Why We Developed GearSocks Second Skin: A Different Take on Thin Running Socks

It started with Steigen Socks. And a few conversations with customers.

We sell a lot of socks. Running socks, hiking socks, work socks, toe socks, cushioned socks, merino socks. You get the idea.

We also sell socks from plenty of brands, and we’re quite happy to recommend them. Not every sock suits every runner, and we’re not particularly interested in pretending otherwise.

But over the years, we noticed a pattern when talking to customers about Steigen socks.

They loved how thin they were. The lightweight feel, the close fit, the fact they could pull on their running shoes and get moving without feeling like they had a rolled-up towel inside them.

Some had worn Steigen for years. Others had discovered the brand through running clubs, a mate or someone they trained with. They saw another runner wearing them, gave them a go and became converts themselves.

That’s how good products build a following. Runners talk. They share what works. And when something becomes part of the routine, you tend to stick with it.

Steigen clearly got a lot right.

But we were also hearing other things.

Customers told us their socks faded quickly, sometimes after just a couple of washes. Some weren’t keen on the synthetic feel. Others questioned the price when, in their view, the sock didn’t offer much beyond being thin, stretchy and comfortable.

These weren’t complaints we’d invented to sell something else. They were conversations with people who bought socks from us.

And when enough customers start telling you similar things, you have two choices. You can keep selling the same product and hope nobody mentions it again, or you can pay attention.

We chose the second option.

What makes Steigen socks so popular?

Let’s be fair about this.

Steigen has built a loyal following among runners, and it’s easy to understand why.

Its socks are exceptionally thin and lightweight, with a close-fitting design that gives runners plenty of feel for their shoes. They stretch well, fit a range of feet and don’t add much bulk.

For runners who dislike thick socks, that’s a big deal.

A thin running sock can also help minimise unwanted movement inside a shoe when the fit is right. Less excess material means less to bunch up underfoot, and that matters when you’re running kilometre after kilometre.

There’s also something to be said for keeping things simple. Steigen built a recognisable product, developed a following in running communities and gave people something they wanted.

We’re not going to pretend the socks don’t work. They do, and plenty of runners are happy with them.

But we kept coming back to a question.

Could we keep what runners loved about that lightweight feel while doing more with the material, construction and design?

Not a thicker sock with a dozen features thrown at it. Not something that looked impressive on a product page but felt ordinary on your foot.

A genuinely lightweight running sock, engineered around what happens when you actually run.

That became the starting point for GearSocks Second Skin.

Six months of testing. Not six months of marketing.

We spent the next six months developing Second Skin.

That meant trialling different fibres, experimenting with knitting tensions, testing different levels of cushioning and mapping where additional airflow could make a difference.

We looked at the parts of a sock that are easy to overlook when you’re simply comparing colours and prices.

How does the yarn feel against the skin? Does the sock hold its shape? Where does heat build up? Can you improve airflow without adding unnecessary material? How much cushioning do you actually need in an ultra-light sock?

And perhaps the most important question: can we improve the design without losing the thing that makes a thin running sock appealing in the first place?

We used CAD and engineering tools to help explore the construction, then worked through prototypes and adjustments to get closer to what we wanted.

Some ideas worked. Others didn’t.

Cushioning is a good example. More cushioning isn’t automatically better. For runners who want a plush, protective feel, it can be exactly what they’re after. But if the brief is an ultra-light sock with minimal material between the foot and shoe, adding cushioning everywhere defeats the purpose.

We wanted to be deliberate about where material was used and where it wasn’t.

The result is Second Skin: an ultra-lightweight, Australian-made running sock built around a close fit, a minimal feel and carefully considered technical features.

But we didn’t want to simply tell you it was light. We wanted to put that claim to the test.

The weight test: three lightweight running socks, one new contender

We didn’t want to call Second Skin one of the lightest running socks around simply because it felt light on the foot.

So we weighed it.

We compared three crew-height running socks: Steigen World Champion, Balega Ultralight Crew and GearSocks Second Skin Crew. Same sock height, measured per sock, so we’re comparing the weight of an individual sock rather than a pair.

First up, Steigen World Champion. A big following, plenty of runners who swear by them — and, until now, a pretty handy reputation in the lightweight stakes.

Then there’s Balega Ultralight Crew. Another established name, with a lightweight design and a $34.95 price tag on our store.

