Boardroom No-show Socks Review
The newest next-product-up in my search for the best socks for travel.
Boardroom No-Show Socks Review Introduction
Boardroom Socks - probably not a household name within the onebag community. But maybe they should be? The company is an American thread-spinner that is based in North Carolina. One great quality if you’re researching this company is how US focused it is - a lot of modern buyers would love to support local US (if you’re based here, I mean) brands assuming the buyer can find the quality and price points they need. Boardroom socks even goes so far as to try and get all its packaging materials from the US when it can. It’s a good mission.
The US textile industry is kind of disappearing in most ways. I see it first hand because my wife is a designer with an office in the Garment District in NYC. That ‘district’ shrinks more and more all the time. Not dissimilarly, the Boardroom socks family has been in the textile industry for 7 generations - that’s an insanely long time. When one of the founders (of a husband and wife team) could no longer find what he believed to be quality, over the calf dress socks - he decided to use his background to just make them. How’s that for gettin’ after it? Don’t come to me with problems, come to me with solutions, man! Lol.
Now, what does this mean for Always Wander? Well as you know I’m always on the lookout for ways to improve or optimize my kit so that my time on the road can be just that much more enjoyable or easy. Boardroom happens to make merino socks, a favorite in the travel community. They also happen to make merino no-show socks, a favorite in the Always Wander community of 1. So how do they stack up?
This is my review of Boardroom No-Show Merino socks for travel and everyday wear. I’ve been testing these for the last month, and have taken them on two long weekend trips with temps reaching upwards of 85F, and some days hitting 13K steps in them.
As always for full transparency - I was asked if I wanted to review a pair of their socks and I felt these were on-brand for me. That said, this is not a sponsored or paid article and Boardroom had no input into the content. I do use affiliate links to support the site, but this comes at no cost to you if you choose to use them. Thank you for stopping by!
-Need travel insurance? As an American, our health care system is complicated and your regular insurance might not cover you abroad. For international travel, I’ve been using World Nomads for years. They have adventure packages that cover most hiking and even ice hockey. Be sure to read all the coverage information (it’s laid out very well on the site) to make sure it’s right for you, but be sure to give them a look. I find their rates quite competitive and the quotes are free! -
Boardroom No-Show Socks Overview
Up Close with the yarn.
The Merino No-Shows from Boardroom won’t need a huge overview here - they are no-show socks after all.
But, they are merino. That means they come with all the qualities and travel friendly bits that only merino can bring us.
The goal of these socks is not to be an athletic version, though I don’t see why you can’t wear them in such activities. Mostly they are meant to be a good balance of comfort but also thinness so as to work with things like loafers, boat shoes, and of course trainers. They are described as being as thin as dress socks for this purpose.
Merino is the star fabric here - with a nice and high percentage present.
Materials from Their Website:
74% Merino Wool, 24% Nylon, 2% Spandex
They come in 5 different colors (I’ve got the beige) and as of September 2024 sell for $27.00 USD per pack - but you get two pairs in each pack. I’ll note that these do have a 90 day return policy.
No-Show Socks Features and Fit
Not exactly much to cover on the feature front. The socks are no-show styled, thin enough to be used as a dress sock, and have silicone heel stays which I think is a baseline need in these kinds of socks, so it’s good that it’s there.
Merino itself is a feature - so we’ll make sure to note that here for the uninitiated. Merino is one of the most breathable natural fabrics out there, with anti-odor and anti-bacterial elements built right in. The more merino in an item, the more this plays out. This is also why a sock like a merino sock is important to avoid the barefoot problems - awfully stinky shoes and nothing to absorb sweat.
Here’s a quick couple of shots so you can see the fit - both with and without shoes.
The Performance
I know, I also get a kick out of using that word when we’re talking about socks. But hey, as I’ve noted when you’re traveling your socks are one of the most important pieces of kit you have. You may never have considered that but it’s true. They take the brunt of the hard force of your journeys, and are always locked away inside leather boxes of death. Also known as shoes. Trainers, if you like. So, how did these guys do?
Well, considering the amount of merino in these, it should be no surprise that they performed as expected. You expect merino to have some great anti-odor properties and this being, well, merino - passes with flying colors. I wore one pair for 7 days straight. That included full days at work, and also days walking around New York (and as mentioned, I hit 13K steps one day). I also brought them to Florida in 85F heat where I still managed over 10k per day.
On the 7 day test, they of course smelled after 7 days, what were you expecting! But, they did not smell after three. Now like I always say, don’t wear your socks for 7 days straight. OK? I did that for testing, but it’s gross. For moderate daily use of like 8 hrs a day, I think you’re fine with 3 days on these. But, then you should wash them. For your foot’s sake and your partner/travel neighbor’s sake. This can vary based on how you punish them, but it’s a good rule of thumb. That said, it’s nice to know they hold up for so long just in case you’re in a scenario where it’s not that easy to wash them.
But then wash them, ya filthy animal.
I wore a combination of trainers (Thursday Boots tennis style all whites), Onitsuka trainers, New Balance trainers, and even some summer suede loafers. My feet never felt too hot.
