'Saddle Rash'

[ScottP]

Any time I hike more than 20 or so miles in a day I get 'saddle rash,' chafing towards the top of my thighs. What sort of stratigies/stuff do you use to fix the problem? At work (I work for a moving company in the summer. Being a moving man has pretty much the same physical demands as being a backpacker) we use long-legged boxer-briefs and gold-bond, but neither seem to be items normally carried to the backcountry.

[Kerosene]

Take a look at Under Armour compression shorts.

[hikerjohnd]

I started wearing nylon biker style shorts - WalMart has a pair by athletic works that sells for $10 and can be found in the underwear dept.

What ever you decide on, it is a small price to pay to avoid chapped cheeks!

[fuzz]

A cheap pair of biker shorts worked for me too. The chafing went away completely.

[The Will]

I too am a person plagued by the chaffing of the inner thighs...the chub rub and as friend of mine dubbed it. This chaffing was the only injury related problem that actually forced me to take a day off from my AT hike and I'd prefer any type of blisters to the thigh chaffing.



My solution is only an echo of what others have already written, but let me point you in the direction of Under Amour. The material is very slick, greatly reducing friction. I don't find it to be a superb wicker but it does dry fairly quickly.



I run long distance and this clothing has been a life-saver for that pursuit. In addition to a wide variety of compression shorts and tights, they also make a compression shirt that has eliminated the chaffing between the arms and the sides and the chaffed nipples that are so common to long distance runners.



There are several generic brands of the Under Amour fabric that have been mentioned in above posts.



On occasion, I still experience just a bit of chaffing between the thighs and in the groin area. This is more likely to occur on high humidity days. For this, I carry a diaper rash cream by the name of Desitin...it works really well.

[SGT Rock]

Wal-Mart has those UnderArmor knockoff shorts. The longer leg version is about $10. My problem is that they are longer than I want. I wish someone made a pair that was only about 3" long.

[RenaissanceMan98]

Bike shorts are great. You can also try a good pair of silk boxer-briefs. They do a good job of dealing with the friction issue, and are excellent at wicking.

For treatment when you get in to camp: Clean the area, let it get some air to dry. Put some bag balm on the area before going to bed.

[C-Stepper]

Runners (like me) use body glide. Most running stores carry it, but here's a description http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...goods&v=glance

[flyfisher]

Originally Posted by The#Is10

Runners (like me) use body glide. Most running stores carry it, but here's a description http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...goods&v=glance

Dittos on body glide. I use it every hike.

To help heal at night, I use Udder Balm. It is full of vitamins that seem to promote healing very quickly.

A kilt helps a lot to reduce my chaffing. One unusual suggestion is to take bandana, hold it by diagonal corners, roll it into a tube, like is done for a head band. Now (assuming it is a male that needs the help) pull the scrotum forward by looping the bandana roll behind it and then running the two ends of the bandana out through the belt in front.

This really helps as an immediate remedy for chaffing when the problem is not the thighs rubbing against each other directly.

One other thing that helps me a lot is to wash the skin in that area every evening with mild soap and water. Dirty skin gets irritated more easily. Sweaty skin, or sweaty cloth acts a lot like sandpaper when the sweat dries.

[hikerjohnd]

Originally Posted by SGT Rock

Wal-Mart has those UnderArmor knockoff shorts. The longer leg version is about $10. My problem is that they are longer than I want. I wish someone made a pair that was only about 3" long.

Well - I think Neo is learning to sew...

[Stuart]

Bike shorts have a quite thick pad in the crotch that you will not want to deal with as you hike. Maybe just a technicality, but the lycra runners shorts would be preferable I think. These worked well for me back in my running days and although I think they looke very yuppyish I wore them out of practicality. Functionality won out.

The thing on body glide is that I wouldn't want to have to carry it, resupply it, etc.... Also does it have a smell? A perfumed scent? I try to stay away from things that do. How bout the practicality of caking ot one your sweaty, stinky crotch day after day?

The Under Armor sounds like what I'm looking for. I'll check that out as an alternate to the lycra running shorts as underwear.

Originally Posted by ScottP

Any time I hike more than 20 or so miles in a day I get 'saddle rash,' chafing towards the top of my thighs. What sort of stratigies/stuff do you use to fix the problem? At work (I work for a moving company in the summer. Being a moving man has pretty much the same physical demands as being a backpacker) we use long-legged boxer-briefs and gold-bond, but neither seem to be items normally carried to the backcountry.

At any pharmacy you can buy an overthe counter cream called clotrimezol i think thats how its spelled works well (klowe-trim-e-zol)

[orangebug]

Chlortrimezol is good when the crotch rot is due to a yeast infection. Usually, it is due to abrasion and inflammation from sweating and such.

Prevention and immediate treatment depends on keeping things dry and reducing friction. Lycra/poly skivies fit the bill - whether from Wally World or Campmor (Duofold). Diaper creme, udder balm and bag balm are all effective treatments as each have lubricants and antibacterial and antifungal agents.

[Toolshed]

When the chafing gets too bad, there is also Diaper rash ointment, which I now carry religiously. Works wonders for any burns.

[Rain Man]

I had a case of this problem on my last section hike last Halloween. A SOBO thru-hiker sharing the shelter with us offered me his Gold Bond powder. I sprinkled some on and had no more problem.

Rain Man

.

[wacocelt]

The thing on body glide is that I wouldn't want to have to carry it, resupply it, etc.... Also does it have a smell? A perfumed scent? I try to stay away from things that do. How bout the practicality of caking ot one your sweaty, stinky crotch day after day?

I would much rather resupply this stuff than experience the agonizing discomfort which continuous chafing and irritation can cause. The tube which I carried didn't have a smell and worked like a charm. To avoid 'caking' I carry the single packet handi-wipes which you can get from food service merchandisers.

[Drala Hiker]

I get a similar chafe problem on multi day summer hikes, when I'm sweating all day and it's too humid to get dry. Compression type shorts may alleviate the chafe, but they are still holding moisture against my skin. Personally, I want all the air I can get when it's that humid. I don't have a problem when my skin is soaked in sweat and my shorts are also soaked - there's enough liquid to provide lube. It's when the shorts start to dry that causes skin friction that is the source of the problem.

To get to the point, after last summer's section hike, I stopped at Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap, GA, to ask owner Winton Portis's advice. As many of you know, Winton probably deals with more long distance hikers per year than just about anyone on the planet (being the first store out from Springer Mtn). Winton carries Sports Glide, but he actually recommends Dr. Burts Rescue Ointment (or as my nephew says, "oinkment"). Dr. Burt's not only provides lubrication, but has skin healing herbs, too. It comes in a small tin a bit larger than Burts Beeswax. I think there's enough in one tin to get about 3-4 weeks of use.

[Toolshed]

Wow!!! I just bought a small tin of Dr. Burts ResQ Ointment at Drugstore.com with my FSA funds. I got it for my small sone for scrapes and burns, but I might just carry it in my backpack now.

[siouxdog]

a couple of years ago i was on a solo and got the worst case of thigh rash you can imagine. the only thing i had in my pack was chapstick. and guess what. it worked!!! and worked well. so now i carry an extra chapstick one for my lips and the other for.............. wouldn't hike without it.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by siouxdog

a couple of years ago i was on a solo and got the worst case of thigh rash you can imagine. the only thing i had in my pack was chapstick. and guess what. it worked!!! and worked well. so now i carry an extra chapstick one for my lips and the other for.............. wouldn't hike without it.

Can we borrow your chapstick

Just kidding.... you wouldn't do that to anyone would you

Don't get 'em mixed up