Blisters are one of the worst parts of hiking. Fortunately, it's easy to prevent blisters when you use these helpful tips. Thanks to these tips, you can learn how to prevent blisters when hiking and what to do if you get a blister when hiking.
Why Do Hikers Get Blisters?
So first things first: Why blisters? Blisters form when skin gets irritated or damaged by pressure or friction. This could be from tight spots in your hiking boots or wrinkles in your socks. You’ll also be more prone to blisters if your feet are wet, either from sweat or from getting rained on or dunked in a stream.
How to Prevent Blisters When Hiking
Wear Hiking Boots That Fit Well
If your boots don’t fit or aren’t broken in, you’re likely to get blisters. Take your time when buying hiking boots and try on lots of pairs. Make sure your toes have enough room to spread out – if they are scrunched together you can get blisters. Getting the right size is also important. Check the sizing by walking on an inclined ramp – most good outdoor stores will have one. When walking uphill your heels should stay in the same place – the boots are too big if your heel slips. Going downhill make sure that your toes don’t bump the front of the shoe. If they do, they’re too small.
Make Sure Your Socks Fit Well
You don’t want them to bunch up or slip inside your boots, causing skin irritations and then blisters. Check the packaging to make sure you get the right size. And if you’re in between sizes, try on both sizes to see which one fits better.
Pick Socks That are the Right Thickness
Choose thinner socks for hot weather and thicker ones for cold weather. Remember, you want to avoid sweaty feet.
Air Everything Out
If you stop for a break, take your hiking boots and socks off to let your feet air out and dry off. Make sure to spread your socks out in the sun and remove your insoles from your shoes so any accumulated sweat has a chance to evaporate. If you get really sweaty feet consider packing an extra pair of socks so you can swap out gross wet ones for dry ones.
Use Anti-Chafing Products
There are tons of anti-chafing products out there that lubricate your feet so there isn’t as much friction. If you know you are prone to blisters, applying an anti-chafe balm before your hike can help.
Treat Hot Spots Right Away
If you start to feel any foot irritation while hiking, it’s probably a hot spot that will soon turn into a blister. Stop right away, take off your shoes and treat it. If it’s just a hot spot and not a blister yet, the best thing to do is pad the area with some moleskin or leukotape. If you don’t have moleskin or leukotape you can also use bandaids
How to Treat Blisters
Decide If You Should Pop It
Everyone has their own opinion about whether you should pop your blister or not. Some people think you should always pop them, and some think you never should. Well I think… they’re both right.
If it looks like it will burst when you’re walking or it’s so painful to walk on that you can’t keep going, it’s time to pop it. If it’s small and adding a bit of padding will let you walk on it, tape it up and keep going.
Pad the Blister
If you decide not to pop your blister, you’ll need to add some padding to keep the blister from growing and ease the pain in your feet so you can finish your hike. There are tons of options at drug stores for blister care, but really they fall into two main categories: padded bandages and gel bandages.
Moleskin is the classic padded bandage. You can cut moleskin to protect blisters of pretty much any size. A popular method is to cut the moleskin into a donut shape and place it over the blister so that the blister is in the donut hole. Cover the moleskin with another sheet of moleskin or some medical tape and you’re good to go.
Photo is not mine it was found on Google
Comments