In-camp Socks

Lots of folks here are fans of Smartwool. They make thin, thick, tall, short, etc.

Darn Tough and Wrightsock also get votes.

I use medium weight Darn Tough and Smartwool socks hiking. I have heavy weight Smartwool socks for sleeping in on cold nights. I do long trips with 2 pair of hiking socks I rotate, and another for sleeping.

I try to keep sleeping socks clean - clean socks are warmer than dirty ones. So I'm likely to kick around camp in Crocs and the socks I've worn all day, or if I've bathed the socks I'll hike in tomorrow, and put on the sleeping socks when I crawl in the bag.

I've also had good socks by Thorlo, Wigwam, and Injinji wool toe socks.

No, no, no. For sleeping you don't want the same kind of socks you hike in. You want them fluffy and loose, very loose. Tight socks cut off just a bit of circulation and are not as warm or nearly as comfortable as the soft and floppy kind. For this purpose, wool may be okay but is not necessary, and in my experience, hard to find in the loose and fluffy variety. Buy something synthetic, thick but light, soft, cheap, and probably goofy looking.  At the upper end, for really cold nights, something like what Trinity links to above may be the thing.

For hiking socks, I agree with the foregoing advice.

I agree with texasbb about the sleeping socks being loose. I usually carry one pair that is exclusively for sleeping, and is usually a somewhat stretched-out pair of hiking or running socks (not super thick and fluffy just because I'm skimping on weight). I do like them to be something I could wear hiking if I had to, though since socks are one place I carry extras, that's unlikely to ever happen. But they definitely need to be loose-fitting. In addition to tighter socks being less warm, the snugness is more likely to irritate and make you take them off (or maybe that's just me. I hate sleeping in socks).

I actually have multiple levels of socks. I start the day hiking in clean socks. On arriving in camp, I bathe and then put on another clean pair, and wash out the ones I hiked in. At bedtime, I put on the bed-only socks. In the morning, the previous afternoon's camp socks are the hiking socks, especially if the other pair is still drying. Repeat as necessary. If I think it may take too long for socks to dry, I will (shocker!) even carry a 3rd pair of hiking socks, because I pamper my feet.

That is odd and I've had the same experience. 

Something I do when I have cold feet is "puff" the warm air from around my core down to the bottom of the bag by my feet. I don't know how else to describe what I do but it does help. 

I find if I do the water bottle trick, keeping it on my chest and then moving the warm air down to the feet works better than putting the warm bottle down by the feet. 

Generally I just have three pair of socks on rotation, so I usually don't have special sleeping socks. 

That's okay, as long as the socks are reasonably clean and completely dry.

I've begun wearing Darn Tough socks for both hiking and work. There are so many different socks to choose from it's hard to decide but what threw me into the DT corner for good was their life time warranty and the great customer service they provide. An acquaintance of mine had a pair go out in less than a year. When he called DT the Customer Service rep was so surprised and embarrassed he mailed two replacement pairs instead of one! Great warranty, great service, great fit and feel!