Preventing blisters by Huygel On Trail

There's so much about blister prevention on the internet and the worst thing about it is, that nobody is the same. Even your own two feet are different. So, what works for me, doesn't necessarily work for you. But, how about, I make a post about things you can try out and also tell you how I survived a 1000 km hike on Te Araroa with minimal blisters.

A little background

I hiked a lot over the years and tried many, many things to prevent blisters. My first hiking experience I started wearing boots, because they taught me that it's the best. Well, what I've learned is that it is very personal, we're all different and you need to discover for yourself what is best. I've bought, and I'm not exaggerating, 6 pairs of boots till I found out that it's just not for me. Not one boot seems to work with my feet. I bought stiff, flexible, wide boots… Tried them all. If they were too stiff, I had blisters within an hour on my heel. If they were overall comfortable, they were too narrow on my toes. Even when I sized up it didn't work. 

I, however, am blessed with good ankles. So now, I hike with non-waterproof low trail runners and I'm very happy with it. I also tried 3 different kinds of trail runners before I found the right ones. There's only one brand that seems to fit my hobbit feet and it's Altra Lone Peak. The downside of hiking in trail runners is that they wear out quickly and they don't have that much support as boots. I wear orthotics so my foot is supported and I just train my feet to be happy with minimal support. This is just a little bit of background information on how I've chosen my footwear over the years and it also had to do with blister prevention for me.

Personally, the more flexible and breathable the shoe, the less blisters I seem to make. I walked the Arctic Circle Trail with very wet conditions in non-waterproof shoes and Te Araroa with 22 out of 42 days with wet feet. I never blistered on the ACT and I had a handful of blisters on TA, those I had were manageable. Also, it's important to have enough room in your shoes. Your feet always swell when you are hiking, especially when it's hot during summer.  I normally have a 41 - 42 EU size and I hike in size 43 EU. 

I'm never saying what is best for you I can only recommend things I've learned from my experiences. Go out there and try some different kind of boots/shoes. If you don't have good ankle stability, I wouldn't recommend going for a low hiking shoe. If you have no problems whatsoever try all kinds of footwear and see what you like most. What is best to wear also depends on the climate and terrain you are hiking in. For thru-hiking I would never recommend a heavy hiking boot. It's just not comfortable if you are months and months on trail.

Prevention

Personal preferences

As preparation on a hike, I don't do anything special except from doing muscle training and running/walking on Belgian ground. With that I mean walking on flat surfaces. I do always run on uneven terrain in the woods for ankle stabilization. What is obvious, the more you walk or hike, the more your feet get used to it and toughen up. I also barely have pedicures, because it makes your feet soft. When I do go for a pedicure, it's after all my hiking adventures, mostly around winter time.

I'm a big fan on toe socks. It seems odd at first but those socks separate each toe and it prevents them from rubbing each other and keeps the space between your toes dry. If they do get wet, they don't rub because of the fabric in between each toe. When I walk in daily sneakers during summertime, I blister between my toes within an hour. I hiked a 1000km with toe socks in New-Zealand and never had a blister between my toes. Just to give you an idea what a difference it could make.

If I feel a 'hot spot' coming up, I have two things I prefer to prevent it from actually becoming a blister. I always have blister tape from Hansaplast with me. Unlike Leukoplast, this is a stretchable tape that takes a good shape around your foot. First, I tried Leukoplast but I didn't like the no stretchy part and it formed bumps when I hiked in it all day. If you're from another country and don't know this Hansaplast tape, you could also use physiotape for example. Before I put on tape, I clean the area with a small alcohol wipe. That way the adhesive side makes good contact with your skin and it sticks better. I round up the edges of the tape and if my feet stay dry, I can wear this for a couple of days.

In New-Zealand, I had this problem with very wet feet because of the conditions on trail. Nothing seemed to stay in place for a full day. Compeed dissolved while I was wearing it and started to be one big gooey situation in my sock. I think it had something to do with the localization of the spot and the constant wetness. I make blisters underneath my arch because of my arch support insoles, I guess.

