Anti blister socks

[Gentle]

Hello to all. I'm about to head out to finish the final 1000+ miles on the AT in a few weeks. I've been walking a lot in anticipation and just recently got my first blister (actually about 4 or five in a row) on my right heel.
I'm not really a noob and I've always used a sock liner / wool sock combo and after almost 2000 miles over the last 15 years I guess the odds were in favor of me finally getting a blister. But I've no earthly idea what could've changed to cause this. As such, I've just bought a new pair of boots and I'm looking at some new socks.
The place I'm running into difficulty is the sock liner. I want to go silk but for some reason in my searches online only 2 places come up REI (where there are a ton of reviews saying those silk liners fall apart quick) and thermasilk, which have quite a few bad reviews also.
So I'm hoping someone might have a good suggestion for liners (preferably something with very minimal seams).
Also I was wondering if anyone's ever heard of/used armaskin. It's supposedly an anti blister liner. But all the positive reviews seem, to me, to be advertisements. I haven't found any dyed in the wool hikers (such as those here) that say anything about them.
Any help would be greatly appreciated... Man I really don't like blisters!

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[Mudsock]

Wrightsock makes a dual layer sock that is guaranteed to prevent blisters. http://wrightsock.myshopify.com/page...blister-system

They look like a quality product. I will try a pair when something I have wears out. I currently use wool liner with a wool sock, or wear Darn Tough.

[Another Kevin]

I wind up using the thinnest nylon or polyester dress socks that I can find as liners. If I find that I'm getting a recurrent hot spot, I'll duct tape the skin in that spot before starting out. With merino socks, I generally don't bother with liners unless I'm using a vapor barrier in winter.

[daddytwosticks]

I'm giving Wright socks a second try this year. A few years ago, I tried a pair and loved them. Very comfortable and no blisters. However, they wore out very quickly. We'll see if I get the same results this time. Hope this pair lasts longer.

I also like to use two pair of poly sock liners in the warmer months. No blisters and they keep my sweaty feet cooler.

[Gentle]

Thanks guys! I just grabbed a couple pair of the Wright socks in the adventure style. Hopefully they get me from Va->Ga. I appreciate the help from the bottom of my souls (& heels). Hope to see y'all out there!

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[saltysack]

Try bodyglide...I love DT socks but still get blisters between my toes...lil bodyglide every morning=no blisters...easier than leucotape.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Water Rat]

BodyGlide and Darn Tough no-show socks for me.

I did just try a (gift) pair of Feetures Elite and I was not nearly as impressed with them. Granted it is tough for another brand of sock to stack up to a favorite! The Feetures Elite is a comfy sock, didn't budge on my foot (so no friction issues), they wick moisture, but I am not the biggest fan of the polyester-nylon-spandex materials. While they wick moisture, they (of course) didn't breathe like my Darn Toughs. This made me worry a little bit about too much sweating and possible resulting foot issues. Easily solved by airing my feet during breaks, but not something I want to have to do more often, in warmer weather. The fabric also "pilled" a little after just one use. IMO they would be fine for day hikes, but they did not contain the odor like my wool socks. I will most likely keep these in the rotation for later fall and spring day hikes where the temps are on the cool side. This would not be my go-to sock for a thru-hike.

[RockDoc]

I don't think that just bodyglide is enough to prevent heel blisters on a long day hiking.

In my experience (since the 1970's) the best way to prevent heel blisters is to apply wide (at least 1") athletic tape to the heel area, and let the sliding happen on that. It sticks better if you apply tincture of benzoin solution first. Personally I wouldn't use duct tape for that...
If you get toe blisters, buy injini toe socks.

Plenty of other tips in "Fixing your feet" book by Vonhof.

[Dogwood]

Several things can be the cause of and contribute to blisters so I question marketing that predisposes no blisters etc as a result of purchasing a "special anti blister" sock as "the answer."

I used to get those heel blisters(on the bottoms near the side) as a less experienced hiker, not having toughened up feet, poor hot spot management, improper fitting shoes/foot beds/socks, certain types of rocky roly poly terrain, improper balance, not giving enough attention to foot placement, using less breathable shoes especially in warm weather(No need to always wear boots especially thicker leather ones especially with UL loads), not applying anti-friction balm and not considering everything as a system on my feet(socks, shoes, gaiters, anti friction balm, moisturizer, etc) or what I'm doing.

For me, most of the time I get foot hotspots that develop into blisters, which is rare as another regular non-Newbie LD hiker, its's not because of the sock. It's because something else has recently changed or that I'm readapting to such as different model shoe, size shoe, sloppy fit(RARE), different foot bed/orthotic, lack of good heel cup, lacing system, weather, skin on feet has lost some of it's backpacking character that prevents blisters, very rocky terrain where I'm rolling my ankles often, increased pack wt significantly, upped MPD, etc.

