The Alternate Stitch

A Lifetime Guarantee Starts with Quality at Every Step

Quality was a founding principle at Darn Tough, and we continue to pursue it to the highest degree at every step of the process. Being fully committed to excellence and high standards is how we can back our socks with an Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee.

Follow the White Blazes: How to Hike the Long Trail of Vermont
The Long Trail (LT) of Vermont is a 272-mile hiking route that follows the main ridge of the Green Mountains from the Vermont-Massachusetts border all the way to Canada. Steeped in rich history, the Long Trail is America’s oldest long-distance hiking trail, conceived in 1910 by the Green Mountain Club.
We’ve Got Mail: Weird, Wild, & Wonderful Customer Packages

It’s rare to get mail these days. Well, rare to get real mail that isn’t coupons for things you don’t want or offers to buy your home. Unless you work in the Darn Tough warranty department―then you’ll get a lot of mail. Mail like this. 

Staff Picks: The People Who Know

If you know, you know. And if you don’t, that’s okay. Because for this round of Staff Picks, we talked to a few people who know best. We reached out to Darn Tough employees who have at least 10 years of service with the company and asked them to talk about their favorite socks. This is what we learned.

Sock 201: How to Design and Develop Socks

We take you on a closer look into how we design socks, from the research and development to knit-downs and fit testing. No worries, we’ll walk you those terms in a moment, but first let us show you.

Enchantment on the Appalachian Trail - Darn Tough Does Trail Magic
A group of us at Darn Tough had the opportunity to participate in Trail Magic this July, and this is our story. But first, let’s pull back the curtain a bit to uncover what secrets aid in the pull of Trail Magic’s supernatural attraction.
Hand in Glove: A Century of Textile Manufacturing Right in Vermont
Employees guide goat leather through industrial-grade needles. The dance of hand-making leather gloves rewinds the clock to an era when nearly all textile products purchased in the US were produced in the US. The front sign says it all: “Vermont Glove Since 1920: Actually Made in Randolph, VT."
To Dig Is to Ride: Trail Night with Bicycle Express Racing & WATA VT
In my opinion, the best biking on the East Coast is in Vermont. The best biking in Vermont is at Perry Hill. Bicycle Express Racing, WATA VT, and Darn Tough banded together to remediate an eroded climbing trail that took riders to the progression focused trails of S'mores and Campfire.
Beyond Upcycling: Bobolink Yarns & Darn Tough Vermont
To me, the coolest aspect of this project is that it sets aside the “compromise” nature of some upcycled products. This isn’t a conversion of some old jeans into a bag or a yogurt container into a flowerpot: This is a primary-use manufacture that puts wool waste from Darn Tough Socks at near-zero. 
Barn Quilts: Supporting the VT Foodbank, Art to Plate
What better way to launch the Knit to Give sock series, we figured, than by collaborating with local artists? With its farm-fresh look featuring a wheelbarrow, Holsteins, chickens, and more, the Barnyard sock in particular seemed like a perfect match for Vermont barn quilt artist Megan Beachum at Crow Bar D’signs.
Unconditional Giving: Introducing Knit to Give
Introducing ‘Knit to Give’ – a series of socks giving all profits directly to the Vermont Foodbank. You’ve seen us commit to a few days a year where we would donate profits from the website, which was wonderful don’t get us wrong – you helped us donate one million meals that way – but we wanted more.
The Mirnavator Comes to Vermont: Q&A with Ultra Runner Mirna Valerio
Ultra-runner, public speaker, mother, force of nature – Mirna Valerio inspires us. If you haven’t heard her story, check it out. We were pumped when she moved to Vermont a few years back and decided to get her thoughts on...
Gloves: Socks for Your Hands (Still Made in Vermont).
Our friends at Vermont Glove make socks to protect your hands. They just call them gloves. And they've been making them right here in Vermont since 1920. 
Limited Edition by Limiting Waste: The Overstock Project
This spring, we started knitting socks using yarn we had excess stock of, yarn that had no future to become a sock if we didn’t seek out a solution. Knitting socks with overstock yarns helps us out in two ways.
Native Vermonter, Maple Syrup Enthusiast, Female Hunter: Jamie Dragon
As a woman hunter, it has been challenging to find clothing and products that fit and perform well. I have struggled to find sufficient hunting gear for over a decade, and even the most expensive lines aren't conducive to women's needs. It seems most companies slap a unisex label on a men's product and call it a day.
A Million Meals, A Million Thanks

One Million Meals. This Giving Tuesday, you helped us donate our millionth meal to the Vermont Foodbank. A million meals to people facing hunger, right in our own community. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Family Owned. Family Run. Three Generations of Darn Tough
Darn Tough has always been a company that embodies the definition of family, and that does not fall short when it comes to the Palic family. My name is Denis Palic and I am a third generation Palic working here at Darn Tough.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors: The Story of Vermont Foodbank’s Partnership with Darn Tough
The story of Vermont Foodbank’s partnership with Darn Tough is one that reflects this unique Green Mountain State community.
Quality: The Furthest Thing from Boring
"We Have Yet to Produce Our Best Sock." That statement, printed on the wall, was one of the first things I saw on my first day at Darn Tough.
Fastest Known Time, or Feel, Know, Trust? The Long Trail FKT
When Ben Feinson, son of our Head of Product, went out for the Fastest Known Time on The Long Trail, we headed out to capture moments of his run. But what we ended up witnessing was much more than someone on a run.
4VTFB: A Sock Knit to Benefit The Vermont Foodbank
There are a lot of healthy choices you can make every day, but this one feeds the soul AND others in need. The new Foodbank Farmer’s Market sock is knit to service the Vermont Foodbank, with 100 percent of its proceeds.