How Coolmax keeps your feet Cool

What is Coolmax?

Moisture wicking technical fiber made from polyester designed to increase breathability and wick away moisture making your feet feel cooler and more comfortable.

How does it work?

Coolmax fibers are slightly oblong in cross-section with grooves running lengthwise along the threads. They are manufactured in either a tetrachannel or hexachannel style. The series of closely spaced channels create capillary action that moves perspiration away from the body and out to a wider area on the surface of the fabric which increases evaporation.

Check out all our socks made with Coolmax, great for the summer or sports.

Review of the Month

The feature style for March 2015 is the Technical Explorer Quarter - Merino & Coolmax

Burt, Smith - Amazon.com (January 15th, 2015)
"I have thin skin and these protect my feet from as well as the SmartWool socks that had been the norm for me but they also keep my feet cooler and dryer. The absolute best sock I have ever worn. After getting the first set I immediately ordered 2 more."

Please submit your product reviews to socks@greatsox.com and the winner will receive a free pair on their next order!

Review of the Month

The feature style for March 2015 is the Super-Wool Hiker GX

"Well done on someone finally making a sock that does what it claims. I am very impressed with the quality, price and first for me comfort. I am a building inspector & so I am on my feet all day. Yours is the 1st sock that is wonderfully comfortable. I can wear them all day. They don't sweat & don't ride up your foot causing discomfort.

I bought a pair to try from MEC here in London; another gamble not knowing if the product was what I wanted. Being frustrated with all the fancy  socks from Marks Work Wear, which do not work as they claim. Your socks are absolutely the best. I have replaced my socks with 8 pairs of your Expedition Hiker GX.

 Thanks for getting the product right and best of all it's a "Canadian" product. I am extremely pleased with your product" 

 (Doug Carlson, Jan 20th 2015)

Stop Fearing Smelly Feet...We Can Help!

Your feet contain about 250,000 sweat glands and are capable of producing 250 milliliters (one cup) of sweat a day! The smell comes from bacteria on the skin that break down the sweat, excreting offensive-smelling waste. According to Dr. Robert Chelin, president of the Canadian Podiatric Medical Association, the amount a person’s feet sweat depends on genetic makeup and activity level.

Luckily there are simple home and over-the-counter treatments that can help. The basics include washing feet daily and drying them thoroughly, using odour-absorbing insoles to control smelly shoes and choosing anti-microbial socks.

At greatsox, we have a few options to help?

• try bamboo socks - bamboo has anti-microbial properties with studies showing over 70% of bacteria dying when incubated on bamboo fibre.
• try a sock with coolmax or merino wool - moisture wicking fibers that wick sweat away from your skin and then evaporate.
  
• avoid cotton socks - they absorb and retain more water compared to other fibers

Cashmere socks

Why all the rave about Cashmere?

Cashmere is luxurious and durable fibre from cashmere goats that has great insulation making it warm in the winter and cool in spring. It is also long lasting and becomes softer with age without pilling. Although commonly defined as wool, cashmere fiber is actually hair taken from the undercoat of the goat. The name cashmere comes from an old spelling of Kashmir, the region where its production and trade originated, possibly as early as the Mongolian empire in the 13^th century. Garments made of cashmere were once only available to royalty because the rarity of the wool increased its value.

At Greatsox, we created the J.B Fields Cashmere wool line so you can feel like royalty with out breaking the bank!

Diabetic Socks

Diabetics have special health concerns which affect their foot health and could eventually have serious repercussions if left unattended.

Our Vagden Diabetic socks are all non-binding and non-elasticated using the softest and highest quality wool, cotton and bamboo to increase blood circulation,  and diminish fungal foot infections. While our Arriva line also feature a seamless toe closure, Lycra 3D for soft caressing hold, double cylinder technology and Aloe Vera that last for over 12-16 washes.

New Styles Online

Check out our newest styles on Greatsox:

Superwool Hiker GX Lowcut                                  Women's Cotton Over the Knee Sock 

                 

Men's Bamboo Plaid Dress Sock                            Women's Bamboo Polka Dot Socks 

                    

Men's Multi-Stripe Combed Cotton Casual Sock              Luxurious Wool & Silk Casual Socks
                 

Review of the Month

The featured style of February is the -30 below Merino Wool Winter Sock 

T.Stewart - Amazon.com (October 25th, 2012)
These socks are the softest, most comfortable cold weather socks I have ever purchased. Work fine with a thin wicking liner but are equally comfortable on their own. I am changing more of my base layer products to merino for its comfort and wicking. These socks are a great addition.

Please submit your product reviews to socks@greatsox.com or on Amazon.com and the winner will receive a free pair on their next order!

Socks drive for the Homeless

With winter temperatures up to -20 C, frostbite is a major issue for people who live on the streets. This winter season, from December until Feb 1st, we have donated 500 socks to various organizations in Toronto to help the homeless such as the Toronto Police Services Sock Drive, Ve'Ahavta Street Outreach & Good Shepard Ministries. 
Help us reach our goal of 1000 donated socks this winter season with the S.O.C.K initiative (Standing on Canadian Kindness)

Here’s how you can help:

 

1. Smart Socks - For every purchase, one pair will be donated to a homeless shelter!

2. Socks that warm the sole – 30% of the money collected from the sale of this exclusive style will go directly to a homeless shelter.

