Blister Prevention

[Russ M]

We use Duct Tape in our camp. A couple of years ago I got blisterd pretty bad, after a layer of duct tape I was good to go again. I now tape up before I even start hiking, its like a super tough second layer of skin. It works AWSOME!!! I totally advocate it. Good Luck.

BS1

you can even get cammo duct tape i have some

 

[HUAINAMACHERO]

Next time I get blisters will have to try duct tape. Can someone post a picture of how are you guys sticking it to your feet. Do you do it like strapping it with a bandage?

 

[MontanaRifleman]

I have the same problem, and what works for me is using as an inner lining girls pantyhose, that I cut to the length of your feet up to the ankle(it sounds funny but it works great). That way your feet will be able to slide in the boot and you wont rip the epidermis out from the dermis which is what a blister is. If your feet cant slide inside the boot then you will keep on getting blisters. Another way of solving the problem is trying to develop calluses, which will be a stronger lining of cells there which will be harder to break. Good luck.

Plus one... I met a Marine Lt Col once who said what he and a lot of other marines wear is their wife's nylons when going on long marches. the Marines know all about hiking and backpacking, they make a living of it. Blisters are caused by the friction of your foot moving in the boot. Nylon stockings or sheer nylon socks as a liner under your socks is the best way to stop that friction. I was on a 20 mile hike through the mountains once with a gal friend, she started to get a blister after about 5 miles. I had a pair of nylon sock liners and she put one on her foot that was getting a blister. She finished the hike and the blister did not form.

Next time I get blisters will have to try duct tape. Can someone post a picture of how are you guys sticking it to your feet. Do you do it like strapping it with a bandage?

Stick with the nylons. I've tried duck tape a couple of times while back country skiing and the tape worked fine until it lost its stickiness and rubbed off. I've tried mole skin too and it did not work very well.

My $.02

-MR

 

[HUAINAMACHERO]

MontanaRifleman,
Thanks for the tip, if you have used both methods you must know the difference.

 

[Blacktail]

curious do you use the nylons combined with a liner and socks or just the nylons and socks?

 

[HUAINAMACHERO]

I use the nylons as a first line of protection, then the liners ( i use as liners soccer socks but any regular liner will work), and then the regular socks.
I will eventually get blisters when I go upland hunting, running behind the dog in steep hills tears your feet, and most of the times I dont wear liners or nylon when upland hunting because it is a weekend thing, jump out of bed and go type of thing. When I go backpack hunting for deer for several days is when I use them, and they work really well.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

I would just use the nylons or nylon socks as liners, and not both. Blisters are almost never an issue with me for hiking/backpacking/hunting and I put on a lot of miles doing these things. They are an issue sometimes back country skiing with plastic boots.

 

[dewiseman]

Put the moleskin on Before you blister. It will prevent blisters and is easy to replace on a daily basis if needed.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

Put the moleskin on Before you blister. It will prevent blisters and is easy to replace on a daily basis if needed.

Moleskin is very bulky. It will be uncomfortable if your boots fit snug. Since it is adhesive, it can and will come loose after a few miles especially if you sweat in your boots. Believe me, shear nylon stockings or socks are a much better blister preventer.

 

[w8n4rutnmt]

sounds like what i know as bauer bump. originally named for hockey players skate blisters, but what i have after 4 years of college football. many years of repeated blisters on the heal lead to accumulated scar tissue. in my experience, a lack of heal movement in the boot will help to stop blisters before they start. once a blister is acquired, some 1/8th inch foam adhesive mole skin cut into the shape of a doughnut with the hole over the blister has always worked wonders for me.

 

[winmag]

I wear 2 pairs of sox, and avoid walking on hard packed ground with my feet pointing strait down the hill. Side hill, and traverse, and keep your sox pulled up tight on your feet. Also some insoles can help with the proper fit of a pair of boots in rugged country. If your getting blisters from ''hiking boots'' you either live in a flat part of the country, or work in an office, or just plain have the wrong fit on your boots. Not bashing on you at all, but 20 miles is barely starting to ''break in'' a pair of boots. 2-3 weeks of constant wear, wet and dry will be closer to broke in.
Kinda like breakin in a new custom saddle, its gonna hurt, but when its done there isnt anything more comfy. As stated in an earlier post, turning your blisters into callouses is best and most painfull. We always fill up our new leather boots in the bathtub and leave them over night, then put them on the next day, and walk them dry to break them in. Do that a couple times, and your leather boots will be formed to your blistered, but eventually calloused feet. Grease the snot out of em and keep em that way and youll be fine.

 

[boomhand]

I've used the jelly like second skin kits you can get at any backpacking store with some success after a blister forms.

 

[Randyd]

I was a Reconnaissance Marine for 8 1/2 years, and I have been on patrols that spanned 175 miles. When our company started doing long range patrols, we started with a 50 mile patrol, and at the end of that first patrol, everyone's feet were sore and blistered. We were authorized to purchase nonmilitary boots and most of us did and, we noticed a significant improvement based on the quality of the boots we selected. I chose Danners and after 27 years, I have never had a reason to use another boot. We also carried a pair of running shoes to allow our feet to get some air, cool off, to use if we crossed a stream, and change into if our boots or feet got wet. They are light and don't take up much room in a pack. If I were going on a hike of two days or more I would not go without a pair of running shoes in my pack. Eventually after a lot of hiking, our feet toughened up and blisters were no longer a problem. Today, I carry moleskin in case I develop a blister, and I like the earlier ideas of using duct tape and liner socks. I haven't tried them but those ideas makes sense. An earlier post mentioned soaking your boots in water and wearing them for a day. I and many other Marines used this technique successfully for many years, and I consider this to be a mandatory step in breaking in a new pair of boots.

 

[Moki]

I take a spare set of liners and hiking socks and switch to the other pair every other morning I then with a small tube of scent free soap do a quick wash/rinse of the used pair and let them dry either over night in camp or hang them off my pack while I'm hiking.

I find that if I wear the same socks longer than 2 days without washing them I start/risk getting blisters.