Many of you may not know the name Swiftwick socks. They are relatively new to the performance sock market, but they are a fantastic company located in middle Tennessee, and they are manufactured in the the USA in the small town of Cleveland, Tennessee. Their products are used by athletes in running, bicycling, and notably on the PGA tour. I was introduced to their socks about 2 years ago while training for my first ultramarathon (50K). I had been wearing a synthetic sock, but kept getting hot spots on my feet. A friend suggested I check out a wool sock. I tried the Swiftwick Pursuit Sevens and had zero problems. The race I ran left my feet wet for the better part of 6 hours. At the end of the race I didn’t have one blister or hot spot. I was sold. In fact, the wool Pursuits have been my favorite all around sock over the last two years. I wear them with my boots in the shop all winter long.
Swiftwick uses numbers with their socks to designate the height of the sock in inches at the collar. Zeros are no show socks that are really popular today. Ones come up just past the collar of most shoes. Their line of socks go all the way to Twelves. The Twelves are socks that come up to your knees and used for recovery. In fact, on my trip to Kenya earlier this year I wore the Twelves for 24 hours straight, including 19 hours of flying. For the first time on an international trip, I had no foot swelling that is common from flying for that amount of time.
I recently tested a few new lines that Swiftwick has rolled out. They included the Aspires, Vibe, and Pulse socks. Of the three, the Aspire are my absolute favorite. The Aspire has all that you need for a great all around summer sock. I have worn these socks running several days a week. I have also worn them with regular shoes in the shop. They are light weight, but not so light that you feel like you don’t have anything on your feet. The Twelves in this sock are perfect for me. After a long day of running, or if I know I am going to be standing on my feet all day, I love these socks. I have narrow feet, and feel like these socks fit my foot the best of any that I tried.
Vibe One
The Vibe line is a great line as well. They are slightly thicker than the Aspire line. I think they make a great sock for people who like a higher volume sock in their shoe. I wore these last week on an 8 mile run with no issues in what proved to be the most humidity I had been in all summer.
Pulse One
The Pulse is a very minimal sock that may be best for those of you who like that low to the ground, I don’t like socks feeling. This sock for me has been good, but not my favorite. I’ve worn it in regular rotation for the last month, but I don’t wear racing flats or minimal shoes. I guess I am so use to thicker socks that these leave my feet feeling like I am swimming in my shoes.
Pursuit One
My favorite sock of all time has to be from the Pursuit Line. I wore these merino wool socks in my last 30 mile run in May. I never had any issues during the run with hotspots or blisters. I wear these socks all the time with the exception of the summer. They are my go to sock for regular work socks, hiking socks, yard socks, being outside testing guns, and my favorite running sock of all time. Before I bought my first pair of Pursuits I tried a competitor’s socks, but they didn’t fit right. The first pair was too small, and the next pair was too big. I wear a M9 and find this to be a problem from time to time. The Medium Swiftwicks fit me perfectly. If you are a hunter or LEO, try the Sevens. They will work perfectly with your boots. If you have to stand on your feet, the Twelves will aid in recovery.
Swiftwick Athlete Troy Shellhammer wearing the Aspire Twelves
Just in case you were wondering what the Twelves look like with shorts, here you go. A bold statement no doubt, but the support they offer is serious. Besides, you know your inner 80’s child wants to bring back the ringed tube socks!
Full Disclosure: Over the past two years I have purchased 11 pair of Swiftwick socks. I was given a pair of Vibe, Pulse, and Aspire socks for testing in this article. I was not given the Pursuits which happen to be my favorite all time sock.