Review of the month - February

Congratulations Drema Jorgensen for supplying us with this month’s review, she will be receiving a pair of free socks! Submit your reviews to us so we can feature you on our blog and give you a special gift.

The featured style of February is the:  
Vagden Diabetic - Casual Cotton Non-Elastic

My husband loves these socks so much that he's announced he'll NEVER wear any other brand!! We received them yesterday, only 48 hours after I ordered them, and he wasn't expecting much because his feet are so terribly sensitive that no socks we've ever bought before these have been satisfactory to him. But he immediately announced that they are the most comfortable socks he's ever had on, and that he absolutely could not feel the toe seam at all!! He wore that pair all day yesterday, and all night too. And he excitedly put on the second pair this morning, while still raving about how much he loves them, saying, "I swear, they feel like I'm going barefoot, only 100 times better"!! (and if you knew my husband you'd understand how extraordinarily terrific these socks must feel, because he's never done anything but talk about how much his socks were hurting his feet in the nearly 20 years we've been married! Plus he's not one to to excitedly exclaim about how much he enjoys anything-ever. It's just not his personality.) His feet absolutely cannot tolerate wearing socks that are made of material that is too rough, or toe seams that put pressure on his feet. I reasearched "Diabetic" socks for months, but have never found any that actually delivered what they promised-until we tried these. The material is very stretchy, yet stays up perfectly fine. And the bottoms actually feel quite cushiony. While these socks are not seamless, the seams are "small" and flat, and also made of the same cushiony material, and my husband insists that he cannot feel the toe seams at all, not even with his shoes on. (which is a miracle, and a lifesaver for him!) The socks are made of extremely high quality materials, and the worksmanship matches that high quality. They are also quite warm, which is a huge plus for my husband since we live in the mountains and his feet are always cold. I suppose that might be a fact that would be a negative to some buyers though.While I would have preferred to buy something American made, I could not find any American made socks that even come close to these in quality. These socks are made in Canada, which is the next best thing, to us anyway. And the socks look very dressy! They can be worn with dress clothes, and anyone catching a glimpse of them would automatically assume they were very hgh quality dress socks, and never have the slightest inkling that they are made for people who are Diabetic or have very sensitive feet! All in all, I cannot recommend these socks highly enough!! I just now ordered more in each of the other colors they make them in. (also a HUGE PLUS!! They come in White, Black, Charcoal, Navy, and Taupe, which is something I've never found in any other brand of Diabetic/Sensitive Feet Socks!) Thank You Amazon, for selling these socks, and Thank You too, toThe Canadian Sox Company for making them!! You've made my husband's quality of life sooooo much better!! 

“PERFECT FOR SENSITIVE FEET THAT CAN'T HANDLE ROUGH MATERIAL OR TOE SEAMS!!” 

By Drema Jorgensen 

Now that’s a review. Thank you Drema for supplying us with such an honest opinion, and we are extremely happy that your husband’s needs are taken care of too.

Review of the Month

Customers often ask us what are the best socks we sell. Well that really depends on what you want to use it for. So we thought it would be great to start a featured "review of the month" to educate our customers about the many styles we manufacture. All you need to do is post or submit a product review to socks@greatsox.com or on Amazon.com and the winner will receive a free pair on their next order!

The featured style of January is the -40 below Artic trail sock

Bruce the Mailman - Amazon.com (January 8th, 2014)

I've been using these socks just for the last 30 days. But I'm a mailman in NJ and have had a great chance to test them. I'm walking about 10 miles a day and am out for 7 hours in the weather. Yesterday was the best test day. Single digit weather but we also had a lot of wind. The weatherman said it got to 13 degrees below with the wind factor. My feet were not cold!!! It's a big deal because my extremeties are easily freezing. I'm just wearing shoes cause boots are too heavy and I've been trying for years to find socks that can do the job. These socks are doing it. Even a couple days before that was also similar cold with out the wind and the socks performed beautifully. Good job to the sheep and the manufacterers.

 

 

Happy Canada Day!

So it's Canada Day today and I thought I would share an interesting article I read recently about 13 AWESOME THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW WERE MADE IN CANADA. This is a great read but I am just mad they forgot socks lol!

1. Did You Know Most of the World's French Fries Come from New Brunswick?
2. Did You Know Carlton Place Makes the World's Best Baseball Bats?
3. Did You Know Saskatchewan Makes Most of the World's Lentils?
4. Did You Know Scarborough Makes Most of the World's Halls?
5. Did You Know Winnipeg Mints Coins for Over 60 Countries?
6. Did You Know Hamilton Makes the World's Swedish Fish?
7. Did You Know Toronto Makes the World's Best Racing Bikes?
8. Did you Know Winnipeg Makes Most of the World's Scratch Cards?
9. Did You Know the World's Best Cymbals come from New Brunswick?
10. Did You Know Trenton Makes Tons of Dinos?
11. Did You Know Kelowna Makes Most of the World's Water Slides?
12. Did You Know Peterborough is the Custom Aircraft Capital of Canada?
13. Did you know B.C. Makes Tons of Submarines?

