Let’s talk about socks!  I was never one of those kids who was like “aw, socks?!?” when holidays came around, because I heart socks.  I have springer spaniel socks, socks for holidays, socks with ponies, socks with ice skating penguins and of course… lots of boot socks.  I especially heart boot socks.

So when Noble Outfitters contacted me and asked if I’d like to review something, I said… socks!

They sent two pairs which I will both review today, first up the Over the Calf Peddies.  If you’re not familiar with Peddies, they’re this ingenious new kind of boot sock that make me think regular nylon boot socks will be a thing of the past soon.  They combine the nylon, fun colored boot socks we all know and love with a really comfortable sock foot.

Noble Outfitters carries their Peddies in a variety of styles for both women and kids.  The sock foot was really comfortable compared to even regular athletic socks.  I put them on and went “Oooo” because the fabric is cool and soft as well as padded in all the right places. The sock fabric is a bit thicker around the ankle and on the bottom of your foot, so you get some extra padding where boots may rub as well as a little cushion for the bottom of your feet.  The top fabric is thinner, and the nylon top is the same sheer, colorful nylon you see in traditional boot socks.

I loved loved the concept of these socks, but have to say that the top nylon hit me in a weird place on my calf.  It didn’t go fully “over the calf” and hit just below the widest part of my calf at a seam in my breeches.  Didn’t really bother me too much, but when I didn’t have boots on it wanted to roll down some and at the end of the day the seam was a bit tight. I do have quite wide calves and am tall (5’9″), so I think if you’re shorter/thinner you won’t have this problem at all.  As it stood, the foot fit great but they were just a bit too short overall for me.  At $14.99 they’re about double the cost of some nylon boot socks, but the foot bed is so comfortable it makes up the difference!

The second pair of socks I reviewed were Noble Outfitters’ XtremeSoft Boot Sock.  These are thicker sock material all the way around, and I wore them the second day riding because I thought I wasn’t going to like them as much.  Traditionally, I don’t love thick socks… but I love these socks.

I have been wearing these socks all day.  Of course that also means I’m admitting to grocery shopping in my breeches and socks, but whatever… they’re so comfy!  The fabric is moisture wicking, so even if you’ve been riding in your hot boots for hours your feet still feel dry and fresh as a daisy.  They also have padding around the ankle and under your foot, so even after wearing my tall boots for 4 hours at the barn, I felt no usual rubbing or irritation on the back of my ankle.  Score!

The material for the top of the foot and the front of your shin is thinner and extremely breathable.  My tall boots can be pretty tight some days, but these socks didn’t make me feel like I wouldn’t be able to zip them up.  Are they thicker than nylon boot socks?  Yes.  Do I think they will be a problem with boot fiiting?  No, not unless you can just barely get your boots zipped up with no socks at all.  The height on these were much better for me (went right up to under my tall boot) and there’s a lot of stretch in the calf so even if you have wider legs it’s not going to cut off your circulation at all.

Like I said, I wore them all day and I would also wear them with skinny jeans/fashion boots or to bed on a chilly night.  They are so comfortable!  At $11.99 they are a little bit more than nylon boot socks, but there are a lot of nice details here and the thicker material means the velcro on your breeches won’t immediately snag and tear it (something I’ve had happen to lots of nylon boot socks).

So basically if you’re looking to upgrade your equestrian socks, I’d go give Noble Outfitters a looksie!  What kind of socks do you like riding in?

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