We all have our dreams. Some are just more unique than others. Take Paul at (At Least) One Cool Thing, for instance: “I’ve often said that if I am ever obscenely wealthy,” he writes in a recent post, “one of my eccentricities will be to never wear the same pair of socks twice. There is something about the new sock feel that puts an extra spring in your step.” Paul’s dream sock of choice is Thorlo athletic socks, which “retain that new sock feel even after dozen of washings.” Our own Gordon is a Thorlo fan as well, as evidenced by his Running Crew Socks shopcast (“A run without my Thorlos is always a bit sketchy, often ends in blisters,” Gordon claims).

But SmartWool seems to be the number-one ThisNext choice for athletic socks, with Renan Ozturk’s climbing-essentials list offering a very quick and to-the-point shopcast (“Last forever. No stink.”). Deb Schiff’s SmartWool Ski Socks shopcast identifies her as a “SmartWool devotee,” while trail runner Adam Chase digs SmartWool because the socks leave him worry-free about “blisters, temperature swings, itchiness or getting stinky.” And over at the Backcountry.com blog, Rocky Thompson loves that SmartWool’s casual line lets hikers, backpackers, and other outdoor adventurists “look normal without ever wearing ‘normal person’ socks”:

“The camo socks might be for hunting, and the argyle pair might be for librarians, but the sick designs will make anyone look like less of a teched out backpacker. Plus these socks are made from wool so you can wear them all week and they won’t stink too badly.”

John Vonhof at Happy Feet blog lists SmartWool among his favorite socks, but he also recommends the partially-recycled-fabric socks from planet-friendly company Teko. ThisNext member and “father of fitness walking with poles” Tom Rutlin appreciates Teko’s eco-consciousness as well, deeming their product “the best socks on the planet and the best socks for the planet!”

Teko aren’t the only sock-makers to appeal to our treehugger tendencies: Fox River, recently featured on What Should I Wear? blog (a “clothing layer guide for every outdoor activity”) , offers a new collection made from 100 percent renewable fibers. ThisNext member Alison Gannett actually created the designs for the Fox River women’s line, assuring that the “soft, organic, colorful” socks will meet any lady’s skiing/snowboarding/biking/hiking/walking/running needs.

And if snowboarding is indeed your thing, check out Ugly Snowboard Socks, which Jessica Ng dubs her “dirty little secret.” Staviean also slips into Ugly when he snowboards, making sure to “keep an extra pair in my pack when riding out of bounds as they always come in handy.”

But athletic socks aren’t just for outdoor sweating. Yoga and spinning enthusiast Kimberly Fowler loves her YAS wear socks because they’re the perfect thickness for spinning, adding “[m]y feet don’t get too hot or too cold. I never get blisters because they are high enough to protect my ankles.”