Run Oregon bloggers received some samples from FITS Sock Company this Spring – Read on for our thoughts on each.
Company:
From the FITS website:
Knitting socks in Niota, TN since 1902, Crescent Sock Co. endured the ups and downs that shaped the character of America’s people and her textiles industry. Today the company produces socks under its own FITS name in the oldest operating hosiery mill in the U.S. – leveraging technical expertise and long-held knowledge of fit and comfort. The family-owned company remains committed to its vision, its people, and to keeping jobs in the Tennessee Valley.
Kelly:
Fortunately for me (and our dear readers), my soon-to-be sister-in-law April was visiting when my FITS socks arrived. Two testers in one house! I am recovering from a sprained ankle and my “long run” right now is 1.5 miles, so I needed a second opinion on the socks.
My FITS socks (and April’s) were size M, for shoe size 7.5-9.5. I wear a 7.5 dress shoe (8.5 running shoe) and she wears a 9.5, so I wanted to see how she thought they fit. Straight out of the package I thought they looked small, and they fit my feet just fine; but apparently they really do fit that size range because she said they fit her perfectly as well.
I’d describe the sock as cushioned and silky. They were more padded than your average running sock, but not bulky. And they were nice and smooth, even though there is a structure element where the fit around your arch is a little more snug. April described them as “flexible and comfy.”
Worn with shoes, the sock does everything a sock should and nothing it shouldn’t. The “no-show” height was tall enough to prevent my shoe collar from rubbing my ankle, and there was no uncomfortable bunching between toes or that space between your toes and your foot. While I liked the thickness, you might prefer to keep these socks out of your hot-weather long-run rotation; but they were great for the 60-degree, high-humidity weather I wore them in.
Jessica in her Fits.
Jessica:
Upon receiving my FITS socks in the mail, I immediately took one pair out for a spin. It was a super warm day and, with the socks being Merino wool, I wanted to test out their breath-ability in warm conditions. I used the “Women’s Ultra Light Runner No Show” product, with has the least amount of cushion of the FITS socks. After returning from my run, I found my feet dry, cool (not clammy or warm) and experienced zero itching or hot spots.
On a colder day, I decided to test out the other pair I received, which are the “Women’s Light Runner Tech Low” with a level two cushion rating, instead of a level one cushion rating of the previous FITS socks. This pair produced the same excellent results; cool feet, dry, no itching or hot spots. Being a huge Injinji fan, I have to admit that I will continue to wear both of the FITS socks during my training runs, and even some races under the half marathon distance (because I tend to blister if I don’t wear Injini’s for half marathons). Great, big, huge, enthusiastic thumbs up for the FITS socks!
Tung:
I’ve tested a pair of FITS socks for the past two weeks on a variety of workouts: a near half-marathon distance easy run, a couple of speed sessions on the treadmill, and an hour on the Concept2 stationary rowing machine. With low-cut socks like these, my primary concern is whether they will slide on my feet during the workout. The FITS socks fit snugly and did not slide at all. They are also comfortable. My next concern was whether repeated washing and drying would cause the merino wool to stiffen or become spiky. Obviously, two weeks isn’t enough time to answer that fully, but so far they feel just as soft as the day I opened the package. Overall, this seems to be a high quality pair of running socks.
