Best Blister Prevention Method - Vote!

[trecile]

I did that for the August long weekend. I pretended I was in full camino mode, walking early in the morning, stopping for coffee and lunch, changing my socks, watching my feet (even taking pictures of my feet!), carrying my pack, washing my clothes in the sink every night... Those three days revealed all I needed (and what I could leave behind) more than any packing list and foot care I have ever read.

What a great idea!
I knew a couple who walked to a nearby town with their backpacks and spent the night at an Inn there.

 

[C clearly]

I was in full camino mode... (even taking pictures of my feet!),

And I hope you took pictures of your coffee, and a few construction arrows, too.

 

[trecile]

And I hope you took pictures of your coffee, and a few construction arrows, too.

And your long shadow in the morning or late afternoon.

 

[chinacat]

What a great idea!
I knew a couple who walked to a nearby town with their backpacks and spent the night at an Inn there.

My daughter and I took a walk through the local Youth Hostels over a weekend, on the lovely coast path … it was a good test of our ‘waterproofing‘ arrangements

 

[chinacat]

I have bought these "dressing retention tapes" at pharmacies in Canada, but not every pharmacy sells them. The tapes are often used for home care nursing - taping surgical drains and dressing, so it might help to find a pharmacy that carries such products. Ask at the pharmacist's counter.

They’re available at every chemist (pharmacy) here in the UK, in all widths.
They also come with every first aid kit, for whatever purpose.


I use Omnifix for hot spots and carry pre-cut strips in my mobile phone case.

 

[chinacat]

@Derrybiketours
I've never heard of Gewohl cream, but have now looked it up. It seems there is a variety. Would you say it's the Salve for Cracked Skin? https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gehwol+f...fbvlvx8_e&tag=casaivar02-20&tag=casaivar02-20

Thanks.

I think he meant this one:

Gehwol 75ml Foot Cream, Strengthens Skin to Prevent Blisters : Amazon.co.uk: Beauty

Free delivery and returns on eligible orders of £20 or more. Buy Gehwol 75ml Foot Cream, Strengthens Skin to Prevent Blisters at Amazon UK.

www.amazon.co.uk

This is also good, if you can get it:

Scholl Deer Tallow Extreme Pack of 3 x 100 ml : Amazon.co.uk: Beauty

Scholl Deer Tallow Extreme Pack of 3 x 100 ml : Amazon.co.uk: Beauty

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Corelacka]

Hi all,

I am a fan of the prophylactic and therapeutic dual purpose of zinc oxide tape (pictured).

I'm curious as to what methods of preventing blisters other pilgrims swear by and think it would be nice to get a breakdown of the popularity of each all together in a poll.

There have been lots of posts describing the rationale behind each already. This poll also excludes some of the pre-Camino steps one can obviously take such as: breaking-in shoes, carrying less weight, getting suitable footwear and socks, etc..

I may do another poll on people's preferences of blister treatment too
View attachment 53960

My ‘other’ in the poll is a 5-6kg backpack, a slow pace and ideally less than 25k per day! I am the proverbial tortoise on each of my Caminos I have got a few minor blisters but nothing compared to some people (of all ages and abilities). This year was from Léon to Santiago in 17 days, much of it in 35°C, and thankfully got no blisters.

 

[Embee12]

Omnifix and Hypafix. They are thin and a bit stretchy so they conform to the shape of your foot. They come on a wide roll so you can cut the size and shape that you need. You do need scissors to cut it.

These tapes are available in pharmacies in Spain, but here in the US I have to order them from Amazon.

@trecile Great! They look to be about the same product. Should I get 4" or 2" wide? What about moleskin? I have upped my "training," as it were, and am noticing hot spots, though have not gotten any blisters as yet. (Though I tried a product for hotspots that went on the shoe itself which started to give me a blister, which I nipped in the bud, and got my money back.)

As for scissors, are there tiny ones I can take in my pack, like for sewing/nails, or do I purchase when I am in Spain? I also want a knife for food, so maybe a very small Swiss army-type of thing (I really only need a knife and scissor, nor corksrew, etc).

If this is getting too granular about products I can write to you directly. Thanks!

 

[trecile]

@trecile Great! They look to be about the same product. Should I get 4" or 2" wide? What about moleskin?

Yes, Omnifix and Hypafix are almost identical. I think that they work better than moleskin because of the stretch, and are more versatile.
I first discovered these tapes when a Spanish pharmacist recommended them in place of moleskin.

As for scissors, are there tiny ones I can take in my pack,

I use these little folding scissors.

 

[Sheesh]

Because I was getting low in my supply of Hypafix, I recently bought another roll of almost identical tape. It is called Cover-roll Stretch, made by the same company in Germany. Now, I don't know if my Hypafix was just getting a little bit old and dry, but the Cover-roll Stretch does seems to stretch just a teensy bit more.

However, regardless of the subtle difference, I wouldn't be without a length of this kind of tape. I use it directly on a skin-intact hotspot, and as a preventative wrap around my problematic raised toe joints.

It's also very useful to cover over a Compeed blister dressing. It prevents the Compeed edges from rolling within the sock and getting all sticky and goopy. (Now I know many folk don't like or use Compeed, but I'm just mentioning it for those who do.)

PS: I have those folding scissors too, they're perfect.

 

[mark connolly]

Liner socks is the winner. You can go to an outdoor sporting goods store and purchase one for about $10. Or you can go to the Dollar store and buy women's stockings for about 3 for a $1. It's the same thing!

Mark

 

[Kathy F.]

Injinji socks, with Smartwool or other good hiking socks over them.

For scissors, BTW, I've always packed a pair of baby fingernail cutting scissors in my "emergency" kit. They are small, lightweight, sharp, and there is no danger of accidentally cutting something you don't intend to, or of their poking a hole in your bag.