And finally, GearSocks Second Skin Crew. Six months in development, Australian-made, and built around our own ideas about how a lightweight running sock could be improved.

Here’s what the scales said.

Crew-height running sock	Weight per sock	Weight per pair	Retail price (AUD)
Steigen World Champion	19.3 g	38.6 g	$22.95
Balega Ultralight Crew	22.2 g	44.4 g	$34.95
GearSocks Second Skin Crew	17.9 g	35.8 g	$23.95

Weights are based on our measurements of the socks. Prices are in Australian dollars.

Steigen World Champion 3/4

Balega Ultralight Crew

GearSocks Second Skin Crew

Second Skin came in 7.3% lighter than Steigen and 19.4% lighter than Balega Ultralight Crew.

That’s not a difference we had to invent with a clever bit of marketing. It’s what the scales showed.

Of course, weight isn’t everything. Fit, durability, materials and personal preference all matter. But when you’re specifically looking for a thin running sock, it’s a useful place to start.

And remember, Second Skin is Australian-made and retails for $23.95. That’s $11 less than Balega Ultralight Crew at our listed price.

We’re not saying every runner should choose a sock based on grams alone. We’re saying that if you want a lightweight running sock, it’s worth looking at the actual numbers rather than just the name on the packaging.

The old World Champion might have some competition. 🤣

What actually makes Second Skin different?

The easiest thing to do when launching a running sock is fill a page with words like performance, comfort and advanced technology.

We’re not going to do that.

Here’s what we concentrated on.

1. An ultra-thin, close-fitting knit

Second Skin is designed for runners who want as little sock as possible without simply wearing something that feels unfinished.

The minimalist knit keeps bulk down and gives you a close, next-to-skin feel. It’s intended for runners who like to feel their shoes rather than feel their socks.

This matters with modern performance running shoes. Many are designed with a close, glove-like fit, and there’s not always much room for a thick, heavily cushioned sock.

Add too much material and you can change how the shoe feels around your foot.

That doesn’t mean thick socks are wrong. It means the right sock depends on your shoes, your feet and what you want from the combination.

If you prefer a barely-there feel, Second Skin is built for you.

2. Meryl Skinlife yarn

We chose Meryl Skinlife as part of the material combination behind Second Skin.

It’s designed for close-to-skin applications, making it a useful choice for a lightweight sock intended to manage the demands of running.

The aim wasn’t to add another feature to the packaging. It was to select materials that made sense for the job.

When you’re running, your feet get warm, moisture builds up and the sock spends hours in direct contact with your skin.

The materials matter. We chose a more expensive fibre because we believe the best socks are the ones you forget you're wearing. Meryl feels exceptionally soft against the skin, so once you're running, the last thing on your mind should be your socks.

3. Strategic mesh and airflow zones

A thin sock can still get hot. Simply removing material everywhere isn’t necessarily the answer.

We incorporated strategic mesh channels to help air circulate through areas where heat tends to build up.

The idea is straightforward: keep the sock light while being more considered about how it manages airflow.

It’s one of the details that separates a sock designed around a specific purpose from one that’s simply been knitted thin.

4. Less unnecessary material underfoot

Cushioning has its place. We sell plenty of socks with it, and we’ll happily recommend them when they’re the better choice.

But Second Skin isn’t intended to compete with heavily cushioned running socks.

We kept the construction focused on a lightweight feel rather than adding bulk for the sake of it. That makes it a natural option for runners who prefer a closer connection with their shoes and don’t want extra material underfoot.

The goal is a sock that feels like part of the shoe-and-foot combination, rather than another layer you have to accommodate.

5. A fit designed for running

Thin doesn’t mean loose, and lightweight doesn’t mean the sock should be sliding around inside your shoe.

Yarn choice, knitting tension, stretch and the way the sock sits on your foot all matter.

Second Skin was developed with that in mind. The aim is a close, lightweight fit without unnecessary bulk, combined with a smooth knit and carefully positioned airflow zones.

No sock can guarantee that every runner will avoid blisters. Shoe fit, foot shape, moisture, running conditions and individual preferences all play a part. But choosing a sock that fits properly and minimises unwanted movement is a sensible place to start.

Why Australian-made mattered

There was another part of this project we weren’t prepared to compromise on.