I do stick to 68% or greater highly wicking merino socks of various wts(cushioning) 90% of the time using ankle/low calf height socks with more breathable trail runners and always use some type of anti friction balm on feet especially in warm weather and when having not LD hiked for awhile. Of course all socks have incorporated more breathable and/or more supportive panels AND THEY FIT(don't bunch up, sag, or constrict). Going to properly fitting light wt trail runners and reducing the haul wt for most hikes has helped immensely avoiding blisters.

As Rock Doc said if heel blisters are recurring I tape my whole heel. Duct tape, NO! Leucotape or if my shoe in the heel is voluminous enough which it usually is I wrap a thin ACE bandage loosely around heel and ankle. Maybe, hot spots are occurring because of heel slippage/sloppiness and the extra volume firms up the heel enough while still letting it move some but preventing the hot spot?

As a regular hiker one should already know not to let hot spots turn into blisters by addressing the hot spots before that happens. And, a backpacker should have ways to do that on trail. Taking care of feet as a hiker should be Goal #1.

[Toolumpy]

Darn tough socks, no blisters at all, even wear at work in steel toed boots walking and reading meters, very comfortable.

[Smithwick]

Darn Tough socks and silk liners. No blisters or feet trouble of any kind.

[AlyontheAT2016]

Wool socks with Injinji toe sock liners


sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Huli]

Wool socks with Injinji toe sock liners


sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

+1
I use darn tough wool socks over injinji merino liners. Just the liners when it is above 40.

[squeezebox]

What about anti-persparent instead of body glide. Should help with a bit of the bacteria issue.

[nsherry61]

The most consistently successful heal blister treatment I've seen over the years is a strip of tape over the heal as a preventative as suggested by RockDoc above. In recent years, I have found that climber's tape works significantly better than athletic tape because, although it looks identical, the climber's tape is much stickier than athletic tape and yet doesn't ooze glue like Leukotape and ducktape tend to.

As for toe blisters, it's hard to beat skin lube. For me, Injini socks and/or tape just transfer the blisters to another nearby location irritated by the edge of the tape or the alternative rubbing location from the toe socks. Blody Glide has name recognition. My favorite lube is actually chamois cream that is made for use on your butt when cycling. Chamois cream lasts longer than Body Glide. I will typically treat my toes every 8-10 miles or so to keep them happy all day.

[nsherry61]

What about anti-persparent instead of body glide. . .

Antiperspirant will help with blisters if the cause is excessive sweating/moisture. In my case, the problem is not excessive moisture, it is just skin friction and/or shoe slippage.

[Spiffyguy]

I love my Wrightsocks for trail runners. No blisters. Best socks I have tried. I just wish they made a set a little thicker for my winter boots.

[Another Kevin]

Antiperspirant will help with blisters if the cause is excessive sweating/moisture. In my case, the problem is not excessive moisture, it is just skin friction and/or shoe slippage.

For dealng with excessively wet conditions, I like Gurney Goo. Wax your feet with it at bedtime and touch it up in the morning. It doesn't clog the pores too badly, and water just beads up on your skin after you apply it. It's got tea tree oil as one of its ingredients, so it's mildly antimicrobial, too. I've heard that Bonnie's Balms Climber Salve and Burt's Bees Res-Q-Ointment are similarly effective, but I've not tried either.

[turtle fast]

Sounds like increased foot sweat. It could be that your footwear is too loose and not tied tight enough to keep your heel in place and causing foot movement in the boot. And/Or your boot footbed insert broke down and increased space in the boot causing heel movement. I would check into the boot to check if the footbed is still functioning, or compacted-and needs replacement.

[AntiBlister]

Hello to all. I'm about to head out to finish the final 1000+ miles on the AT in a few weeks. I've been walking a lot in anticipation and just recently got my first blister (actually about 4 or five in a row) on my right heel.
I'm not really a noob and I've always used a sock liner / wool sock combo and after almost 2000 miles over the last 15 years I guess the odds were in favor of me finally getting a blister. But I've no earthly idea what could've changed to cause this. As such, I've just bought a new pair of boots and I'm looking at some new socks.
The place I'm running into difficulty is the sock liner. I want to go silk but for some reason in my searches online only 2 places come up REI (where there are a ton of reviews saying those silk liners fall apart quick) and thermasilk, which have quite a few bad reviews also.
So I'm hoping someone might have a good suggestion for liners (preferably something with very minimal seams).
Also I was wondering if anyone's ever heard of/used armaskin. It's supposedly an anti blister liner. But all the positive reviews seem, to me, to be advertisements. I haven't found any dyed in the wool hikers (such as those here) that say anything about them.
Any help would be greatly appreciated... Man I really don't like blisters!

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

Hi Gentle Since you asked about Armaskin, couldn't resist a reply. Up front, I sell Armaskin, so I'm biased. While Turtle Fast is likely on track with possible reasons for your old boots giving trouble, now that you have new boots your feet will likely take time to adjust and in the meantime be a bit more blister prone.

While our website has many relevant testimonials, it seems that unless you try for yourself you'll never be sure. So happy to send you a pair for your upcoming AT final stage. We do mail from Australia so you need to be quick to be in time for your final leg. Hope to hear from you. In any case wishing you the best. AntiBlister