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Minkey said:Or alternatively use sock liners. Very thin socks that go on before your beefy ones!
brendan nolan said:Hi Ann,
The last thing you want on your feet is hard skin since that is likely to actually cause blisters. Buen Camino,
Brendan[/quote
On the opposite end of the spectum -
would applying Lanolin creme have too softening an effect?
Reason for asking - a friend intends doing the Camino and she has already started apply lanolin - when she told me I became confused : Is this a good thing to do or a bad thing?
I know she will do this dilgently until her first step. Any opinions about whether she should continue.
lillypond.
ann kirkwood said:This tip is from my mother who is an "old wife" so I'm wondering is it an old wives's tale. She says I should be rubbing methylated spirits into my feet to toughen them as a blister prevention.
Has anyone else tried this? After all the blister horror stories I have read I might give it a go.
Thoughts anyone?
jeff001 said:With regard to lacing: You can reduce the risk of blisters and injured toenails on downhills by relacing your boots. Before starting down loosen the laces and kick the heel down to force your foot all the way to the back of the boot. Then relace with the front laces tighter than normal to keep your feet from sliding forward.
I suppose you could call the Borneo's high boots... I tend to think of the more military style boots that go up on to the calf as high boots though.
I chose my boots based on 1. ankle support 2. general build quality and 3. their ability to withstand whatever I threw at them. For me that was the Camino, and the british mountains such as the Lake District. (maybe mountains is too strong a term since i climbed higher hills in spain than any that exist in the UK) So for those reasons they needed to be general purpose, and exceptionally good. It came down to Meindl or Scarpa (as they are probably the best boots you can buy with the exception of top of the range han-wag or real specialist boots)
Meindl's are more comfy straight away so that swung it!
However, when I do the camino again I'm going to have a look at alt-berg. They're a british manafacturer, based not too far from me (a days outing to go to the factory) and their top of the range boots are well reviewed. They make copies of the british army boots that a lot of soldiers (apparently) buy so they have better versions of the military issue. Thats a pretty good reccomendation in my book! Also - they will make custom boots for you if you cant find a perfect fit with any of their stock boots. They tend to be a mixture of fabrics, including cordura and kevlar so I think they would be better. But still sticking with the boot design rather than shoes. I'm used to wearing boots on the flat so that aspect doesnt bother me.
I think if you're an experienced walker..and more importantly practiced (so your ankles are still strong) then good tough shoes would be fine. But then I saw people doing the camino in sneakers and they seemed ok. For me I like the idea of a tough sole! Whatever you choose I would definitely go for something with a Vibram sole. They are made for a wide range of boots and shoes and they are exceptionally good at protecting your feet. Well worth it.
From what I gathered the early part of the camino is very hilly, it being the Pyrenees so I would go for boots. Given what you're planning..week long stints..you can have the luxury of using shoes for the meseta and boots for the hilly bits.
Ultimately I wanted boots that would last a long time and be perfectly happy with a wet british hillside, on slippery rocks, on shale, on grass, mud, dust...anything. And I believe thats what I have.
One thing to note though, if you go for leather boots make sure you go somewhere with a really good fitting service.Wear them as much as possible indoors to see how they feel. If theres a little hot spot you will get a blister there! The advantage of leather (besides being tough and waterproof) is that; if there's a spot that keeps rubbing you can get a shop to use a rubbing bar to stretch them at that point. Doesn't work on fabric boots because they're too elastic.
Oh..and brush your boot soff and rinse them each day. The leather has pores which can get clogged with dirt and dust and will make them less breathable and eventually less pliable. Five minutes each day will make them last longer and more comfy.
Hope this helps...sorry for the rant!! :lol:
A friend just returned and said a woman in St. Jean showed her a special way to lace boots for the downhill part of the Pyrenees.
Does anyone know details about this? I'm leaving the US in eight days. Many thanks!
The idea is to lace your boots tighter at the ankles to help prevent your foot from sliding forward. If your foot slides forward too often your toe strikes the front of the boot blackening toenails due to the bruising. aka hammer toes. You have to remember to loosen the lacing when you get level ground again or you risk increasing rubbing on the heel.
Just got back from walking Sarria to Santiago. Vaseline or Vicks Salve (menthylated) were both recommended by our tour guides. Each morning we massaged our feet with either, before putting on socks and shoes. It helped. Try it before you leave. Compeed, a blister plaster available and used by our tour guides to cover blisters, were used by some walkers every day. Instant pain relief they said when plaster was applied. I checked the ingredients and menthly was one of the first ingredients.This tip is from my mother who is an "old wife" so I'm wondering is it an old wives's tale. She says I should be rubbing methylated spirits into my feet to toughen them as a blister prevention.
Has anyone else tried this? After all the blister horror stories I have read I might give it a go.
Thoughts anyone?
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