The HJ Hall Extreme ProTrek sock. Photo: Bob Smith/grough

Price: £13.75
Country of manufacture: UK
Weight: 108g/pair
Colour: green/blue/grey
Material: 42 per cent merino wool; 42 per cent acrylic; 11 per cent polyamide; 5 per cent Elastane
Sizes: S-XXL, for shoe sizes from 3-15
Wash: 30C

These British-made walking socks from Leicestershire-based company HJ Hall are part of the ProTrek range and have a high merino wool content which helped keep down odour during our prolonged tests.

The Extreme socks come quite high up the calf, and were most at home in our three-season boots and winter boots. There’s a lace-guard section of the sock which is a slightly more resilient section of fabric where bootlaces are likely to be tightened, adding to comfort.

The Elastane in the socks, particularly in the top cuff, helped keep them in place and there was no slipping down the leg while walking.

Thought has gone into the design where the foot and ankle meet, with a flex area to minimise the creasing of the sock where this happens, and there is good cushioning under the foot, plus an arch support area in the sock.

The toe section is also seam-free to eliminate discomfort there.

The Extreme ProTrek gets a Best Buy rating

We used the Extreme ProTrek socks in a variety of weather and warmth was good, with the merino wool element of their construction keeping feet at a good temperature level. Comfort was good too, with the thickish construction of the socks giving good cushioning underfoot and areas where boots were likely to pinch.

The price is very competitive too for a pair of socks with a high merino content.

We’d recommend the HJ Hall Extreme ProTrek socks for use in cool and moderate winter conditions.

Comfort: 40/50
Warmth: 24/30
Quality: 8/10
Value for money: 8/10
Total score: 80/100

The socks were provided to grough by HJ Hall.