Blisters

How to avoid blisters

• Break in your shoes and boots. Do not, under any circumstances, hit the trail in a brand-new pair of boots. It’d be better to wear old, ratty sneakers. You need to get your feet used to the boots and your boots to conform better to your feet. At first, wear new boots an hour or two every day (around the house or whatever), slowly building up to wearing them all day.
• Keep your socks dry. Wet clothing clings to skin and makes it move, which results in blisters. Some folks wear thin, moisture-wicking sock liners under their thick wool socks.
• Make sure your socks are pulled taut—no wrinkles.

Signs of blisters: hot spots

A hot spot is a warning. It is what it sounds like. If a spot on your foot (or shoulders from pack straps) is feeling hot and/or rubbed raw, that’s because it is. It is a blister waiting to happen. Here’s what to do:

• Cover the hot spot with Moleskin (or, in a pinch, duct tape). This thin layer of spongy cotton foam with a sticky adhesive on one side acts as a cushion to keep your shoe or sock from rubbing your skin. Cut a piece of Moleskin large enough to cover the hot spot (plus a little extra on all sides; maybe 3–5 mm) and apply it directly to the skin.
• There’s also a thicker version called Molefoam. Moleskin is usually better for hot spots; Molefoam for actual blisters.
• Pro tip: round off the corners. Use your knife or multitool scissors to trim the corners of the Moleskin patch into quarter-circles rather than sharp right angles. If you leave the patch rectangular, those corners tend to catch on your sock, and walking starts to roll the corner down and peel off the Moleskin.

How to treat blisters

• Do not pop the blister. This can easily lead to infection. Just treat it gingerly. If it pops on its own, fine—treat it like any other wound. The one caveat: if it is extremely painful, you can use a sterilized needle to pierce it near where it meets healthy skin to drain it. However, try to keep the loose blister skin intact. You need it to keep out bacteria and for faster healing.
• Moleskin / Molefoam again. For blisters, the prep is trickier than for hot spots. Ideally you won’t stick the material directly on top of the blister itself. You want to protect and contain it. Cut the Moleskin or Molefoam about half an inch larger than the blister on all sides. Then cut a hole out of the center large enough to surround the blister (a “donut” pad).
• Don’t forget to trim those Moleskin and Molefoam corners.