Blister Report
Blister Report:
Have you had blisters?
How bad are they?
No blisters?
What have you done for prevention?
Or treatment?
How long to heal?
What kinda shoes? Socks?
Anything else?
hardly ever blisters with hiking shoes.
If I think I feel rubbing though (certain boots I wear off season, etc) then I use gauze and athletic tape ASAP to create a buffer. Works like a charm
Had heel blisters all the time with big leather hiking boots. Since switching to trail runners about 15 years ago, haven't had those. I do get blisters between my toes sometimes. I just lance and drain them at night, and use blister pads.
A couple of years ago we walked way too far into Damascus on the Creeper Trail, which is flat and covered in cinders. Got a nasty blister on the ball of my foot -- I should have stopped and treated it very early on, but did not. Bad call. Need to not be in a hurry on the trail, cold beer notwithstanding.
I have had heel blisters, generally during hot weather when friction vs sweaty socks cause "hot spots". I have since switched to Darn Tough socks and haven't had any blisters. The key to staying free of blisters is stopping at the first hint of one forming. Take off the shoe, wipe area clean drying the feet with a clean cloth, apply moleskin to the hot spot and put on a clean pair of socks.
If a blister does eventually form use a sterile needle lancing the blister (YouTube tutorials exist) and let drain before using an antiseptic based ointment.
Getting lost is a way to find yourself.
Start with dry feet, Darn tough socks, body glide every morning and change socks mid day reapply body glide...no more blisters even between toes...gold bond feet before bed...
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No blisters since gave up roller skating
Thin unpadded socks, well fitting trail runners.
No special treatment
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 06-04-2016 at 00:44.
Feet much better now I put anti chafe balm on toes and heels each morning; wash and talc at night.
I have hiked enough in knowing what will prevent blisters for my feet. I stress that again for my feet.
I normally use Darn tough socks and a thin sock liner. It is what works for me.
That being said it is better to prevent them from happening. Where do you anticipate friction happening?
Example: I have a left foot that is bigger than my right. Well I cannot buy separate sizes so I put Luekotape on the heel of the right foot to prevent the slight extra space. That stuff will stay on for weeks, works much better that duck tape and will stay on even in creeks etc..... I have put some in my resupply boxes.
Had nasty heel blister one time on the right foot, was concerned about doing miles instead of treating the hotspot. Stupid decision. Nasty little thing it turned out to be.
To treat that, in order, I put second skin on it, then some moleskin and made a heel cup out of duck tape. Made a instep strap going over the top of my foot. I used multiple layers so it was easily taken off at night, held its rigidity and put back on the morning. Completed trip. Worked for me.
Again I have really had no problems with blisters between toes etc.
Cannot stress during the summer to air the "dogs" out once in a while, or a stream and keep them and the socks clean. My feet are probably the cleanest part of me during a trip LOL!
This has worked for me.
Floyd
When I attempted my thru, I wore some trail type boots that I wore on smaller sections (different trails) and ended up with blisters on top of blisters. Most of them I used the needle and thread trick and that helped tremendously, with a little mole skin or a band aid on top. Threw them out when they wore out and swapped to sneakers and my feet were soooooo much happier. Maybe not for everyone, but that's what worked for me. Seems they just fit my feet better and for the wet stuff, I figured my feet were going to get wet sometimes anyway but they dried faster than boots too.
- Trail name: Thumper
Have you had blisters?
The last time I've had any significant blisters was on a long road walk, a few years ago on the LHHT.
How bad are they?
I quit the trail at Laurel Summit State Park.
No blisters?
Not anymore. It was a hot day on a long road walk, including lots of crushed limestone shoulder and FS road.
What have you done for prevention?
Carry duct tape, but never use it. I dont' carry moleskin anymore. If my feet feel hot or tired, I'll step through a water feature. Heel-lock lacing, retightened before long downhills.
What kinda shoes? Socks?
