Treating blisters on the trail....

[saltysack]

Just curious how others treat blisters while on trail?? I normally don't get blisters but my second day of a section hike I got two....I attribute them to wet socks for both days....started out night hiking and feet got wet after slipping off a rock crossing a lil creek...I hiked til lil before midnight and was hiking by 8am next morn...socks still wet....stopped at lunch and aired out feet but wet socks again....I guess I'll start rotating socks to try to keep feet dryer....I ended up using my dogs mushers secret to lube the blisters up......hiked on....do you pop them then wrap with duct tape? What do you do....


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[illabelle]

I don't have a great answer. Mostly wrap a little duct tape on them and try to ignore any discomfort.

If we have a week-long section hike planned, I try to toughen up my feet in weekend hikes prior to the trip. On those weekend hikes I let the blister-prone spots get a little warm and irritated, but avoid an actual blister, and air them out when I get a chance. This lets the skin toughen up. If I'm lucky, maybe on the longer hike, they'll be tough enough to do mile after mile day after day without issues.

[Pedaling Fool]

Seems to me I remember reading/hearing somewhere that you don't pop blisters. However, during my work up for my 2006 hike I got some nasty blisters while walking barefoot on pavement (in order to build up my feet). I walked on them for a while, then couldn't stand it any longer and popped them -- immediate relief.


That's about the extent of my blister knowledge:)

[Ktaadn]

I put duct tape on any spots that are blister prone or feel a little hot from the day before. The duct tape doesn't always hold up under wet conditions, but it certainly helps. Taking off your shoes and socks everytime that you stop for a break is a big help too. Allows your skin to dry out a bit.

Ideally you dont' want to pop a blister once it has formed, but if you want to keep hiking, you will almost always have to.

[Don H]

I rarely get blisters but when I do I use a Bandaid covered with Leukotape. I don't pop the small ones but if they get real big I'll drain them.

[swisscross]

If you are prone to blisters carry some alcohol packets.
Any tape you chose will stick better to clean dry skin.

I have not had a blister in a while but I would pop the blister, cover with a pad of some sort being moleskin, waterproof band aid, second skin blister pad then top it off with leukotape, duct tape or silk tape.

Best scenario is to learn your feet and prevent the blisters from forming.
The best tape I have found is silk tape. Wife brought it home from the hospital. Stuff is so hard to get off it is silly.
Being silk it does not grab to the sock.

[johnnybgood]

To pop, or not to pop.

As a general rule of thumb, if the blister is not making walking unbearable, then you should let it heal by itself.

1)Using a pre packaged sterile needle, either boiling it in water for 30 seconds or if by chance that isn't feasible , then use an alcohol prep or actual liquid.
2)Insert the sterile needle at the side and base of the blister.
3)It's always a good idea to leave the loose skin flap to cover the blister , as this ensures the blister site to stay infection free.
4) Then I use moleskin, a large Band-Aid would work also, to cover and protect the area against sweat from seeping into the area.

[CarlZ993]

The 'accepted' medical opinion to deal w/ blisters is to not pop them. From a practical point of view, you either pop them or they'll pop themselves at some point. Just the way it is.

Personally, I rarely get blisters (only one on the AT). When I do get one, I'll pop it & drain it. Slap a bandage of some sort & hike on.

Airing out your feet on breaks is a good idea. When it is humid, however, your feet won't dry. You'll be putting on wet socks into wet shoes/boots. Always keep on pair of dry socks to sleep in.

To mitigate blisters on your toes, you can try using foot powder (Blister Shield works great) or possibly using toe-socks (I like the wool blend version).

Good luck.

[Malto]

Not to disagree with most of what's written but....

went tn to the doctor 1100 miles into my thru hike, had infected blisters. In addition to taking care of those he also "popped" a couple of others. But he did it by cutting a quarter inch cut into the blister. When I asked why a slice vs. A needle he said to keep it from closing up. That has become my go to method though I rarely get blisters anymore.

[saltysack]

Thx....for all good info..I got them between toes...


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[Slo-go'en]

New Skin, liquid bandage. The best invention ever for treating blisters. Disinfects and seals. Stings like all get out when you put it on, so you know it's good for ya!

