Balega Blister Resist Quarter Review

The Balega Blister Resistant Quarter has earned its place at the top of our contenders for its incredible overall performance. A quarter-length-medium cushion sock with everything you could ever want. Comfort, breathability, and fit, all at an excellent price. What could be better?

Performance Comparison

Comfort

Not only is this sock soft and slides on with ease, but its medium cushioned underfoot makes treading over pavement or rough terrain a breeze. The entire toe box and heel uses a healthy heap of material that is responsive, elastic, and cozy to the touch. When sweating and moving, it stays in place and keeps your foot comfortable for any short or long journey. Not only is it great for running, but it's an excellent everyday hiking and use sock.

When long days are on the menu, our testers find themselves rifling through their sock drawer to find this pair. Not because it's low-profile, but because it's so darn comfortable. The combination of Drynix polyester, polyamide, and mohair blends together for a “merino wool” feel with synthetic performance.

The medium cushioning doesn't compress or break down but is responsive, bouncing back to its shape after each step. When chossy mountain ridges or dry canyonlands were in our sites, this sock kept our feet well protected and comfortable.

Balega calls this a “blister resist” sock. With a combination of a properly fitted shoe, we would have to agree. We had no issues, wearing several different shoes during our testing. Its fit, breathability, and material construction all contribute to it staying in place and keeping your feet happy on runs of any length. Whether you're tackling your first mile or the hundredth, it'll keep your foot protected for the journey ahead.

Fit

This traditional sock is true to fit and features excellent architecture for moisture control, traction, and protection. It's a fit that we love and a sock we'd recommend because it doesn't bunch. With seamless construction, you don't have to worry about chafing or a weird fit, unless you have a unique foot.

The length of the sock is quite nice for most days on the road or on the trial. The elasticized cuff is thick, without rolling down over time. The heel cup and forefoot are plush with underfoot padding while the arch thins materials out for enhanced breathability. The toe box stretches nicely to accommodate both wide and narrow forefoot. Along the top of the sock are lines of elasticized material, offering a more precise fit than any of the other Balega socks tested. Overall, our testers love the fit and would recommend it for all distances and terrain.

Wicking & Breathability

With a synthetic construction that applies breathable panels in all the right places, this sock is great for most weather. We wore it in temperatures rising into the 100s on hot days. Moisture wicks away well, and it vents as you would expect any trail running or road sock to do.

Since construction is thicker underfoot, this isn't the sock we'd choose for the hottest days of the year, and would instead opt for an ultralight or light construction. When running in super hot conditions, our feet felt a tad wet after our run, but our testers still felt comfortable. On cold days, it did an excellent job of insulating and keeping our feet dry to stay warm in these conditions.

The vents are appropriately placed. Throughout the top of the sock, all the way from the toe to the tip, it's thinner, with a looser weave to allow for appropriate water transport. There is also ventilation along the base of the sock and through the arch. The large loops of synthetic material wick away moisture with ease in comparison to other socks that have a finer weave.

Slip Prevention

In the mountains of Ouray, Colorado, running uphill and downhill seems to be what we do all day. As a result, slip prevention is important to prevent your foot from sliding to the front of your shoe. The Balega Blister Resistant sock does an impeccable job. With additional cushioning in the forefoot and heel, there's more material to add 'friction' with a shoe, preventing any slippage on uneven or steep terrain.

The materials are still smooth to the touch, but when sliding your foot into the sock, the interior fabrics are plusher than other contenders. There's more surface area around your feet to keep your feet from slipping while the outer material articulates with the shoe in a way that it also stays in place. This is another reason this sock is first to be chosen when long mountain runs or hill workouts are to be accomplished.

Durability

After 60+ miles of running, we still don't see any wear and tear. Other Balega socks that we've tested show some compaction after this point. As a favorite sock to wear of the fleet, we wore it more often than most. The fibers are still intact, there are little signs of compaction, and the socks didn't shrink, even after being thrown in the dryer.

The thicker construction makes us confident that this sock will last longer than thinner contenders, but that depends on how you use them. For trail running, mountain runs, and technical terrain, they've held up and still look new in our testing.

Value

What's better than excellent performance? An excellent price! While this might fluctuate, the retail price is still rather low in comparison to other merino wool or high-performance brands. For the performance and price, this is easily one of the best-valued socks that we've tested so far.

Conclusion

Scoring top points across the board, the Balega Blister Resistant Quarter isn't just a stylish trail or road running sock. It's medium cushioned for excellent underfoot protection and comfort for running all day long. It's durable enough for the longest of distances and will stay in place as you ascend and descend trails across the country. Remember that if you have poor-fitting shoes, even this sock may not prevent chaffing. In that case, read our article on how to prevent a blister.