Question. When I travel, I travel very light. As part of this, I bring minimal clothing and normally wash it out in the sink, wring it as dry as I can get it, then hang it to drip dry.

The problem? I have successfully found underwear and t-shirts that are dry the next morning and ready to wear, but socks have been a problem. I have been to places like Eastern Mountain Sports and REI, trying their suggestions for camping socks and similar products, but they always take far too long to dry and are never ready until two days later.

Has anyone had any success purchasing socks that actually do dry overnight when handled in this manner? Would love to find such a product.

Thanks!

First of all, the best way to get excess moisture out is not to wring but to roll the item(s) in a dry towel and press and squeeze.

The thinnest Smart Wool socks I have will dry overnight in bone dry conditions, or if they can be hung in full sunlight for a few hours. But they wouldn't dry overnight hung in a hotel bathroom.

May I respectfully suggest that you might be traveling a bit too light if you don't have room for extra socks?

Use the hairdryer--fits perfectly, and a minute will get that last little bit of moisture after towel-wringing and overnight hanging.

It depends entirely on the humidity where you are and how thick the socks are. Also what they're made of. Acrylic dry much faster than wool, hiking socks usually have some padding and that slows them down. I have both thick ones & thin, wash the thick ones when I have more than a day for them to dry. And, yes, definitely wring them as dry as you can get them with a towel before hanging them to finish drying.

Hadn’t tried the towel trick before. That might make the difference. Thanks!

This may be an unwelcome thought, but here goes anyway: my Smart Wool socks don't smell even when they are not clean. I have worn them on camping trips and they have gotten straight up dirty, and yet, no stink. So I reckon that on a hotel based trip, you could get at least a couple of days' wear out of a pair without offending your fellow man. And they come in a variety of thicknesses, from padded hiking socks to regular trouser socks.

Eek.
My socks dry in 2 days.
Even in the army I needed 2 days to have them real dry.
So I would wash them then put them on my backpack the next day to achieve correct dryness

Now I have at least 4 pairs of walking socks. Thin socks dry in one
night' I just washed 2 pairs so am with 3 clean pairs one used.

Actually, 2 thin pairs worn at the same time are good for hiking. They rub against each other instead of your foot and can prevent blisters. So if you take, say, 4 thin, that's 2 walking/hiking but separate will dry in half the time.

I always use "the towel trick" but, depending on the climate, my outer, heavier socks (which I wear over a thin inner pair to reduce friction) don't always dry overnight.

Perhaps I should suggest that at least one of my fellow posters look up the term "habituation."

When I was a kid, housework was not my mother's shining achievement. Occasionally a garment that was to be worn to school next day wouldn't be completely dry. My mother's response, "they'll dry on you". When I think about it, slightly still damp socks are probably no worse than damp socks from sweaty feet. So in honor of my late mother, they'll dry on you.

@ MmePerdu: I believe it's more likely for one's socks to dry while being worn if one does not wear shoes. I'm not sure that's what I would recommend in this case....

OK, put them on while you have your tea and toast. Ready to go!

Melted a few socks by using the hairdryer method mentioned above. I love Merino socks which can be worn for several days without "odour issue" but pure Merino take an age to dry out. For our current trip I purchased some Merino mixed with manmade which are a pretty good compromise. Almost as effective "no stink" performance but usually dry overnight.

In hot climates I use MmePerdu’s approach - if it’s a little damp it doesn’t matter because it will be damp again after a few minutes sweating anyway! The same applies to tee shirts etc. In very cold weather though, dry socks are essential.

"In very cold weather though, dry socks are essential."

Indeed, and another good reason to avoid cold weather. My personal approach when planning travel is to think "palm trees".

This discussion puts me in mind of a a favourite song from summer camp:

Black socks, they never get dirty
The longer you wear the stronger they get
Sometimes, I think should wash them
But something keeps saying no, no, not yet
Not yet, not yet, not yet.......

In which case Mme Perdu, hang your socks from those palm trees!

Thanks for the towel trick.
Worked yesterday : thick socks dry in one night.

Habituation : same answer to same question all over time ?
Didnt know that word.

Crellston - greetings from Rome. Tomorrow the forecast is sunny and there's a palm in the courtyard. I'd do it except I just got here and the socks are black.

The towel trick is great, right? I wish I had invented it, but it was wisdom passed on to me.

It works wonderfully for all other hand laundry, too. If you are washing, say, a shirt or pair of pants, use a big towel and lay the item out as flat as possible, then roll the towel--dries faster, and minimizes wrinkling.

To answer pariswat's question, now that I have access again : Habituation is a process by which a person’s perception of a sensory stimulus is diminished with continuous or recurring exposure, so (for example) people who are cooking generally don’t realize how wonderful the food smells, even though someone walking into their home would notice. In this situation, just replace "wonderful" with "awful".... ;-) BTW, pariswat, I hope all is forgiven?