Socks

This deserves its own category. Remember what I was saying about merino wool? It cut its teeth in the sock market.

The day I bought a pair of these, I threw out all my white cotton gym socks and replaced them with merino socks. Seriously, there is nothing more comfortable for your feet. It absorbs sweat, so they don't feel clammy, warming in cold weather and cooling in warm weather, dries quickly, and even insulates when wet (within limits). It is also soft and plush, doesn't itch and actually gets softer with extended use. If I haven't convinced you yet, they are also odor-free. It takes about a week of heavy use for them to retain any odor, and if you air them out overnight, they will be like-new by morning. Oh yeah, seamless toes.

There are a million brands out there, Smartwool being the biggest. They have a rather extensive line (do they really need separate socks for snowboarding vs. skiing?) I'm a fan of their "Adrenaline" series for warm weather. I've also used Patagonia and Dahlgren and have been satisfied with all of them.

You won't be able to find a sock out there that works both in summer and winter weather. It will simply be too thick or thin for all purposes. My solution was to buy light to midweight hiking socks, and just wear 2 pairs in winter. This could get a little stuffy in all but cold weather, but I think layering is better than buying twice as many socks you can only use half the time.

Tip: after sink washing, hang the socks by their toes. The water will drain to the ankle and calf area. If they're not quite dry by morning, this is better than having leftover moisture in the toe area where it will be inside a shoe and will have trouble drying out.