[squeezebox]

Duct tape holds moisture in, a bad thing, cloth 1st aide tape is better. Take the tape off before bed, let the blister dry out as much as possible. And of course there's the needle and thread thing, leave some thread sticking out the edge of the tape so the blister juice wicks out

[garlic08]

Duct tape holds moisture in, a bad thing, cloth 1st aide tape is better. Take the tape off before bed, let the blister dry out as much as possible....

Ditto the cloth tape. I carry the stuff used for taping athletic sprains, 1.5" wide. It sticks just well enough and comes off easy enough, leaving no residue. It's a good preventive measure, too. I hardly get blisters any more.

[misprof]

When I get them, if I do not have moleskin,I put a bandaid in front of it and behind it. This keeps the pressure off the blister. At night I let my feet air (no socks). Usually by morning my feet are good to go. To avoid them I use Body Glide.

[Gambit McCrae]

28856

I ussually dont get them but if walking the rain for several days I do. I just use athletic tape and tape up the bad spots, padded waterproof bandaids for the heels

[saltysack]

When I get them, if I do not have moleskin,I put a bandaid in front of it and behind it. This keeps the pressure off the blister. At night I let my feet air (no socks). Usually by morning my feet are good to go. To avoid them I use Body Glide.

Does body glide work good keeping toes from rubbing?


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[Turk6177]

I had two very bad blisters from sand while hiking the JMT. I tried a couple different things. For me, glacier gel did not work and sweated off in no time. I went with wiping the area with alcohol wipes, putting a strip of Leukotape on the open blister and covered that with a large piece of duct tape. The key for me was putting the duct tape in the proper direction. My blisters were at the bottom of both Achilles. When I put duct tape across the blister from ankle to ankle, it just peeled off. When I put a larger strip from my arch to above my shoe on my Achilles it would last all day. My blisters actually started to heal. As prevention I always use body glide on my feet. On the AT it works great and I have never gotten a blister. I found the sandy conditions of Yosemite were too much for my trail runners without gaiters.

[squeezebox]

I've heard of folks using a thin layer of vasoline on their feet. I'm thinking less friction,lubrication, as well as some waterproofing. Your experience?

[AO2134]

In the summer, my feet are covered in blisters. They literally multiply. I try my best not to pop them on the trail; however, once in a while they get too big and absolutely need to be drained. I generally carry a needle and puncture it near the base and drain. I let it dry out overnight and then put mole skin over the blisters. I sweat so much that the mole skin only stays in place for 1-3 hrs. At lunch I try to replace, but sometimes I don't due to time.

After i take these steps, I mainly just ignore and keep hiking.

[Havana]

Prevention, of course, is the best treatment. Keeping feet as dry as possible is critical. I am prone to blisters. I use glide in combination with a Injinji liners (the ones with the toes) and a Smartwool outer. Works very well. I also moleskin any hot spots that emerge. I'm hyper aware of how my feet are feeling at any point in time.

That said I'm a pop it and bandaid/tape/2nd Skin it when I get them. I use a needle and carry alcohol pads.

[Malto]

I've heard of folks using a thin layer of vasoline on their feet. I'm thinking less friction,lubrication, as well as some waterproofing. Your experience?

This could be either a very good or bad idea. If you are hiking in dusty conditions then any cream, liquid or gel will act as a magnetic for dust and dirt. In these conditions powder has been much more effective as it allows dirt to rub off easier. In dust free areas such much of the AT it could work effectively.

[squeezebox]

Good point! short gaiters, change socks, wash feet, alcohol betadine, tape, etc.

[Elder]

Prevention! www.wrightsock.com (http://www.wrightsock.com)
Designed with a sewn in liner, they are guaranteed to prevent blisters.

Yes, I work with Wrightsocks!

[dangerdave]

Havana is absolutely right. Do you get blisters between your toes? Toe socks! Injinji toe socks with synthetic outers. Get some. Where them. Thank me later.

Your feet are your modus. Learn to listen to them. Keep them well. Treat them nice. They will take you all the way!

[saltysack]

I plan to order a pair of the injinji crew liner socks totty under my dt socks...may try body glide also


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[TEXMAN]

New Skin, liquid bandage. The best invention ever for treating blisters. Disinfects and seals. Stings like all get out when you put it on, so you know it's good for ya!

I totally agree .... safer way to deal with blisters... the liquid bandage drys them out and turns them into callouses

[squeezebox]

What about baby wipes? I would think that keeping your feet clean would help a lot. Is there alcohol in the wipes that would help dry your feet?
I would not use denatured alcohol on my skin particularly broken skin.

