Cycling socks tend to be very lightweight. I've generally not particularly liked cycling specific socks that are all synthetic (e.g. DeFeet) but wool mix lightweight socks are very comfortable and dry quickly.

I usually travel with two pairs of bike shorts that I wash in the shower and alternate (since they don't usually dry enough overnight), but I like clean, dry socks, and socks are small, so I usually pack enough socks for as many days as I'll be gone plus a few in case of rain or something.

I use Tilley socks. Yes they make other things then hats. They have dress and hiking weight in men's socks and both dry overnight.

Shak

Never under-estimate the drying power of a few sheets of newspaper - inside boots, shoes, socks, and yes, even tucked around the chamois in a pair of bike shorts. (I'm not a big fan of damp cycling shorts on a chilly morning...)

I've done it for shoes, never for chamois, but if I'm bringing shoes (as opposed to riding in the gym) I have some nice shoe dryers that leave them not only dry, but toasty warm.

quick dry
 

Hi Folks
You can usually find Dr Scholls sox at Walmart -- aimed at diabetics, that are essentially the same as all these hyper-expensive micro-fiber stuff. They dry overnight.

Good deal!

Thanks for posting this thread. Socks are the chink in my travel armor. I've got my Ex Officio undies, I've got my quick dry shirts, I've got some (reasonably) quick dry pants, but no quick dry socks currently. I usually travel with nice thick cotton socks (for the comfort of cotton), but they can be slow to dry.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but I know nothing about merino wool socks. Do you need to watch out for moths when storing these? Will moths enjoy munching on this material? If so, how do you store them between trips?

(I sense that this may be a good holiday present that I can suggest to my wife.)

IME, I have never had a moth issue with any kind of wool, including my multiple pairs of Smart wool socks. Ask folks at work or neighbors and friends, but it has been years since I've heard of anyone having a moth problem, actually.

All of my wool gear is stored in closets or drawers with similar non-wool gear. No cedar, no moth balls, no problems.

Maybe my sweaters are more tasty than yours. I've had a couple of nice sized holes in a few wool sweaters, so I now store all wool sweaters in sealed plastic containers.

I've never had a suit ruined, but I keep do store cedar blocks along with any suits that contain wool.

Wow! I guess you better store the socks the same way then.

I have one smartwool shirt with a small hole in it, but no clue if it's moths or my clumsiness ;-) No problem with any of my socks - my socks are in drawers, no cedar in there. Though I do keep a couple of socks of cedar shavings in my closets, they're not all that potent because I haven't replaced in quite a while.

If you know that you have moth issues, then certainly any of your wool should be protected. But if you already have cedar in your closet.....Maybe just buy/make and extra sachet for your sock drawer and call it a day. In general, I don't treat my smartwool socks any differently than cotton or other socks.

I do wash my smartwool clothing in cold water, delicate cycle, air dry - that's more to prevent shrinkage than anything else....

Especially with the heavy hiking socks, if you wash in warm water/normal cycle, you shorten the lifespan of the elastic. I have some old standard hiking socks that I refuse to give up on. The elastic in the cuffs has given up and I look like I'm wearing Jane Fonda leg-warmers with my hiking boots (I favor low boots).

I've transitioned over the last couple of months to using almost exclusively merino socks - specifically, these: http://www.rei.com/product/856653/re...-quarter-socks . They are conveniently on sale now.

The only time I've not worn these is when I've worn my one pair of the crew-length version of these, and one week when I'd gone through all four pairs and didn't feel like doing laundry. I ended up reverting to the old cotton / synthetic socks for a week while I procrastinated. I can and do handwash these and dry overnight while traveling. Machine wash cold, dry on low.

These are 'ultralight' but feel quite comfortable to me.

Comfort vs Temperature / Weather:
I took two pair to Costa Rica / Nicaragua in September (69-89F), and am wearing the same socks in our current NW US weather (40-55F, rainy). Until yesterday, I was wearing the same shoes I wore in CR. My feet stayed cool in CR, chilly but not uncomfortably cold when doused in cold rain here.

Odor-wise, they develop the same pong as other socks. They just take longer. 1 day in cotton socks = 1-3 days in synthetic = 3-5 days in these.

My days of buying 6-packs of socks at *Mart are over. Only problem is I need to actually keep track of the wool socks, because 1 pair is the price of 6 cheap synthetic or cotton pairs.

I'm sold on merino. The l/s and s/s t-shirts I've acquired are fantastic.

Next up, underwear. Those are really pricy, but at some point I'll acquire a few pairs.

I agree on Icebreakers. I recently packed 3 weeks into a carryon and took two pairs of Icebreaker thin wool socks. I really only needed one pair. They do dry very quickly; I would wash them just before bed, roll in a towel and squeeze, hang or lay flat overnight, and they were dry by morning. (For reference, my "hiking" was 8-12 hours per day, mostly cobblestone and paved streets, with one day of true forest hiking around the Kingswood in Challock.)

My favorite pair of Icebreakers are the thinnest ones: Multisport Ultralite Mini Socks. They're lightly supportive and kept my feet cool and comfortable. They don't have the cushioning of thicker socks, but that's not necessary with the right shoes/insoles. They were perfect for September in London/Madrid, though a bit hot for Italy.

Alternatively, the Multisport Light Mini Socks do have light cushioning, but I found these to be a little too thick and my toes constantly felt like they were bathed in sweat. And I left the Hike Light Mini Socks at home because they felt like winter socks to me (and I'm from Alaska!).

I second the Tiilley socks. The other trick I use once I have wrung the socks out I then wrap them tightly in towel to absorb additional moisture.