Day 3, off-trail.
Work socks.
No hiking socks in the pack. Just the padded crew socks we wear to work. Here is how that went, and why every pair you buy sends a pair to a Ukrainian defender.
The packing mistake that wasn’t
On our Yukon trek, five days and 55 km off-trail in the Yukon backcountry, with nights down to −10 °C, Christian did not pack hiking socks. He brought the ones he wears to work: our Working Crew Socks.
Padding under the sole kept his feet from getting wrecked on rock and brush. The cotton-rich yarn breathed in his boots all day. And the tension kept them up where they belong, so there was no stopping to fix them.
“Buy one. Give one.”
For every pair of socks you buy, we’ll donate a pair to a Ukrainian defender.
How a sticker became a sock company, a fleece company and more
Saint Javelin started in February 2022 as a sticker. Today we make socks, bamboo and Polartec fleece in Ukraine, and take it into the backcountry before we sell it.
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February 2022It started with a sticker
Journalist Christian Borys prints a sticker: a saint in green robes holding a Javelin. He hopes to raise a few hundred dollars for Ukraine. Days later Russia launches its full-scale invasion, and the saint goes around the world.
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2022Made in Ukraine
We stop being a meme and start being a maker. Production moves into Ukraine, and we start learning how to make things that last.
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November 2023The first Defender
Our first cold-weather collection: a fleece, and the padded work socks people still buy from us today.
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2024Polartec arrives
Defender moves to Polartec: quarter-zip fleeces, a sherpa hoodie and thermals. Customers start calling them the best fleece they own.
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2025Into the mountains
The Karpathian Sherpa fleece, shot with Ukrainian veterans hiking the Carpathian mountains. Our first real step into outdoor gear.
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2026Tested in the Yukon
Defender 2026: Polartec Power Grid, Micro 100, 200 and High Loft, cut and sewn in Ukraine. Before it went on sale we wore it for five days and 55 km off-trail in the Yukon backcountry, with nights down to −10 °C.
Two pairs out, one pair in your drawer
![Working Crew Socks [Buy One - Give One] - Saint Javelin](http://www.saintjavelin.com/cdn/shop/files/working-crew-socks-buy-one-give-one-9016677.png?v=1764650002&width=1000)
Working Crew Socks
- Keep your feet from getting wrecked on long days: upgraded padding under the sole.
- Keep them breathing in a boot all day: breathable cotton-rich yarn (85% cotton, 10% polyamide, 5% elastane).
- No stopping to pull them up: tension that keeps them in place, tight but not too tight.
- Buy One – Give One: For every pair of socks you buy, we’ll donate a pair to a Ukrainian defender.
- Made in Ukraine. S/M (US 8–10, EU 41–43), L/XL (US 10–12, EU 44–46).
Why people keep buying them
“I gave a pair of these socks to my son (who is a carpenter) and asked him to rate them, without telling him where they came from. He said they were the best socks he has ever worn”
“I have abused them over several seasons of hiking and canoe trips and they are still my go to.”
“I served for 28 years in the British Army and wish I had several sets in those days.”
“Tried those on a 15km hike with hiking boot, no problem to report.”
“No sag, no slouch. A solid sock.”
“I was really excited to find something that felt like padding, so that I felt like I was walking on a cushion of air.”
Store-wide: 4.89★ from 5,469 reviews (Judge.me, 28 October 2026).
Questions we get
Are these hiking socks?
They are work socks: padded, breathable, built to be worn hard all day. That is exactly why they did the job on our Yukon trek.
How does Buy One – Give One work?
For every pair of socks you buy, we’ll donate a pair to a Ukrainian defender.
Sizing?
S/M fits US 8–10 / EU 41–43. L/XL fits US 10–12 / EU 44–46.
What are they made of?
85% cotton, 10% polyamide, 5% elastane. Made in Ukraine.
Tough gear, for tough people.
