Starting out?

 I thankfully have suffered very little from blisters, but have found that some footwear, that is fine 'normally', on long walks of 2 days, or more, can start to rub, even if they have not done so before.

 An other thing to remember is that your feet will get 'longer'as the day goes on, due to the effect of gravity 'pressing' down on you. Your feet can be up to a size larger in the evening than in the morning.

 As an aside, you can 'lose' up to 2" in hight during a day for the same reason.

 This is one of the reasons that people say you should buy boots/shoes as late in the day as possible. To allow for the effect that your feet get 'longer' and 'swell' slightly during the day.

I can't remember when I last had a blister.

Probably coincided with the time when I suddenly realised they were 'optional'.

My view point is:

We get blisters for a reason that reason is ill fitting boots. What i mean by that is your feet are moving about in them all be it a very small amount. 

The points i follow is: I always wear loopstiched socks, and that can be cheaper brands you don't have to spend a mint on walking socks.

I the place my foot in my boots checking i have no small stone ect that might have jumped in when not looking and do the first four D rings up comfortabliy tight then locking off, I then tie the ankle area slightly looser that the D rings.

An hour into my walk i then stop and check foot comfort as your socks will compress. whilst all the time walking feeling for any hot spots on my feet. If i feel a hot spot i then stop take my boot off and place some Moleskin on the affected area, refit the boot and carry on.

Your feet get you where you want to go and should get you back again, but only if you look after them. RULE is Stop and check if you feel a hot spot on you feet that why you will not get a blister in the first place.

I've been hillwalking for 28 years never had a blister, a decent pair of boots also help i always wear Full leather, Scarpa Manta M3. I never do fabric boots.

Quite a few of the posts on here imply that if you get blisters it's your fault for not ensuring your boots fit properly.

I do. I look after my feet very carefully. Because they sweat a lot (which I cannot prevent), they are prone to blistering. There is nothing I can do to stop them being prone to blistering. So I take precautions to try to prevent them actually blistering, and to protect them if they do. I'm very careful about my sock choice, I use ZO tape and compeed, and if I get a hotspot I'll stop and treat it. And it will still sometimes blister!

Lucky people who have never had a blister, but can we stop this 'it's your own fault' line all the time?

Unless of course you consider it's my own fault for having been born with a condition that makes my body sweat too much?

I strongly agree with Metric K here. I have always got blisters, on feet and also on my hands - this from ringing bells, where they are part and parcel of the business.

I remember my bell-ringing teacher (who rings at St. Paul's among other places) tut-tutting at the state of my hands, and saying that blisters were known to be the result of poor technique. He then showed me his own, which were in an even worse state than mine. 

The best way to avoid hand blisters is to keep your skin calloused; also, we bell-ringers are fanatical users of microporous tape. 

Socks are also quite capable of wreaking havoc in several ways without assistance from ill fitting shoes

Quite a few of the posts on here imply that if you get blisters it's your fault for not ensuring your boots fit properly, thats because 80% of the time that is the case.

 I bet you all have seen the hillwalker with boots that arent fitted or done up properly, then they wounder why they get blisters.

My comment was general statement which included my routine which some might find helpful or not.

You could also be someone like me, who has very little feeling of 'topical' pain. By the time I realise that something is wrong it's to late, the damage has been done.

 This is especially true of my feet. I don't 'feel' hot spots. If I do get a blister by the time I realise I've got one my foot/feet would be 'raw'.

 Paul.

Quite a few of the posts on here imply that if you get blisters it's your fault for not ensuring your boots fit properly, thats because 80% of the time that is the case.

I agree with Kate, sweat was certainly the cause of my blister problems, not fit. When I used to wear heavy leather boots, my feet were incredibly sweaty - my socks stank something rank, and I got blisters every trip and often on day walks. Then i switched to fabric boots and less sweat, socks distinctly less smelly and I had to throw away a packet of Compeed because it went past its use by date. Now I wear lightweight trail shoes, I can wear the same pair of socks for 3 or 4 days and haven't had a blister for years.

And my feet are such an odd shape that I've never had boots or shoes that fit "properly"