Chaffing

[snuffleupagus]

If you are prone to chaffing how long does it take before it stops? What are some of the measures used to prevent chaffing?

[radar]

It seems like everyone has their own personal strategies for dealing with chafing. Here are some that have worked for me or for others that I've been around:

Wash up as often as possible, ideally every night after stopping for the day:
- quick dip in river/lake/stream, NOT small sources used for drinking water
- sponge bath when an appropriate swimming hole isn't available
- carry some wet-wipes in the resealable travel packs

Use the wet-wipes with TP when visiting the privy to keep as clean and dry as possible.

Use gold-bond power, vaseline intensive care moisturizing lotion, or similar at night to promote overnight healing of areas that are chaffing.

Find the 'Body-Glide' brand anti-chafe lotion. It comes in a deodorant type stick and can be applied throughout the day to keep your tender areas "lubricated". It is typically sold for bikers and long distance runners but I just saw it in EMS the other day so I think outfitters are catching on.

Find a shorts/underwear combo that works for you. For some people it is a kilt/skirt or going commando to promote ventilation. For others it is a boxer-brief layer to minimize skin-on-skin rubbing (this worked for me).

Don't sleep in the clothes you hike in. Wash up and sleep in your birthday suit or some lightweight clothing that you use just for sleeping and/or camp.

Use a silk bag liner to keep your sleeping bag clean. It is *MUCH* easier to wash the liner than to wash the bag.

[Footslogger]

Got chafe so bad on my hike in 2003 that by the time I reached Gatlinburg it was either deal with it or take some time off !! Can't remember exactly how long I had chafe before it got to that extent but I know I had it at least 2 - 3 weeks.

I didn't have any bodyglide and I knew from my prior life as a paramedic that vaseline would only cause the skin to thicken and slough if there was any friction on the surface. So ...I went with powder and tried to keep things as dry as possible. But no luck, so when I got to Gatlinburg I happened to poke my head into the outfitter. The manager took one look at the way I was walking and said ..."chafe ...eh? " He immediately recommended that I try hiking in a kilt. I wasn't too crazy about the idea at first but with things as bad as they were I decided to give it a try.

Long story short ...the first few days out of Newfound Gap in the Smokies were a little "drafty", to say the least. But I got used to it and discovered that the extra ventilation afforded by the kilt was exactly what I needed. I ended up hiking in the kilt (Mountain Hardware) for about a month. By then all the symptoms had disappeared and I went back to shorts ...sans underwear.

Hope that helps ...

[okpik]

I've gone to wearing a kilt in good weather to get rid of it for me.
Not everybody gets relief from free ballin' though.

[WalkinHome]

Had that problem in 2000. Spandex was the only thing that worked for me (the kind you wear under exercise shorts). I wore long pants the whole way so not wearing underwear was not a solution. Best of luck and be safe.

[reiddar]

I've gone to wearing a kilt in good weather to get rid of it for me.
Not everybody gets relief from free ballin' though.

Where does one find kilts appropriate for hiking? What is the cost? Thanks.

[smokymtnsteve]

hydorcortizone!

[okpik]

Where does one find kilts appropriate for hiking? What is the cost? Thanks.

SportKilt is the one I use


Utilikilt from the UK

I got mine on EBey for half the price but ya gotta take the tartan they offer.
I made my own Sporane to go with it to carry stuff as it has no pockets that are of real use.

My Kilt and Sporane

[Rhody Bill]

I take a 'spit bath' daily with No-Rinse brand soap (available at Pharmacies and outfitters and marine suppliers)- a few drops on the corner of a wetted camp towel (synthetic chamois) does the trick, then I apply a small amount of baby ointment in the morning before starting (the white stuff). RB

[Reverie]

I have suffered with chafing almost all of my outdoors life. These strategies have worked best for me.

1. Underneath: NO COTTON! Particularly cotton underwear. I wear a spandex "compression short" in place of my tighty whiteys. Never comfortable going commando and boxers feel just like going commando. I use a couple of Nike tshirts made out of some sort of wicking material. I bought them at Wal-Mart for $10 each.

2. Outside: Again, NO COTTON! I have a couple of inexpensive pairs of hiking shorts made out of a synthetic blend. Most of the time I just use my undershirt instead of a full shirt. If I have to use a full shirt I use different ones I have purchased over the years. Ideally they fit loose enough to not make you sweat even more, but snug enough they don't flap around. For me the rule is, if it interferes with my swinging arm, it's too darn loose.

3. Socks: NO COTTON! (I sense a theme). Even inexpensive hiking socks will work just fine. I buy pairs on sale at Timberland for about $10 for three pair. Make sure they fit snug enough not to bunch in the toe, particularly when going downhill. I also use a cheap pair of women's knee high stockings (without garter belt ) under my socks. I roll the top of the stockings over just the top of the hiking socks. Sounds weird but works great. I have not had a single blister since employing this technique.

4. Shoes: Use the lightest pair appropriate for they type of hiking you are doing. I use a pair of hiking tennis shoes from Timberland that I picked up for $38 on sale. I also have some very well traveled Cororans but they weigh a ton! I use an intermediate weight, all leather Timberland Eurohikers for most things.