Which are your favorites?

Are Canadian made goods *really* overpriced?

With the recent building collapse in Bangladesh that killed almost 300 workers, it got me thinking about what the "made in Canada" label really means to consumers. There are only a handful of companies that still rely on Canadian ingenuity, skilled workers, and safe working conditions, to produce goods at a price that the market is willing to pay. Unlike companies such as "Canadian tire" who try to disguise the fact that practically all of their stuff is made in China, there are still companies like Canada Goose who use this as a strategic advantage when trying to compete internationally.

The Great Canadian Sox Co Inc. is Canada’s largest producer of outdoor adventure socks and has been in business for over 30 years. Seeing sock manufacturing and production practices move overseas due to globalization is directly related to consumer demand for cheaper products, and has forced us to re-evaluate our stance in the marketplace. As with any industry, in order to succeed one must adapt to the times and find their niche. We have been able to do this by creating a line of technical socks with innovative new features and fibers.

As garment production continues to move overseas, staying in Canada, despite the costs and hurdles, remains a tremendous source of pride for both the company and our loyal customer base as well. We understand that most Canadians want to support companies that go out of their way to operate here. The fact that we are 100% Canadian owned and operated is definitely one of our strengths. The apparel industry in Canada at large continues to struggle, and it is truly disheartening to see companies close down their operations here. Thankfully, government contracts and private label work (including producing socks for the Canadian army and socks for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics) continue to be a source of revenue, which has helped us remain efficient and keep fixed costs low. As consumers we often underestimate our power to change the way business is done, and with increasing competition from overseas we MUST support our own before it’s too late.

Summer Sock Sale

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new website and e-store. You may have seen our socks at MEC or have been to our factory outlet, but now you can get them delivered right to your door! Hurry we are currently offering 3 free pairs of sport socks with each order placed before July 31, 2013.

Great Gift Idea's

With Father's Day quickly approaching greatsox.com has just the gift for all you last minute shoppers out there. We all know that buying presents can be tough but it doesn't have to be. Why not give him something he can actually use, without breaking the bank! Whether it be for the traveller, the active adventurer, casual cottager, or designer dresser we have it all. Check out some of these recommendations:

The Traveler - Lightweight, easy to dry/wash and helps reduce swelling cause by sitting down for extended periods in confined spaces such as on a plane or in a car

Arriva Travel-tec Compression Support/Travel Legwear
http://goo.gl/jPfNL

J.B. Expedition Adventure Travel Quick drying socks
http://goo.gl/cl8Oe

The Active Adventurer - The focus on these socks is on functionality

J.B. Extreme Mesh Air GT Merino Wool Hiking Socks
http://goo.gl/p6BPQ
J.B. Sport's Rayon from Bamboo Low-cut Sport Socks
http://goo.gl/0X9di
J.B. Expedition - Lite Walker Wicking Coolmax Socks
http://goo.gl/lWSgR

The Casual Cottager - These socks are designed to keep you comfortable all year round

J.B Naturals 96% Cotton Weekender Casual Socks
http://goo.gl/EoyU6

J.B. Workforce Traditional Bootsock 3PK
http://goo.gl/avaZK

The Designer Dresser - These socks never go out of style

Vagden Argyle Cotton Dress Socks
http://goo.gl/drgCF
 
Vagden "no ordinary" Merino Wool Cushion Dress Socks
http://goo.gl/C8iBc

Why we love socks!

Let's be honest there's nothing really like the feeling of putting on a new pair of socks. They are perhaps one of the most vital parts of our wardrobe yet are often overlooked until you realize how cold and uncomfortable your feet really are. Or what happened to the matching pair lol! I always say that a good pair of socks is as important as a good shoe and vice versa. Unlike other pieces of apparel socks are hidden but are much more functional to overall health. It can also be considered an accessory offering a simple and easy way to express yourself. This is why we carry such a wide selection. From the latest fashions to the classic basics we got you covered!

SUMMER SOCK SALE ON NOW!

To celebrate the launch of our new website and help you kick off the summer on the right foot, we will throw in 3 SPORT SOCKS FREE WITH EVERY ORDER (OFFER ENDS JULY 31ST, 2013)

Don't forget our buy 3 get the 4th free promotion!

Need help choosing the right pair of winter boots?

Along with the right pair of socks a good pair of boots is essential if you want to keep your feet dry and comfortable on long hikes. Don't forget the liners! Check out this review by Get Out There magazine on Columbia's Bugaboot plus XTM Winter Boots.

Andrew Skurka's inspiring journey through the Arctic!

Check out this awesome documentary sponsored by National Geographic about one man's amazing adventure. Hope he had a pair of these! -40 Below Artic Trail Socks

Winter Camping 101

A guide how to survive winter camping. Sponsored by the Ontario government. Here is another great article with a step by step checklist from wikihow.