Alpacas belong to the camelid family, which includes camels and llamas. They are native to the Andes Mountains in South America, specifically the countries of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.

Alpacas were a cherished treasure of the ancient Inca civilization. Clothing made from their fiber was once reserved for Inca royalty.

Alpacas produce a cashmere-like fleece. It is considered one of the finest and most luxurious fibers in the world. Their fiber is know for its fineness, light weight, softness, and durability.

Raised at high altitudes in freezing cold, the alpaca has developed more thermal capacity in its fiber than almost any other animal. The fiber contains microscopic air pockets that create insulation from heat and cold without bulk or needless weight. These same air pockets make alpaca particularly efficient at absorbing moisture, keeping feet drier and cooler in hot climates, or drier and warmer in cold climates. This insulation helps protect against extreme temperatures on either end of the thermometer.

Alpaca is 3 times stronger than traditional wool. Traditional wool is stronger than Merino wool. Therefore, alpaca is significantly more durable than merino wool alone. By adding alpaca, Dri-Strides will become extremely durable and resilient.

Alpaca is unusually strong and supple. The strength of the fiber does not diminish as it becomes finer. This means that the LV series is equal in strength to the regular, higher volume series.

Alpaca is softer than wool because the scale height of alpaca yarn is half that of wool (0.4 for alpaca vs. 0.8 for wool). Yarns of the same or similar mean diameter (yarns are measured in microns) will feel different due to the difference in scale height. Alpaca of the same micron as Merino wool would feel softer because it has half the scale height.

"Super Wash" is a century old chemical "stripping" process generally applied to Merino wool. This process is necessary to reduce some of the scale height of the Merino so that it will be less scratchy and to prevent shrinkage. Wool shrinks due to the interlocking of the small scales-they tangle together during the wash process and cause the overall yarn to draw in and shrink. The super wash process has a large drawback in that the extreme harshness of the process weakens the fiber. Because the scales on a follicle of alpaca fiber are so much finer, super wash is not necessary. This allows alpaca to retain its natural reliance and durability. One will find that socks using alpaca will not crush down or stretch out as such as those using merino wool alone.

Be aware that there are many different grades of alpaca-just because the contents list alpaca, that doesn't guarantee the softness and durability available in Dri-Strides. Dahlgren uses only the two finest grades of alpaca-SuperFine and Baby Alpaca. Superfine Alpaca is commonly known as one of the finest, most luxurious yarns in the world and is used in the majority of the line. Baby Alpaca is even finer and even more greatly esteemed. It is a yarn typically used in very fine, very expensive Italian scarves-similar to the Pashmina. Baby Alpaca is paired with Pima Cotton, the finest grade of cotton available in the Walking, Dress Casual, Cycling, Mountain Biking, and Running styles. The addition of alpaca truly makes Dri-stride the most comfortable sock on the market. Add to this the patented zone construction, which makes the Dri-Stride the most effective at managing moisture, and the result is truly the most technical, most luxurious sock on the market today.