The Alternate Stitch

Easy Holiday Homemade Gift Ideas
Not sure what to get that special someone for the holidays? In addition to giving our socks, we’ve gathered some other easy homemade gift ideas that you can make yourself and give to those you love. Gifts that come from the heart reflect the thought and effort you put into them.
A Bit of Holiday Spirit: A Darn Tough Design Story
This holiday season as you peruse Darn Tough’s website, you'll see illustrations of our socks and iconic images of the holiday season arranged with the real life products which inspired them, all coalescing to help tell the story of a company that has warm and fuzzy feelings embedded in the strands of their DNA as much as they do the strands of the socks we knit.
Staff Picks: Celebrating Holiday Traditions
As a family-owned company, we appreciate the things that bring families together. For these staff picks, we asked our employees to pick their favorite tradition and share how they celebrate the holidays — they did not disappoint. These traditions will warm your heart like our socks warm your feet.
Take Me to Ski Venture
Ski Venture is a small, member-owned Ski Resort located in West Glenville, New York with no employees and a single rope tow. Read more about this amazing community and how they come together to create a place where people can ski 24/7.
Socks, Hockey, & Celebrating Life
Learn what it means to celebrate life the way Christian does. Christian is a incredible young individual happily living life due to his belief that you are defined by your actions and behavior, not your diagnosis. Read more about what the Darn Tough Sock Toss means to Christian.
What Your Socks Say About You
A picture’s worth a thousand words. Pretty sure your socks are worth double that. We all make choices in life, and maybe we’re biased, but we think your sock choices speak volumes.
Let’s Go: Full Circle with Sit Ski Boss Trevor Kennison
Full Circle is a story about post-traumatic growth after having a spinal cord injury, and it just so happens to be about my experience. In 2014, I broke my back in a snowboarding accident, leaving me paralyzed from the waist down. I am now a professional skier.
Meet Champ: Vermont’s Lake Monster
You can find some fascinating oddities and legends under the green veneer of Vermont, the Green Mountain State. There are cursed statues, mythical pigmen, and a multitude of haunted places. The most famous mystery would have to be Champ or Champy, the Lake Champlain Monster.
The Story Behind Our Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee
If you’re familiar with Darn Tough, chances are you’ve heard about our Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee. It’s what ensures our socks are the most comfortable, durable, and best-fitting socks on the planet.
Merino Wool: A Buyer’s Guide
Still not sure about Merino Wool? Check out our one stop guide about why we use it in our socks, learn about the benefits that come along using with it, and the history of Merino Wool.
Making the Best Fitting Socks

If our socks aren’t the most comfortable, durable, best fitting socks you’ve ever owned, you can return them for another pair. We hear the most questions and feedback from you about the last piece of that promise – fit. Fit is constantly on our minds, and here's what we’ve learned about how socks should fit and why.

Making the Most Durable Socks

At Darn Tough, we back every sock with our Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee: if our socks aren’t the most comfortable, durable, and best fitting socks, you can return them for another pair. Durability sits in the center of that promise. But what makes Darn Tough socks so… tough?

Making the Most Comfortable Socks
Why does comfort matter, what is comfort, and lastly, how do we make Darn Tough socks so comfy that we’re confident in our promise that we knit the most comfortable socks and back it with a lifetime guarantee?
Arming Our Forces with Merino Wool Socks

Moisture-wicking, durable, breathable, and thermoregulating, Darn Tough Tactical socks are first on foot for a reason and always your first line of defense. They help prevent blisters, thwart hotspots, and are the first – and best – choice for military and government personnel.

Community Connections: Alpenglow Sports’ Retail Magic
Years before owning Alpenglow Sports, Brendan Madigan’s experience in retail began like many other folks who’d moved to Lake Tahoe, chasing a powdery dream. What sets Brendan apart is a combination of thoughtful, compassionate focus on the greater good with the sort of drive it takes to skin thousands of feet up a mountain before clocking in to work the floor all day.
How to Prevent Blisters When Hiking
To understand how to prevent blisters while hiking, you first must understand what blisters are and what causes them to form. Blisters can develop almost anywhere, but if you’re hiking, backpacking, or long-distance walking, the most likely (and perhaps most adverse) location is on your feet.
The Rut: A Celebration of Trail Running

In 2013, The Rut Mountain Runs started off as a 50k and 12k race. We connected with Mike Foote, event organizer for the Rut, to learn more about his passion for trail running and what it takes to pull off one of the largest trail running festivals in North America.

How to Choose the Right Hiking Socks

What makes Darn Tough hiking socks so good? And, with dozens of styles and designs to choose from, how do you pick the right pair for you? In this post, I’ll guide you through how to choose the best socks for your next hike, whether that’s a quick jaunt to your favorite local spot, or a several-thousand-mile-long trek.

Which Came First, the Boot or the Sock? A History of Socks
We only make one thing — socks. And since ours are designed to last a lifetime, we’re jumping straight into the quirky history of what people have worn between foot and footwear over the last 5,000 years or so.
Planning a Thru Hike with a Dog: Four-Legged Trail Partners
This is everything I’m doing to get me and my dog Lassen ready to thru hike the Oregon Coast Trail. If you’re planning on doing a thru hike with your dog, I hope you find this helpful.
Of Sorcery & Socks: A Tale of Trail Magic
We recently put together a gear checklist, we made sure to ask hikers about their gear – particularly which items have helped them the most and any they thought were unique or worth sharing.