By: Levi Opsatnic
If you’ve ever walked into our store, you’ll quickly find that we have a pretty large dedication to socks. In fact, we have an entire wall devoted strictly to socks. What does all of our fuss about socks mean? Well, simply put, if you’re going to be on your feet all day long, it’s usually a wise decision to keep them comfortable and happy. And as we dove feet first into a toasty Men’s winter socks discussion last week, I now want to discuss quite possibly my favorite sock company that we carry at Appalachian Outdoors, and that is Darn Tough Socks.
History
Darn Tough began in the year of 1978 in the Green Mountains of Northfield, Vermont whenever Ric Cabot’s (the current president of Darn Tough) father created Cabot Hoisery Mills. That’s right, Darn Tough is a brand that began in the Cabot family and has continued to grow in that same family year after year. With the arrival of the Cabot’s and their original mill, Darn Tough was born. Now, fast-forward about 26 years and that is whenever Darn Tough Vermont made its appearance.
Since their inception, Darn Tough has focused on one thing, and one thing only, and that is making quality socks. Instead of testing the waters in other forms of sports and outerwear, they chose to stand by what it is that they love, which is very well made socks. As a brand, Darn Tough is very proud and passionate about the fact that they have only made products in the United States, rightfully so. To this day, Darn Tough continues to create their socks inside of their mill in Vermont, and without any intention to begin outsourcing elsewhere. What does all of this American craftsmanship mean to the consumers? It means that the quality of Darn Tough’s products will never be compromised as a result of cheaper labor, but it also means that they choose to only employ those living in the country where they were founded. A quotation directly from the company seems to encompass this idea rather perfectly “We’d rather not do it than not do it well.”
From their beginning, Darn Tough has been able to produce great socks for all types of activities. Being located in Vermont means that their socks are able to get tested in one of the most brutal environments that can be found in the United States; and if you combine that with a precise level of detail and focus being stitched into every sock, you get a piece of footwear that truly is darn tough.
No matter what you’re planning on doing with your socks, Darn Tough surely has something to offer you. From socks that cater to the athletic crowd out there like the men’s and women’s Tab No Show Ultralight Socks, trailside companions such as the men’s Boot Sock Full Cushion Socks and women’s Light Hiker Micro Crew Socks, to funky, cool socks like the women’s Bubbles Crew Light Socks and Men’s Warlock Crew Light Socks, Darn Tough has just about any sock that you could ask for.
If there’s one thing that shouldn’t come as a surprise about this brand, it’s that Darn Tough stands by their socks and wants to make sure that you stay happy in them. Boasting a promise to continually stand by their products and a warranty that is downright amazing, Darn Tough will replace any pair of socks that you were unhappy with or were able to put a hole in, free of charge. Simply fill out their form and ship them into the company and in a short period after that, you’ll be strutting around in a brand new pair.
If Darn Tough wasn’t on your list of favorite sock companies prior to all of this information, hopefully things like their great American quality, devotion to their products, and a warranty that would make those bags of bulk, cotton socks shiver right off of their racks helps to earn them a spot on your feet.