How to prevent blisters: The hiker’s tips you need to know!

By Cheri Sicard

In the video above we join Joey, aka the Joyful Rambler, for her method of preventing blisters while hiking.

Joey says that a lot of people think that blisters are simply part of the hiking experience.  But it does not have to be that way. She says there is a way to prevent blisters before they start.

While most people think of blisters on the feet, Joey says they can happen any place skin is exposed to friction or moisture. For instance, they can happen on your hands from holding hiking poles, or on your shoulder from your backpack. And, of course, on your feet.

Joey’s tips for how to prevent blisters:

• Make sure your shoes fit well, and don’t start a hike with brand-new shoes. Break them in first! Be sure to watch the video as Joey shows what to look for in a perfect-fitting hiking shoe. She also shares some shoe-lacing techniques for specific scenarios.
• Wear wool socks. Joey likes wool because it is water-absorbent and can help wick the moisture away from your feet.
• For longer hikes, Joey recommends Injinji Toe Socks. Used as a liner, they create a barrier between your skin and your wool socks.
• Manage moisture well. Having the wool socks or liners will help, but Joey also recommends when you are on a hiking break—for instance, if you stop for lunch—take your shoes and socks off and let them air out before continuing on.
• Do not get a pedicure before a big hike. Joey says you want “hiker feet”—not the soft, callous-removed beauties that come post-pedicure.  Not to mention, a pedicure adds additional moisture to your feet. Yes, you will want to keep your toenails trimmed, but leave the callouses be.

Joey continues with how to apply these tips and principles for preventing foot blisters to other areas where you might also develop blisters. Joey also covers the reasons she does not recommend Leukotape, despite many other hikers touting it as an essential to keep in your backpack. She says the latex in it can cause reactions and the tape will pull blisters off, leaving them exposed to infection. Instead, she carries lambswool and places a small piece of that anywhere she feels a blister starting to form while hiking. (As a former ballet dancer and aerialist, I can attest to lambswool’s effectiveness.)

Lastly, she covers blister first-aid in case you ever do get a blister hiking.

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