We wanted to make Second Skin here in Australia.

We could have looked for the cheapest possible manufacturing option and tried to compete on price alone. That wasn’t the point.

We wanted to develop a sock around our own brief, work through the construction and make it here, at a price that remained accessible to runners.

Second Skin retails for $23.95 — $11 less than the $34.95 Balega Ultralight Crew price on our store.

For us, the comparison isn’t simply about where a sock is made. Australian manufacturing doesn’t automatically make a sock better, and overseas manufacturing doesn’t automatically make one worse.

The question is what you get for your money.

With Second Skin, you’re getting an Australian-made sock developed over six months, with a deliberately lightweight construction, Meryl Skinlife yarn and strategic airflow zones.

We think that’s a pretty reasonable proposition.

And we’d rather let the product make the case than slap a flag on the packaging and expect that to be enough.

So, are we having a crack at Steigen?

A little, perhaps.

We used to sell plenty of Steigen socks. We understand why runners buy them, and we’re not suggesting that everyone who wears them should suddenly switch.

But we heard enough feedback about fading, feel and the perceived lack of additional technical features that we wanted to explore another option.

We raised concerns with Steigen. From our perspective, we weren’t seeing the changes we hoped for.

So we decided to develop something ourselves.

That’s the part we think matters most.

We’re a retailer, but we’re also in a position to hear what people think after they’ve bought and worn a product. We get to hear what they love, what frustrates them and what they’d change if they could.

When those conversations keep coming up, we can either ignore them or use them to make something better.

Second Skin came from choosing the latter.

We also recognise that Steigen has plenty of happy customers. Its colours, fit and lightweight construction have helped build a strong following. We’re not going to tell those runners they’re wrong.

We’re simply offering another option, developed in response to feedback from people who buy socks from us.

And if you’re one of those runners who loves the thin feel but wishes there were more to the product, we’d like you to give ours a look.

Is Second Skin one of the best thin running socks for you?

That depends on what you want from a running sock.

If you’re searching for Steigen socks, comparing thin running socks or looking for highly regarded running socks that don’t cost a fortune, it’s worth thinking about what matters most to you.

Second Skin is worth considering if you:

• Prefer a very thin, lightweight sock over a heavily cushioned design.
• Want a close, next-to-skin feel in your running shoes.
• Like a minimalist knit with strategic airflow zones.
• Want an Australian-made running sock at an accessible price.
• Prefer technical features that serve a purpose rather than extra material for the sake of it.

It probably isn’t the right choice if you:

• Prefer thick cushioning under your heel and forefoot.
• Want a plush, padded sock for long hikes or all-day wear.
• Prefer a more relaxed fit and a more substantial feel.
• Want a huge range of colours to match every pair of running shoes.

That last one is fair enough. We’re starting with a limited range rather than launching a rainbow of options.

We wanted to get the sock right first.

For runners who prefer more cushioning, a different fit or a sock suited to another activity, we have plenty of alternatives. That’s the benefit of selling multiple brands and constructions: we can help you find the right sock for the job, rather than pretending one product suits everyone.

If you’re still weighing up your options, our guide to choosing running socks that actually work covers the things worth considering before you buy.

Less sock. More running.

Second Skin took six months to develop because we wanted to do more than make another thin sock.

We started with customer feedback, looked closely at what runners liked about the alternatives already available, and worked through the fibres, knit, cushioning and airflow to build something of our own.

Will everyone love it? No.

Will it suit every runner? Absolutely not.

But if you like your running socks thin, light and out of the way, we think we’ve built something worth trying.

And if you’ve been wearing Steigen for years, we’re particularly interested in what you think.

Because that’s where this started in the first place: runners telling us what they wanted.

We listened. We made a sock.

GearSocks Second Skin. Less sock. More running.

Explore GearSocks Second Skin

Prefer a more cushioned, versatile performance sock? Take a look at the GearSocks Elite.

Or browse our wider running sock range to find the right fit for your feet and the way you run.

Stay Moving,

Jake

Useful Links

• Meet GearSocks Second Skin — Our ultra-light, Australian-made running sock, developed for that barely-there feel.
• Blister Prevention Running Socks — Worried about blisters? Meet our Blister Prevention Running Socks.
• How to Choose Running Socks That Actually Work — A practical guide to finding the right socks for your feet, shoes and running.