Hiking without liners.

[SweetestFetus]

How many of you hike wearing only a pair of thick hiking socks with no liner? A liner beneath my hiking socks causes slight slippage inside my boot and creates hotspots. I'm thinking of just leaving them behind on my AT thru. What problems would come of this, if any? My boots feel great and fit great with just the thick socks. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

[Lone Wolf]

i ain't worn liners since the eighties. there's no point to them really

[Furlough]

Up front disclaimer - I have not done a through hike. But, in a couple decades of backpacking and hiking (including ruck marchers in the Army) I have never worn liners.

[skinewmexico]

i ain't worn liners since the eighties. there's no point to them really

I could add seventies to that too. But I probably shouldn't comment, since I don't wear thick socks or boots to backpack any more. If a single pair works, do it. You can tell what your feet are doing better than anyone.

[garlic08]

A single pair of light socks is all I wear for three-season hikes. I tried the liners back in the 80s as well and they didn't work for me.

[Tinker]

How many of you hike wearing only a pair of thick hiking socks with no liner? A liner beneath my hiking socks causes slight slippage inside my boot and creates hotspots. I'm thinking of just leaving them behind on my AT thru. What problems would come of this, if any? My boots feel great and fit great with just the thick socks. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

You aren't the only one. I had the exact same thing happen until I discovered Thor-lo socks (later, and still in use, Smartwool socks).
There is no need for liners. I think that most folks that use them are afraid to try not using them so they tout them as "absolutely necessary" - not so (at least not since knotty "ragg" wool socks were replaced by Merino wool models.

[Don H]

I tried the liners but like you, didn't like the slipping and sliding my feet did in them.

[LoneRidgeRunner]

I wear liners because they seem to help keep my feet dryer by passing sweat on through to my smart wool outer socks but I do most of my hiking in colder weather than most who have replied to this thread.

[handlebar]

One pair of Smartwool hiking socks (medium weight) is all I wear. I tried the liners with them on my 06 AT thru, but found they tended to bunch up and cause blisters instead of preventing them. Ditched the liners and my feet have been fine ever since.

[QuarterPounder]

I used to wear liners. I quit using them a few years ago. The only difference... I have one less pair of socks to carry, wash, etc.

[Luddite]

I have never tried liners but I can see how they might help. I wear Smartwool light hiking socks.

[Mrs Baggins]

I always wear liners. It's when I don't that I get hot spots/blisters. Every single time, regardless of which socks I wear (I always wear merino wool and fairly thick).

[Spirit Walker]

In the day when we wore heavy leather boots and ragg wool socks, liners were needed. With lighter boots and better socks, they usually aren't needed. I used to get bad blisters when my liners would lose their form after being worn for a few weeks. They'd slide down and wrinkle. I stopped wearing them and stopped getting blisters. YMMV

[sbhikes]

I know what you mean by making your foot slide and causing problems. I stopped using liners eventually, too. Not because of the foot sliding thing but just because it didn't seem necessary to use liners and turned out it wasn't.

[lori]

I wear them with winter boots, so I can add in a vapor barrier over them if I want/need.

Rest of the year it's trail runners and nice merino of the appropriate weight for the season.

[Helios]

I hike in Teva sandals almost all year round. I'll wear liners under my Smartwools in cold weather (34F and below) to help keep my toes warm. Warmer temps than do cause the feet to get a bit warm. Haven't experienced hotspots, no will I in sandals. I'm lucky enough to have very strong ankles and can hike like this.

If I were to wear boots, or the few times I wear trail runners, I think I'd stay with the same concept. Maybe only wear the liners below 32F or so. So really, they are more apart of an insulation system than blister/hot spot protection for me.

[daddytwosticks]

What about TWO pair of very thin liners? I use this system in the summer w/my trail runners. This seems to keep my feet drier from sweat.

[garlic08]

I wear liners...but I do most of my hiking in colder weather than most who have replied to this thread.

I hear you there. They do seem to add a little warmth and comfort in extreme (-20F and lower) cold.

[JaxHiker]

You can try ankle high hose also. Very thin so they weigh next to nothing. Supposedly it's an old Army trick.

[chili36]

I wear liners and haven't had a single foot problem since I started wearing them.

However, like most backpacking situations, individual preference rules.

If there was a magic bullet, I think we would all have it by now.