awol’s Gear List.  Yes, I am referring to the same Awol that wrote the AT Guide. You probably don’t think they are so silly now, huh?

I am not endorsed by Injinji. I have purchased every Injinji sock I’ve ever owned. With this in mind, let’s get down to the review for Injinji Toe Socks.

For review purposes, I will base this review on Injinji’s TRAIL 2.0 Midweight Micro sock.

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SPECS FOR Injinji’s TRAIL 2.0 Midweight Micro

MSRP: $15

Fiber: 39% COOLMAX® 58% Nylon 3% Lycra® (some of Injinji’s other sock models are made with wool)

Details, according to Injinji’s webiste:

  • Total Foot Utilization
  • Moisture Management
  • Blister Prevention
  • Mesh Top Lock
  • Arch Support
  • Protective Cushion
  • Double Cuff

WARRANTY

“Injinji offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all craftsmanship and materials within our Return Policy guidelines.”

FIRST IMPRESSION

When approached with the idea of wearing a toe sock for hiking: Really? Toe socks? I’m not in junior high anymore… Oh, wait, you say AWOL wears them? Okay, gimme gimme.

Putting my toe socks on for the first time: My god, why are my toes so fat?

Hiking in my toe socks for the first time: Okay, I’m not bothered by the fabric in between my toes like I thought I would. These feel nice!

PROS 

Prevents blisters
The best pro, of course, are the socks’ ability to prevent blisters in between the toes. These kind of blisters can be annoying and downright painful. I noticed I was having a lot less blisters than my hiking buddies. I didn’t suffer a blister in between my toes until I hiked with normal socks. It was a bummer and made me wish I was back in my Injinji’s.

Comes in a variety of lengths and colors
Although I am a fan of ankle socks, I do love that Injinji offers the toe sock in a variety of heights, colors, and fabrics.

Durable
My first pair of Injinji’s TRAIL 2.0 Midweight Micro sock lasted almost my entire thru-hike with only a couple minor holes on the big toe and near the joint of the big toe and some wear and thinning on the heels. In the socks’ defense, my toe nails were long and the toe hole was most definitely caused from that. The socks I have pictured below were socks I wore during my 2013 thru-hike but I purchased them later on in my hike and so they are in much better condition than my previous pair I wore.  I do think these socks are quite durable even if my first pair didn’t last my entire thru-hike. Worn socks should be expected during a thru-hike. I do feel that these socks are very durable even after experiencing wear and holes from months of nearly daily wear.

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In this photo, you can see that these socks have wear, most notably pilling and slight discoloration. However, they have gone through many, many miles.

True to Size
In my and my fiancé’s opinion, we believe that these toe socks are true to size. If you have a size small foot or size large foot, the toe section of the sock should fit your toes as well. The sizes are marked inside the socks and so is an L and R to distinguish between left and right.

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This is inside the sock of my left sock. I flipped the sock down to show that Injinji stiches the size and L or R on the interior of the sock.

CONS

Took longer to dry than my wool socks
This was the first con I noticed of my Injinji socks while out on the trail. The TRAIL 2.0 Midweight Micro didn’t dry as quickly as my wool socks from Darn Tough or SmartWool. It wasn’t necessarily the foot part but the toes part of the sock that took longer to dry, especially if my socks were wet from rain, not simply my everyday sweat.

Luckily, Injinji does have some alternative sock models. If you like wool, Injinji offers a wool blend that I have yet try out. Maybe this model will dry faster!

Also, they do offer a polyester blend that has more percentage of Coolmax fabric that might actually dry faster.

Don’t forget to clip your toenails
Gross, I know, but I wasn’t clipping my toenails regularly and that did cause a hole to form in my sock. I do believe that this can happen to any sock but since the toe sock is tighter around the toe than the average sock, clipping your toenails regularly must be done to avoid premature damage in toe socks.

Started getting loose around ankle
After a couple months of wearing my Injinji socks on my thru-hike, I noticed that the hem around the ankle had loosened and no longer hugged my ankle. This really was annoying. It caused dirt and debris to get into my sock. I guess this is where gaitors would come in handy or a taller sock model.

RATING SYSTEM

Based on my own experience, I have rated Injinji’s TRAIL 2.0 Midweight Micro sock on a 1-5 scale, 5 being the best rating.

Comfort:  4
I took a point off for comfort because of the looseness that occurred at the ankle after a few months of everyday wear during my thru-hike. It definitely wasn’t comfortable getting dirt inside my sock. Aside from this, these socks are actually extremely comfortable.

Design: 5
The design is awesome. The idea of a technical toe sock is genius and they do their job perfectly. I also like how Injinji sews in an R and L (right and left) into each sock. How nice!

Durability: 4.5
My first pair of Injinji socks lasted nearly my entire thru-hike (with only some tiny holes and thinning at the heel). Although the ankle part did loosen, I wore the hell out of these socks and I think they still deserve a high score. So, I only took a half point off.

Fit: 4
I do believe Injinji toe socks are true to size. Looking at reviews, there were some people saying that the toe section of the socks didn’t quite fit (the socks were either too tight or too long for their toes). Neither I nor Ryan, my fiancé, experienced this. As bad reviews go, there were many people who said that putting the toe socks on was difficult. If you are familiar with toe socks, yes, you must manually fit your toe into every toe section of the sock. It would be amazing if my toes were that awesomely spread and proportional to slip right into my socks but this is life and that is a small sacrifice for a great, technical sock.

Value: 5
I give the value a 5 because Injinji socks are around the same price as other hiking socks on the market.

OVERALL RATING:  4.5 out of 5

Further Notes:

I have also used the model Performance Original Weight Mini-Crew. I do not recommend this model. Although it has a higher Coolmax fabric percentage, these socks are thinner and wear quicker. I had two holes in my sock after an 11-day backpacking hiking trip.

Alternatives:

Wool Option: Outdoor 2.0 Original Weight Micro Nuwool 

Cheaper Option: Smartwool

  • Smartwool actually offers a toe sock that is cheaper than Injinji socks.
Smartwool toe sock

Smartwool toe sock

Liner Option: Injinji Liner

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Have you ever worn Injinji toe socks or liners? Tell us what you think about these socks in the comments below!

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Comments 3

  • Dr. Suuz : Jul 24th

    I’ve worn the Injinji toe liners under Darn Tough socks on a JMT hike and through multiple AT sections. Look, Mom, no blisters!

    Reply
  • Georgia Shanley : Jan 7th

    I am a keen runner and after a friend’s recommendation of the support offered by running socks to runners I purchased Injinji Running Socks.
    After spending a significant amount of money on just two pairs after the first wear my toe is swollen and each toe has multiple blisters.
    Worst purchase ever!!!

    Reply
  • Mel Rivera : Jun 30th

    These socks are comfortable, however, they are not durable. Injinji quality has gone down over the past few years. My last two pairs developed holes after one day at the gym, ridiculous. They are overpriced and surprised they got a 4.5 out of 5 for durability after one hike. Buyer beware.

    Reply

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