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Swiftwick Pursuit Hike Socks
Summary
I really enjoyed wearing these socks on my visit to Glacier National Park! They are some of the most comfortable socks that I own right now.
You guys know I’m a big Swiftwick Socks fan (see my Swiftwick Socks Flite XT Five Review), so when they reached out about their new Swiftwick Pursuit Hike launching this week, I was excited to test them out in rugged terrain.
And what better place to test a hiking sock than in what’s considered the “Alps of North America” — Glacier National Park in Montana? Swiftwick sent me these socks for free, but these opinions (and stories) are, of course, my own.
I was eager to give these socks and my new hiking shoes (these Columbias that I snagged up on sale for $40 at the Columbia Store) a try.
The Swiftwick team was nice enough to send me two versions: The Pursuit Hike 6 and the Pursuit 4 Ultralight. Both of these are made of Merino wool, but also include other materials for comfort (more on that later).
My feet are extremely picky when it comes to socks and shoes. Many, many pairs of shoes end up in our shoe closet after only being worn a couple times because they just don’t fit quite right, so when I find footwear that works, it’s a big deal!.
We only went to Glacier for one day, so knowing I couldn’t test both pairs at once, my wife enthusiastically volunteered to test out one of the pairs of socks while I tested the other. She chose the Pursuit 4 Ultralight, and I took the Pursuit Hike 6 socks.
Comfort
While the Flite XT socks I had written about recently, were a much tighter fit, these Pursuit and Pursuit Hike socks were not nearly as tight. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t your normal socks, but they definitely are a looser fit than the Flite XTs.
I found that these were incredibly comfortable, and my wife agreed.
Even though the socks my wife wore were too big for her (since they had been sent to me for my 10.5 men’s size feet), she loved the fit, especially around the toe section.
Being taller, my wife’s feet are usually on the high end of the one-size-fits-most range that most socks come in, so socks are usually pretty tight around her toes, but the design of the Pursuit 4 Ultralight socks in the toes section was perfect for her.
They use a different type of fabric at the front, that fits a bit looser, and makes it considerably more comfortable than other types of socks. Even with a slightly too big pair for her, she hiked with no problems and no blisters (let’s be honest, that’s the real sock test).
Styling
I think I personally like the styling better on the Pursuit Hike, however both pairs of socks look really nice! They definitely reflect the quality materials with a great style as well.
The Pursuit Hike and standard Pursuit socks don’t have any Swiftwick logos on the top of the sock, so if you are wanting to represent the brand, you probably will want to go with a different version.
Swiftwick even just launched a Vision Six Impression National Parks collection, so if you want to don your favorite national park while hiking, there just might be a pair for you.
Warm, or just right
The Pursuit Hike socks that I was wearing in Glacier National Park were the thicker of the two pairs of socks, and I must say, for being a thicker sock, they never felt too warm (even in the 90+ degree August heat)!
I am always worried about wearing a thicker sock on a hot day like it was that day, however these stood up to the test and were great. It was nice having a thicker sock for the colder mountain weather, but a sock that was also breathable in the hotter air in the valleys.
It’s a good day of hiking when you don’t have to worry about your socks/shoes once.
Sizing
These socks come in multiple sizes, both in height and in size. You can choose from small, medium, large, and X-large for the actual size.
Then you can choose from different heights of the socks, ranging from no show socks being called the zero, all the way up to the tallest twelve version of the sock.
My test units were the four series of the Pursuit, and the six series of the Pursuit Hike. Both heights were great, and should work with any hiking boots that you would want!
My wife wore her Nike gym-style shoes while I wore taller Columbia hiking boots. We both liked the respective heights of the socks.
That said, make sure you get the right height for your application. You don’t want to get too short of socks for your boots, and then run into the shoes rubbing on your leg or ankles.
Pros
- Extremely comfortable
- Very breathable
- You can choose the size, and height of the socks
- High quality material
- Made in the USA
Cons
- A little on the expensive side, if you’re not used to buying specialty hiking gear
So who are these socks for?
I think it is rather obvious who would want these types of socks. Both types are great for outdoor activities, and work well for hiking, walking and more.
The price on these are on par with other hiking socks, so for any avid hiker, this is a normal gear investment.
How much does it cost, and where can I buy it?
Alright, so you like what I have had to say, and you want to buy it? You can find these socks on Swiftwick’s site by clicking the link here.
As of right now the Pursuit Hike socks run $21.99 and the standard Pursuit will run you $19.99.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are Swiftwick socks made?
From what I can see, all Swiftwick socks are made right here in the USA. This is really awesome to see businesses keeping manufacturing jobs within the country.
What are Swiftwick socks made of?
The main material that Swiftwick has used in the Pursuit and Pursuit Hike socks are Merino wool, an incredibly breathable type of wool that isn’t itchy at all. Below is the breakdown of the materials for each type of sock.
Pursuit Hike – These socks are made of 63% Merino Wool, 18% Nylon, 15% Olefin and 4% Spandex.
Pursuit – This type of socks was made of 48% Merino Wool, 28% Nylon, 13% Olefin and 11% Spandex.
How do you wash Swiftwick socks?
Both the Pursuit and Pursuit Hike socks can be washed in water up to 86 degrees fahrenheit (30 degrees celsius), so both the cold and warm cycles on your washing machine should do the trick (but avoid washing these hot).
You can also toss these into the dryer (super convenient compared to other wool items that shouldn’t go in the dryer like 100% wool sweaters).
What does the letter on the bottom of the sock mean?
You have bought some of these socks, and find a letter on the bottom of the sock! What does that mean?
It is extremely simple, it is just the size. This main confusion comes from people who buy the Large size socks, and makes it seem like the “L” means “Left,” and not “Large.” (Saw this both in their FAQ and was also a question my wife asked when putting on the socks, so thought I’d throw this in here for you guys)
Conclusion
If you are looking for some great socks to go hiking with, you really can’t go wrong with either the Pursuit, or the Pursuit Hike socks.
They give a great value, and are made with some awesome materials that are just hard to pass up.
Hike with your own Pursuit Hike Socks
I really enjoyed getting to try out and review these socks, and would definitely recommend getting your own if you can!
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