5. General Advice: A couple of stratagies you can use that MAY help.
a. Take a Powder: Fill the toe of an old white sock with corn starch or medicated talc. Knot the other end of the sock to keep the powder in. Place the sock inside a ziplock bag. Use this at every stop, religiously. Powder your feet, your groin, the cheeks of your butt. Sounds weird but if you do it consistently you will not only prevent chaffing but will also decorate your clothes with interesting patterns of powder. Not to mention the enjoyment you get by grossing out your fellow hikers as they watch you dabbing your groin with an old sweat sock.
b. Trim That Fur: I use a pair of scissors to snip excess hair from, ahem, down there before my hike. It doesn't have to be closely shaved. In fact, the less shaving you do, the better your skin will like it.
c. Empty Your Pockets: Don't carry items in your hip pocket that you don't need. Nobody is going to ask for your license, credit card, or money while you are hiking. In fact, they are pretty much useless except in town so keep them in your bag.
d. Stay Out of the Rain: If you get wet, don't hesitate to change your clothes as often as possible.

These techniques have worked well for me. I have never worn a kilt but that sort of goes back to my aversion to going commando. I am really interested in other techniques.

Reverie

[Brushy Sage]

A young doctor in the Bland, VA medical clinic took one look at my butt and said I needed to get rid of my jockey-type underwear and go to boxer style. I thought what does she know about hiking? Turns out she was right. I switched to Patagonia silk weight boxers, and haven't been bothered with chaffing since.

[Moon Monster]

Note the general theme here that there are many different things to try. The solution will be individual, so if something does not work for you try another. And, if you are having trouble on a hike finding something that works, keep a topical analgesic with you to quelch the pain until you can hit a town to buy something new to wear/dab on.

[Blue Jay]

Where does one find kilts appropriate for hiking? What is the cost? Thanks.

Very easy, go to Goodwill or the Salvation Army and get any light synthetic skirt. Every male on the trail will call it a kilt because they cannot accept a male wearing a skirt. Heat, friction and moisture cause chafing. Wear a skirt they just don't happen.

[gravityman]

People chaff in different areas. For me, it's two. The first is between the thighs. I tried to wear a pair of those silly runner shorts (kinda like booty shorts) since they looked so comfortable. Took about 1 mile before I was rubbed raw between my legs. Marmot shorts that I bought in damascus solved this problem. I've hiked and run in them gosh who knows how many miles (500 on the AT, 160 on the CT, plus 14ers, running 20 miles a week, +++) and they still look good. Quality Shorts. They have a liner, and I don't wear anything else.

The other place that I have a more difficult problem solving is between my butt cheeks. OUCH! I have pretty much narrowed it down to sweat running down my back and into my butt. I got a silnylon gearskin, and boy does that agrivate the problem! No breathing between the back and the pack. Anyway, helps a whole lot when I use wet wipes. I have to be really on top of it though, 'cause if I slack just one day, I get it something fierce, and it takes a long time to go away... Am thinking about body glide or powered. It mainly seems to be caused by the extra friction created by the dried salts in the sweat.

Gravity Man

PS But it gives me an excuse to keep telling my wife about how she "chaps my a$$!"

[gravityman]

This sounds like an invention that the seinfeld crew would dream up!

It's actually a good idea. I will start thinking about it, and see what works on my runs... Thanks for the idea! But not the thong... I'm afraid that would end up being my trail name

Ah, red dwarf, what a show! "

Oh, spin my nipple nuts and send me to Alaska! "
- Kryten

[Patco]

Pearl Izumi's X-Sensor Fitted Boxers can hug your buns for a week's worth of hiking without smelling like a barn. I should know, because I've worn them for up to 14 days without laundering, and the odor--they do pick up some stink--isn't nearly as nauseating as 5 days in the old stuff. The secret to the boxers' success is twofold. First, the ultralight, mini-mesh polyester is one of the coolest, quickest-drying base-layer fabrics around. Second, Pearl Izumi knits X-Static yarns into the fabric. Made from silver, a natural antimicrobial, X-Static yarns permanently inhibit the growth of stink-causing bacteria. A key point: This antimicrobial "treatment" won't wash out.

For the whole article:
http://www.backpacker.com/article/0,2646,2084,00.html

"Don't rub me the wrong way."

[Jack Tarlin]

I know this is going to prompt some interesting replies, but I've tried everything under the sun for chafe, and the most successful thing I tried was panty hose (you cut off the legs at mid-thigh, obviously). You can get a three-pack at Walmart for around five bucks; they weigh close to nothing, and they dry out in a hurry, so at day's end, you can can rinse them off and dry 'em out; if you pack 2 or 3 pairs you'll have a reasonably clean pair each day. They'll need to be replaced periodically as they're not that rugged, but they DO work, once you get over your personal feeings about wearing women's underwear.

You might wish to cease this habit once you return to town life unless you want some curious comments from your closest friends and intimate acquaintances. On the Trail, tho, panty hose is the way to go.

[Patco]

.... the most successful thing I tried was panty hose (you cut off the legs at mid-thigh, obviously).

Uh ... do you wear anything over them?

Actually here at Fort Bragg the soldiers have to complete a 12 mile ruck march annually (4 hour limit) so they train often and I have heard many of them suggest panty hose.

[Big Dawg]

Can I find "Body Glide" in the grocery store??

[2XL]

Can I find "Body Glide" in the grocery store??

I got mine at EMS, I'm sure you can get it at REI, Campmor or any outfitter.