Day 32: Today's Pick — The Most Boring Sock Company in the World

I have, like every adult human, suffered through the sock drawer problem. There were 32 socks in there. There were 11 matching pairs. The other 10 socks were singletons. Every laundry day was a tiny disaster.

The fix was buying 12 pairs of identical socks from a small Australian sock company called Step. They are, hand-to-heart, the most boring sock company in the world. They make six solid colors. Three weights. That's the catalog. I now have 24 pairs.

I have not had a sock problem in fifteen months.

What they make

Six colors (black, navy, gray, charcoal, off-white, dark green). Three weights (lightweight crew, mid-weight crew, mid-weight ankle). A merino-cotton-nylon blend that's about 60% merino. Reinforced toe and heel. Knit-in arch support that's actually noticeable.

That's it. They don't have argyle. They don't have a hiking line. They don't have novelty Christmas socks. They have socks.

Why I bulk-buy

The argument for owning 12 of the same sock is the argument for solving a small daily problem permanently. If every sock is the same, every sock matches. There is no pairing. There is no orphan singleton. Laundry day is socks-go-in-the-drawer day.

I bought 12 black mid-weight crews when I started. I added six navy mid-weight crews six months later (because, fine, I do wear navy sometimes). I added six lightweight charcoals last summer. The drawer now has 24 socks in it, all of them functional, all of them paired in 30 seconds.

Quality

Merino-cotton blend, the kind of sock you can wear in summer or winter. The merino content keeps your feet from getting clammy. The cotton-nylon adds durability. Mine, after 15 months of regular wear, show essentially no wear at the toe or heel. The arch support hasn't slumped.

I have killed three pairs in 15 months — two from a moth (lol, my closet) and one from accidentally wearing it inside a hiking boot for a week (sock got worn through at the heel). 21 of 24 still going strong.

What I'd do differently

I would have bought all 24 pairs in one order, of one style. The mixed inventory adds back a small "do these match?" decision each morning that the bulk-buying was supposed to eliminate.

On the price

$11 per pair, in 12-packs $9 per pair. Australia shipping adds $20 to the order. So 12 pairs is roughly $130 shipped. That's $11 per pair. For comparison: Smartwool comparable socks are $22 per pair, Bombas are $14, Darn Tough are $24. Step's price-per-quality ratio is, frankly, the best I've found.

On the boring catalog

Some people will hate the limited catalog. They want patterns. They want variety. They want fun socks. Buy from Bombas if that's you; their patterns are great.

For me, the limited catalog is the entire point. A small company with a tiny range of high-quality items, each one thoughtfully made. That's a business model I want to support and a wardrobe model that works for my brain.

How to actually buy

stepsocks dot au (yes, real). Order in 12-packs, choose one style, accept the 10-day shipping.

Tomorrow: a Spanish ceramic salt cellar that has, somehow, replaced my entire spice rack situation.