Walking Equipment and Accessories

1000 Mile Fusion Walking Sock | Review

The 1000 Mile Fusion walking sock can go the distance and keep you comfy...

Why the name 1000 Mile? As you might’ve guessed, it’s because they claim their socks will perform over and beyond that distance without wearing out, and if they somehow do (within a year) you’ll get your money back.

On top of this, 1000 Mile offer a ‘blister-free guarantee’ on most of the socks across their collection (including the ones on review here) again making the promise that if a problem occurs within a year they’ll offer a refund.

First of all, we’ll address why they’re so confident of blister prevention. 1000 Mile make over 60 different styles of sock that cater for hiking, running, golf and also for things like physiotherapy, and the majority have a ‘sock-within-a-sock’ construction. With this, the outer layer moves with the shoe while the inner keeps with the foot, thus eliminating the risk of blisters. By-and-large this will help to prevent irritation occurring, but don’t expect to be able to borrow your mate’s boots that are three sizes too small and get away scot-free!

“Merino, if you’re not familiar with it, is one of the best materials to use for a sock, and 40 per cent is a pretty high concentration”

The reason the brand are so confident that their sock will last 1000 miles is all down to their careful choice of fabrics – a blend of some high quality materials. The Fusion Walking Sock is one of their best examples of this.

It has an inner that’s made from a nylon, called Tactel, which has a number of very useful properties. It’s durable but also soft and breathable, and it has an extremely quick drying time – supposedly eight times faster than cotton. Perfect stuff to counter the usual problems with your feet over long distances on the trail.

"I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more, just to be the man who walked a thousand miles in a high-tech sock which never tore." Sing it! Photo: Chris Johnson.

1000 Mile offer a ‘blister-free guarantee’ on most of the socks across their collection. Photo: Chris Johnson.

The socks are made of 40% merino wool, to keep you fresh on the move and comfy in your boots. Photo: Chris Johnson.

The sock’s outer features a blend of a number of materials, the main ones being merino wool and nylon. Merino, if you’re not familiar with it, is one of the best materials to use for a sock, and 40 per cent is a pretty high concentration. The wool is extremely soft to the touch, it provides temperature regulation and it can also control moisture, moving it away from the skin and spreading it out so it can evaporate faster. The nylon then lends a bit of structure to the sock as well as support to the foot muscles.

Speaking of muscle support, 1000 Mile claim that they’re socks are the first ones to be made with built in Achilles protection. You can see it at the back of the Fusion Walking Sock: it’s a full length bit of thick padding that extends right from the heel to the top of the ankle. There’s also padding around the toes and on the ball area of the foot.

You’ll get a good deal of warmth from this blend of materials, enough for three-to-four season walking according to 1000 Mile. So they should be suitable for most UK conditions, even midwinter walks at high-level, so long as they’re paired with the right footwear.