The Good
Right away, you will notice (well, you SHOULD) the hand feel of these socks. No joke, right out of the box I could feel how soft they were. I’m not sure who their provider of merino is, or if it has to do with their weaving methods with the other materials, but man are these soft. I really mean that, no hyperbole here or anything. These are one of the softest pairs of merino no shows I’ve had my hands on, and I think that is a great thing for the many many people that do not usually like the feel of wool on their skin. Checkmark in the “win” column there. They are softer than my incumbent Western Rise StrongCore socks, if I’m honest. (And I always am, come on, folks!).
Next, I have small feet. Because of that, some no show socks either are not really that no show, or are a bit too long. So, what ends up happening is that I cannot totally fill the heel cup on the socks, and they can be pulled off while I’m walking. Fact of life. I find Darn Tough no-shows can run a bit long in this regard. These socks can stretch - but the basic shape seems to be a bit smaller than other brands (there is a larger size too, FYI, don’t worry). So for me, they wound up being a wonderfully nice fit. Right on par with the Western Rise StrongCore (which I don’t think are made any longer, so note that).
I’ll also make a note that these are real no shows. They will only not work in the scenarios where the shoe is REALLY low and you don’t want ANY chance of a sock coming up. That’s few and far between however and for those scenarios, I use Sheec. But that is a very narrow use case.
I really like the high percentage of merino being used in these. In my opinion, you want more than 70%. This isn’t scientific research on my part, but too much of a blend and you lose the whole point of the merino in a sock. That kind of thing is also typically a cost saving measure - like calling a linen/cotton blend shirt “linen” in the marketing. Truth be told you need the other materials in a sock because it needs to stretch and reform and mold to your feet. That’s kind of what a sock does and merino doesn’t do that. But, high marks here. This puts them in the realm of Darn Tough.
Good color choices as well. Won’t blow you away and isn’t going to do it for the Cotopaxi folks (or maybe the Brits - man do the Brits love their wacky socks; I kid guys - you’ll be fine with these colors). But for travelers, I think they have a really versatile colorway set. I really liked the beige that I had.
Performance as noted above. It was great and frankly what I’d expect. I also didn’t notice much pilling in my time with them, which you’d expect after 7 days straight on an inferior product. Just some slight pilling on the heel over the month+ that I wore them, which is very much dependent on the shoes you’re wearing. Can’t say that won’t happen over the long term, it’s wool after all. But, good sign to me. Nothing that looks like degradation or anything like that. I know you might see a thread or two in the images, but that’s pretty normal on clothes and I’ll say here it’s not the type of loose thread that means a seam is pulling apart. Just to get that out of the way before the Internet Police get me.
The Bad
I think you can tell that I’ve liked the socks so far, but I always try to look for things that can be improved upon as well. So let’s talk logos. Ya either see ‘em, or ya don’t. For me? I tend to not really notice after the initial look. But I know some people, especially onebaggers, REALLY dislike prominent logos. It’s just their way. Boardroom socks have the logo stretched across the top front and it’s very prominent. Now, this will never show while you’re wearing anything (that goes for the calf-height socks too, FYI). But folks like what they like and I want to point this out.
I think the warranty could be improved. The brand will for sure correct me if I’m wrong here (and I will update this section whenever that happens in my reviews) - but I believe it’s more of a return policy than a warranty. While 90 days is a great return policy, it’s not really competitive in the space in terms of a warranty. Now, most warranties vary by the details, but Darn Tough, SmartWool, Fox River, etc. all have a warranty of some kind. So, something for Boardroom to consider. All brands are different and this is up to them, but I wanted to make sure I was putting that out there at the very least.
That’s really all I got on the no-shows!
Final Thoughts On My Boardroom No-Show Socks Review
I always like getting to look at new brands, because it means I might be able to introduce you as the reader to something you’ve not come across before. Boardroom was a new brand to me.
The no-show versions of their socks are definitely a quality pair of merino socks. For me, I’ve been using Western Rise StrongCore no-show but they stopped making them. Maybe this was a timely bit of testing as I was in the market for some replacements.
The Boardroom versions are the softest merino socks I’ve personally felt. The fit on me was fantastic (and they have two sizes). And, I liked the options for colorways. I also liked that when you buy you get 2 pairs for that price. This makes them a bit cheaper than the competition on a per pair basis from what I’ve seen.
And of course from a travel perspective - it’s real merino here, and it’s over 70% merino. So you should expect to get your normal merino-fab performance out of them. Is merino-fab a thing? Should I try to make it one? Yeah you’re right, what the heck was I thinking with that. Woof.
For now, I’m honestly going to say these are my favorite no-show merino socks. They work with almost all my shoes that I’d wear them with and are even most of the way there on my loafers if I’m not being too picky. In terms of an endorsement for a travel or everyday merino no-show, they’ve taken my top spot.
As you know I never tell you to outright buy something, you need to make that decision on your own based on the information you’ve been presented with from your sources. But, these are a quality pair of socks, made by a small and independent business, and you should certainly put them in your top 3 to consider - in my opinion. They may just surprise you.
As always with the indie brands, I’d suggest buying directly through their website for best service.
Wander more - and wander smarter everyone.
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Head on over to our Travel Clothing Reviews page for more reviews like this or more travel friendly clothing reviews like the Lulu Lemon Commission Shirt review or check out my Best Socks for travel article (spoiler, these are now on that list!).
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