[Connie]

Because of socks selection and hiking shoe selection, I haven't had a blister since I started.

Then, I used folding tiny sissors to cut a hole in moleskin slightly larger than the blister to relieve pressure from the blister itself. If the blister needed draining, I did that first. I, then, put on fresh clean socks if I had fresh clean socks.

Nowadays, I always have a pair of fresh clean socks.

The best crew socks I ever had were double twist double weight thru the footbed and heel Scots socks in brown with flecks of other color from Hawick, Scotland I purchased at Skagit College student store. I gave them to a friend walking thru Europe. He sent me a postcard mentioning only those socks. I wish I knew where those socks are sold.

Meanwhile, Thorlo Light Hiker short socks in black work well for me. No blisters.

The hiking shoe model varies, by what is offered. I pull my foot back in the heel section. I choose narrow heel. I lace up. I stand on a slope, even bending my knees to put as much weight as I can, to find out if my foot slides up an hurts my toes. No? Very good. Next, I walk around to see if the metatarsal arch feels comfortable. Also, I only select hiking shoes that are rather straight from the joint of the big toe foreward, and, somewhat round so my big toe is not forced over to the little toes. Then, is the footbed comfortable. Now, I don't judge the footbed. I only look to see if it will interfere with Good Feet Max or is removeable.

I have Good Feet Max from "groundpounding" hiking heavy loads. I pack lightweight, now.

I never have a blister, now. I carry the tiny folding sissors and a a little moleskin in my 1st aid kit, for other hikers.

[MuddyWaters]

Use needle to put a thread through the blister skin. This will wick and keep from closing up. After draining, put duct tape over.

[MarsAndBuddy]

Anyone else use new skin liquid bandage for blisters? How does it work for you? Seems like it would hurt a lot

[Dochartaigh]

The couple times through the years that I tried New Skin I couldn't even get it to stick to cuts on my hands for more than a couple hours (even if the area is dry, washed with soap and water then dried, or wiped with alcohol even). I can't see New Skin sticking to anything on your feet for any period of time.

[greentick]

Moleskin and tincture of benzoin (http://www.amazon.com/Geritrex-Benzoin-Compound-Tincture-Oz/dp/B000GCKDP4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1424729964&sr=8-3&keywords=tincture+of+benzoin).

The biggest thing not mentioned yet is to stop and treat your feet before the blister forms. As soon as you feel the "hotspot" stop and put something on it. Bandaid, duct tape, whatever. I keep the group med kit. I have some very small scissors, a couple of 3"x3" squares of moleskin, a few Q-tips, and ToB in the kit. (I bought a bottle of ToB years ago like the one on the link and I think it will last longer than me. I transfer a small amount to a very small "eye drop" type bottle for in the med kit).

For a "hot spot": Make sure area is clean and dry (do your best). Cut a piece of moleskin to size, generally about 1cm outside the hotspot. Break a Qtip in half and saturate the tip with ToB, apply to an area on and around the hotspot, a little larger than your moleskin. Let it dry (it will get tacky feeling). Now apply your moleskin. If you are a 3-7 day section hiker like me it should last the whole hike and then some. This should prevent your blister from progressing.

For a small blister(shame on you! shoulda treated it when it was a hotspot): Cut a piece of moleskin with a hole in the middle the size of the blister.* Apply the ToB as above (area slightly larger than the moleskin, but not on the blister).

For a larger blister: Same as above but do 2 layers of moleskin.

"but what if the blister popped on it's own?" The complicating part is you now have an open wound on a distal part of the body (poorer circulation) so your risk of some sort of skin infection goes up. Keep an eye on it. That being said: if the skin is intact with just a draining hole treat it like a hotspot and moleskin over the whole deal. Keep in mind when you pull off the moleskin that dead skin is coming with it. If the skin has been ripped off already and you do not happen to have some non-stick material (who does, but if you carry bandaids you can use that) size it like you would for a hot spot but do not apply ToB to open skin(hurts). Cut a small piece of moleskin to face the open wound and adhere it to the larger piece.

* moleskin cutting is a bit of an art. You are taking a piece of adhesive that is flat and applying it to a curved surface. I will try to dig up some pics. I you are going to carry it, I would do a couple of practice runs at home on heel (the most challenging spot), side of foot etc.