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A zip-top bag, a cup of water and five minutes. How to wash merino socks on the trail, and the days when airing them is the better call.

Fine merino usually doesn’t itch. When a pair still feels scratchy, the cause is often the wash, the cuff, or a coarse fibre hiding in the blend.

Socks have been the Christmas gift since a fourth-century legend put gold in one — a practical guide to giving merino wool hiking socks, from size to height to cushion.