Trail shoes, but was using liner socks when I got the blisters. Now I use a single-layer Wigwam Cool Lite or similar, or those Andi calf socks from Walmart. When I got the blisters I was in Montrail Sabinos, recommended to me at Neel Gap. (Traded in for a pair of Columbia GoreTex boots. It was May!) It was the greatest shoe ever made.Now I wear New Balance 1210s in 2E, the second best shoe ever made.
Last edited by CamelMan; 06-04-2016 at 12:14.
The hard part about blisters is that what works for me, may not work for you. And what works for me... might stop working for me.
Have you had blisters? Yes! between toes, the balls of my feet, heels. At one point, I had more blisters than skin, I think.
treatment?
Keeping feet clean, triple antibiotic cream, and a rest day.
What have you done for prevention?
Keep feet clean!!! This is super important! You can do 20 mile training hikes at home and not get a blister, because you take a shower at home and put on clean socks the next morning.
If you don't have water... "Wash" feet with hand sanitizer at lunch or breaks and at the end of the day and remove grit from between toes and on the rest of your foot. Take insoles out of shoes and knock ALL the dirt out of shoes at lunch or breaks.
Rinse out socks to get the salt and grit out of them. Salt and grit will abrade your skin.
Long pants and gaiters (see above about keeping feet clean...)
Tape - I like either Lukotape P http://www.amazon.com/BSN-Medical-Le...words=lukotape
Lukotape will stay on thru anything! Only bad thing is the sticky goo gets on socks. I had some on a toenail that was half on and half off. The Lukotape did a GREAT job of holding the toenail in place and I was in zero pain. But it dried the heck out of my skin.
Nexcare tape http://www.amazon.com/Nexcare-Absolu...words=nexatape
Doesn't stick as much, but is more comfortable and cushy.
Taking an emery-board for sanding down calluses. Weirdly, calluses can make for the worst blisters. You would think that they protect your feet... but I got the worst blisters under calluses.
Cardboard emery-boards disintegrate if you get them wet. These work well. http://www.amazon.com/Geti-Beauty-St...ds=emery+board
Socks
REI silk liner socks and Thorlo or some other running/hiking sock.
Anything else?
The book "Fixing Your Feet" by John Vonhof. I read a library copy. Highly recommend it!
Last edited by DLP; 06-04-2016 at 18:41.
PS... when we get older... skin gets thinner and more fragile. Also the padding on the bottom of feet gets thinner.
Also reducing pack weight helps a lot. I recently had to do a water carry and the extra 4-8 lbs caused hot spots that I haven't had in a while. Ditto to reducing body weight, if you are able.
I've also had excellent results with ENGO patches. They go in your shoes or on your insoles and not on your feet. http://www.amazon.com/Blister-Preven...cm_wl_huc_item
Injinji toe socks, the liner version with no second sock, changed the game, and I have never had a blister since.
"Not many miles, but a whole lot of smiles." Vegan Packer
I'm more prone to hot spots, and by extension blisters, in my boots. I don't them in my La Sportiva Wildcats. Part of the key is a good, tight fitting breathable sock too, however. A good cream with aloe or similar can help. Saved my hotspots from becoming blisters on a 3 day hike once. I was amazed and grateful.
Sock liners and hiking socks in trail runners do the best for me. That said, if I do higher mileages for several days (12 or more miles/day) I will usually develop blisters under the balls of my feet. They hurt the worst going downhill. I slow down on downhills if I have blisters. I just put up with them and they turn to callus in about a week. If they are large, I will use a needle to drain them. Sometimes more than once. For some reason I never get heel blisters. As best I can tell heel blisters are way worse - I've seen absolutely miserable people with heel blisters; mine have never stopped me from hiking a usual full day on trail.
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So, I have tried just about everything listed here and nothing worked. I have delicate princess feet that refused to callous, too, so I just got blister after blister on top of blister. Blister inception.
Finally, I stacked two different insoles on top of each other for the mother of all arch support and wore that inside my trail runners with darn tough socks. Except for constant rain, I never get blisters now. Super feet green were NOT good enough for me (princess and the pea). If you suspect lack of arch support as the cause of your blisters (nothing in the middle of my foot touches the ground) I'll let you know the two brands I ended up with.
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