HJ Hall have been making hosiery in Britain since 1882. I am not sure I’d ever heard of them, although I expect I have seen plenty of H J Hall-clad feet in my time, mostly on men’s feet. H J Hall also make the claim to fame of creating the first “indestructible” sock. In 1958, a sock made from heavy-duty nylon was guaranteed to be unshrinkable and unstretchable. You might recall them being tested on consumer TV programme That’s Life.

Other great creations have been the “soft top” sock. Peter Jones partnered H J Hall to develop a stripy sock range. And Ben Fogle gave his name to  sock range.  And then, in 2007, the ProTrek sock was tested by Team Horizon in the challenging Polar Race. Despite temperatures of -50C, the team where the only ones not to suffer blisters. And this is why I’m writing about H J Hall socks.

H J Hall ProTrek walking socks

I was sent a few pairs of ProTrek socks to try. I “met” LoveHJSocks on Twitter and they have been keen to spread the word about their outdoor and ProTrek socks. The technical range of socks are lovely and come with a long list of impressive qualities such as great cushioning and support. They can be bought in various levels of warmth, from lighter weight to heavy weight.

The socks that I most like are the ProTrek Technical 4 Dual Skin walking socks. I can honestly say these are very, very comfortable socks indeed.

Pulling on new walking socks should always feel wonderfully cushioned and comfortable, which you get with the Dual Skin socks. But this doesn’t always last after several washes. However, whenever I pull on the ProTrek Technical 4 Dual Skin walking socks they feel so “homely”, warm, inviting and comfy.

I also like the support offered by the socks at the arch and ankle. It makes the socks feel like a second cosy skin. And the “double comfort top” to the socks is an ingenious extra feature. This offers extra cosiness around the shin, which is where I often feel chilled.

I have worn the socks on a very wet mountain walking day and despite waterlogged boots my feet stayed fairly warm and I didn’t suffer any rubs or blisters.  And I have enjoyed wearing them on warmer spring days to walk the dog. The socks claim to be breathable and certainly I’ve not suffered sweaty feet while wearing them.

I have also chosen to wear these socks over any others on cold days sitting at my desk in our house. I have refused to put the heating on despite it being close to 2C indoors but my feet have remained toasty warm inside the H J Hall socks and my furry slippers.

If you are looking for a fantastic quality of walking sock that ticks a host of features I recommend H J Hall. They have been making socks for some 130 years so you would imagine they know a thing or two about socks, wouldn’t you? I think they do!