As Kathryn and I considered honeymoon destinations, our passion for the outdoors and our drive to be active made New Zealand an obvious choice. A hike of the legendary Milford Track quickly became part of our plans.

We arrived in New Zealand excited to meet up with our guides and the other adventurers joining us on our trek. As the guides helped us with last-minute preparation, they spoke passionately about a particular product that I’d never heard of.

While we’ve always been fans of wearing high-quality merino wool socks in just about any active situation, I was skeptical at first about using additional wool for blister prevention. Luckily, Kathryn decided we should try it out.

In a place that averages up to 27 feet of annual rainfall, it doesn’t take long for hard-earned callused feet to turn into wet, blister-prone feet. My skepticism in the benefits of using loose wool for targeted areas of discomfort dissipated quickly. Around the lodges at night, conversations revolved around this unheard of product. Along with our fellow trekkers, we couldn’t believe how well it worked, and we wondered why it wasn’t available back home. The word was out, and our guides were right.