Since then, I started using hikers' wool and that's when I saw the light! It worked like a charm! I barely use tape anymore and I never made a blister since I've been using this wool. Of course, my feet toughened up by that time and that probably had something to do with it too. Hikers' wool is just some plain, clean sheep’s wool in a bag. It weighs almost nothing, doesn't cost much and you can sometimes reuse it. I pull a small amount of wool from the package, put it on the spot and pull my sock up. Mostly it stays in place, sometimes during a break, I put it back at the right spot when it moved. The next day you can leave it in your sock and just add a little bit extra and use it again.

What I also swear by is airing out your feet at camp. I carry camp shoes on every trail. It's so worth the weight. In the evenings, my trail runners are drying outside and I'm with my bare feet in my Birkenstock Eva slippers. Let them dry and let them breathe. I also always clean them in a cold river or with a wet wipe. I'm not a big fan on moisturizers and such, because it weakens your feet. To prevent dirt from coming into low shoes, I like to wear small gaiters. I have a lot less stuff in my shoes flying around now and also helps against blister prevention.

What worked for other people

I also saw a lot of people using different options to prevent blisters. Some people use two pairs of socks. A thin liner sock and a lightweight hiking sock over it. You also need to know that a good pair of socks is very important. Cotton socks are not the way to go. Buy some quality hiking socks. Good brands are for example: Injinji, Falke, Darntough, Smartwool, Icebreaker, Bridgedale,… find out what socks you like. I'm a big fan of woolen socks.

What I mentioned earlier. Some people like Leukoplast as a preventative tape, you can always try that too. If your heel is slipping a lot and you have blisters coming from that. Look up on google 'how to prevent heel from slipping', and you get a lace technique that will help you with that.

I've met people who like to use Camphor spray. You need to start using it two weeks before going on trail and it should toughen up the skin. It also has a kind of disinfected effect and smells herbal. Also baby powder is something you can try to keep your feet dry and less likely to form blisters. Changing socks multiple times a day can also help you with preventing blisters. You can change socks and hang the other pair to dry out on your backpack.

Blister care

In daily life I'm a nurse so I do know some things about wound care. That might be the reason why I'm a bit bolder in blister care. I always carry sterile compresses, a sterile needle, syringe and Betadine. For worst case situations I have broad spectrum antibiotics with me. When I do form a blister. I always think about the situation I'm in. Like in New-Zealand. I wasn't very eager to pop blisters because I was walking through mud, water and dirt all the time. So, when it didn't hurt that bad. I would just leave it closed. I had one big blister and I popped it the day before I arrived into town where I could stay a few days to take care of this blister.

So, if you have a blister formed, Compeed is the way to go. It helps with the pain and relieves immediately. If you don't pop them, let your feet dry, clean the area with an alcohol wipe and put on a Compeed. Finish off with tape.

If you do decide to pop it, make sure you can work clean. I prefer doing it in the evenings when I'm in a hut or set up camp. Wash your feet and hands before you start. Clean the blister with an alcohol wipe before you start popping. Make sure your needle is sterile. You can sterilize a needle by holding it into a flame or you carry a sterile needle with you. Pop the blister on the side near the edge at the bottom. Make a small hole and make sure the opening is a bit more than a puncture from the needle. If you make it a bit larger, the fluid can come out more easily and prevents it from filling up again. When all fluid is out of the blister, I disinfect the area with Betadine and then put a normal band aid on it before going to bed. That way excessive fluid can still come out and your skin can breathe more than with a Compeed. In the morning, first thing I do is put on Compeed, then put some Hansaplast blister tape over it so it stays in place and leave it like that.

If you are a next level blister care taker and know how to work sterile, you can inject a bit of Betadine into the blister. You might pee your pants a bit, because it stings!!! But it works very well and dries out the blister over night. In the morning I also put a Compeed and tape over it. Once you used a sterile needle and syringe it's no longer sterile and you can't use it anymore to inject!!! So, throw away and buy new ones.

If for some reason, you want to remove a Compeed before it comes of spontaneously. The best way to do that is when you have clean water like in a hostel or shower or something. Go sit in water and wait, try to very gently remove the Compeed bit by bit. When you come to the point where your blister/ loose skin is. You can pull really gently while you support the loose skin. That way you won't pull the skin from the blister and it stays protected.

If you are in town and there's no need to put a Compeed on a popped blister. Just but a band aid on it. It gets way more air that way. If you leave again for a hike, put a Compeed over it again.

So, this was my vision on blister care on trail. You can always contact me with questions or concerns about blister care.

Take care of those feet and happy trails!