Goodbye Blisters!

How do you cope with blisters, or do you simply not get them any more? Any tips you'd like to share with the people?

---

OutdoorsMagic Editor | jon@outdoorsmagic.com 

I went through a bad patch where I got a lot of blisters on my heels, the skin would heal, but because it was new and tender it would blister again the next trip out.
I started putting big pieces of sticking plaster over my heel before I even started walking and this stopped the blisters.
I've got a couple of toes that rub together and taping them up before setting off stops them blistering as well

I rarely get blisters, just occasionally with running shoes. If the boots/shoes fit properly, then the right socks should prevent blistering.

I only buy fully-knitted socks, as sewn seams always end up rubbing. Cotton and acrylic don't wick too well, and once a sock is wet you're almost bound to get blisters. So I prefer wool, poly and coolmax. I don't mind paying £12 a pair because it's one area where you really get what you pay for. More expensive socks have different knits, thicknesses and elasticities in their various parts, so they fit better and give you padding where it's needed.

Bridgedale'e coolmax liners are really good. They wick away moisture as well as providing the double layer effect already mentioned. If you can keep your feet dry, that's half the problem solved - ever noticed you only get blisters on hot, sweaty feet?

the other thing is to wear gaiters as they prevent grit and bits of vegetation going down your boot. Don't just wear them to keep the snow out.
Human nature means you're loathe to stop and take a boot off to sort this out so this too can cause irritation and foot problems

Take Compeed. If you feel anything, then put it on straight away. Believe me, I did the C2C in 12 days, and had blisters from day 2!!! Compeed is a Godsend! Plus I'm going to try with Surgical Spirit, but best advice is to make sure that the soles of you feet are hard, by just walking in your boots a lot.

Walk around the house in 'em. Walk short distances in 'em. Sell the car and walk everywhere in 'em. You'll soon harden them up.

Never seem to have problems with blisters, I wear one pair of wool socks (from my local camping shop) and that's it, no problems :-)

Main thing: decent socks, and if you are on a multi-day hike, a new pair each day. (Yeah, I know, at the end of the week you won't get yer boots on!) As soon as you start to get a hot-spot, slap on zinc tape.

Compeeds the best but when do u take it off ? I had one on for about 4 days - u can imagine what that looked like.
I was given a tip that put a thin pair of socks on first and a thicker pair on afterwards.

Wear your boots for at least a week the surgical spirit trick works only for a week or so. Compeed works well as do some of the other blister treatments. Take time out for personal admin and carefully manicure your feet before each trip and during as well if its a long patrol (oops! walk)
Make sure your boots are properly broken in.
and wear a pair of decent thin liner socks and some really decent socks. Neil is right wear gaiters even in hot weather. Get hold of some "Powder foot and body troops for the use of" to keep em clean and dry.

Seal skins socks almost eliminate blisters. They are sort of rubbery construction that slides over itself (I know that makes no sense but try them and you'll understand).
So long as you wear a coolmax liner to absorb the clammy feeling and avoid wrinkles in them you'll be blister-immune.

ANd also compeed - I sometimes fit it before I set off because I'm really blister prone. Trying to get it to stick on a mountain in the wind and rain is more difficult.
Compeed is so good that if you get a blister you can cover it up and carry on walking as if it wasn't there.

Because compeed only comes in 2 sizes I've had trouble applying it on some parts of ny foot and it's too thick for the little toe area. 2nd skin is easier to cut to shape but I find I need to suppliment the plaster stuff that comes with it with micropore. If you've got a spot prone to blister and you want to protect it try a combination of the adehesive sheets Boot's sell (packs of 5 in a blue card container) with mircopore to hold the edges down.

This talk of hard skin baffles me beacuse too much hard skin on my feet leads to blood blisters underneath the hard skin. I smear petroleum jelly on to keep the skin supple. From conversations I have had with other long distance walkers it appears some folk have to keep the water out of their footwear at all costs to stop blisters while other folk (like me) don't mind wet feet provided we can keep moving to keep them warm enough. For me the inner sock (boots) or only sock (walking shoes) has to have plenty of cotton in it. Wool and man made fibres cause too much heat.

Perhaps one day gear shops will have skin type analysis machines that will tell you what sort of materials will be right for your feet. Perhaps not though, they might sell less socks because it will not be necessary to keep buying to try them out.

Well, a good mixture of Man-made, and natural fibres, will be the best at wicking the moisture away from your foot. Best thing I know of is plenty of Marino Wool content (in the outer thicker sock), helps to wick moisture away. I would say that dry feet don't blister as easily as soft wet feet, and that haveing naturally hard feet (i.e. not using surgical spirit), helps to prevent blisters, but each to their own. However best thing to do, is try different methods, and see which works best. I would agree that Compeed is usually too big (not always though - hmmm, painful memories -but usually), however thats so that it covers it entirely, and more. Provides more of a second skin effect.