The compression socks our customers actually rebuy for flights

These are the ones people come back for, and what they tell us when they do. It is a shop writing about its own stock, so read it accordingly.

What "favourite" actually means here

Reordering. Somebody buying the same thing a second time has worn the first pair, washed it, taken it on a trip and decided to have another - which is a more useful signal than anything else we can see.

The pattern across the travel range is consistent: people reorder plain knee-highs, multipacks, and the patterns that do not announce themselves.

The straightforward one

The classic knee-high three-pack is the most reordered travel item we have, and the reason is boring: three pairs covers an outbound flight, a return and a spare, which is exactly what a trip needs.

It is plain, it goes under any trousers, and nobody looking at your ankles on a plane learns anything about you.

The single pair to try first

Grey Stride at £9.99 is the one we suggest for a first purchase. One pair, plain grey, low commitment.

Buy it, wear it for a flight, and if the size is right buy the multipack knowing it will fit. Buying six before you know your size is how people end up with a drawer of the wrong thing - the sizing and fit guide covers measuring.

The ones that do not look like travel socks

A genuine category, because a lot of people dislike the idea of visibly wearing flight socks.

The patterned four-pack reads as ordinary socks and gives you four days of a trip. Sunset Fade and the colour mix three-pack are the same idea with more colour - the flights and travel range has them together.

For a longer trip

Six-packs, because a fortnight away means either packing enough or washing in a sink halfway through.

Soft Neutrals is the quiet option and Pastel Print the cheerful one - the multipacks collection has the rest, and they work out considerably cheaper per pair.

For anyone who struggles to get them on

Consistently the group most pleased to have found an alternative. The zip-up sock opens flat and closes around the leg, and the open-toe zip combines the easiest entry with an open toe.

People who buy these tend to buy several, which tells you something about how much difference it makes - the zip-up range covers them, and the comparison is honest about the trade-offs.

For a fuller calf

The single most common reason someone tells us a previous pair did not work. Wide Calf Favourites and the plus size wide calf three-pack are cut genuinely wider through the calf and ankle rather than simply made longer.

If knee-highs have always dug in at the top, this is almost certainly the fix - the plus size and wide calf range covers it.

What people say when they get it wrong

Worth including, since it is more useful than praise. The two complaints we hear are that a pair was too tight at the top, and that a pair was hard to get on.

Both are sizing rather than product. The first is a calf width that is too small; the second is usually technique, and sometimes a reason to move to a zip - the easy-on method covers the technique.

What sells least, and why that is fine

Worth including for balance. The slowest-moving travel items are the very plain single pairs in the least interesting colours - not because they are worse socks, but because most people buying for a trip want either a multipack or something they like the look of.

If you want one plain pair and nothing else, that is still the right purchase. It is simply not what most people choose - the knee-high range has the plain options.

The thing all the favourites have in common

They fit the person who bought them. That is not a dodge - it is the actual finding. There is no travel sock that is better than another travel sock in the abstract, and the difference between a pair someone reorders and a pair they abandon is almost always the calf measurement.

Spend two minutes with a tape measure before you buy anything - the sizing and fit guide shows where.

If the first pair is wrong

Thirty days, a full refund in money rather than credit, and we pay the return postage. You can wear them and wash them and still send them back, which is the only sensible way to sell something you cannot judge without wearing - the returns page has the terms.

This is comfort advice, not medical advice. The full travel guide covers the journey itself.

The short version

• A favourite here means reordered - somebody wore it, washed it, travelled in it and came back.
• Three-packs are the most reordered travel item: out, back, and a spare.
• Buy one plain pair first, then the multipack once you know the size fits.
• The two complaints we hear are both sizing: too tight at the top, or hard to get on.
• Every favourite has one thing in common - it fits the person who bought it.

Frequently asked questions

Which compression socks are most popular for flying?

Plain knee-high three-packs, because three pairs covers an outbound flight, a return and a spare - exactly what a trip needs. They also go under any trousers without announcing themselves.

What should I buy for a first flight?

One plain single pair rather than a multipack. Wear it for a flight, and if the size is right, buy the multipack knowing it will fit. Buying six before you know your size is how people waste money.

Are there travel socks that do not look like travel socks?

Yes, and it is a genuine category. Patterned multipacks and colour-fade designs read as ordinary socks, which matters to a lot of people who dislike visibly wearing something functional.

What do people complain about most?

Two things, and both are sizing rather than the product: a pair that was too tight at the top, which means the calf width was too small, and a pair that was hard to get on, which is usually technique.

What if the pair I choose does not suit me?

Thirty days from delivery, a full refund in money rather than credit, and we pay the return postage. You can wear them and wash them and still send them back.