I like Smartwool socks a lot -- the Trekking Heavy Crew is excellent for very cold winter weather, and they give loads of cushioning, which is great on the rare occasions I use fairly heavy boots. I can't imagine the Bridgedales are any thicker, and my experience is that the socks they make aren't as comfortable as the Smartwool ones. However, the fit of the two brands is different, which makes it hard to say how comfortable each individual will find them.
I have and like socks from both, my Weapon Of Choice are usually Bridgedales.
What I have found is that in general with socks that if I'm at the top of a size range they work best, so I'm 8 1/2 going on 9 and I find that socks where the suggested range is, say, 7-9 work better than a suggested range of 9-11. In other words, there's less spare material to cause any minor itches etc.
Bearing all that in mind and looking at my personal (slight) preference for Bridgedales it may be worth noting I fit at the top of Bridgedales "Medium", where I'm closer to half-way through Smartwool's size banding.
I think both companies make excellent socks and I'd buy or wear either.
The smartwool is thicker I think. They look it. I prefer bridgedale socks generally. I find they wick better and hold less water than smartwool. I like to wear a liner sock in winter inside a heavier sock.
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