My feet always used to blister… a lot. I thought I just have to live with this, but I found out there are actually few ways how you can prevent blisters and hot spots.
1. Read a book
What does reading a book has to do with blisters? By reading Fixing your feet by John Vonhof I learned a lot about foot care and blister prevention. I never thought I can do so many different things to prevent blisters. In the past I just accepted that my feet will blister. And then I read this book and tried few of the recommended tips.
In 2019 I did Vierdaagse – crazy event where I walked 40km a day for 4 consecutive days. Following advise from this book I got only 1 small blister on 4th day and that was my mistake as I didn’t follow one of the tips.
However as it is also explained in the book, there is actually no one single “magical formula”. Your personal formula can change as there are many many factors that will impact your feet, however there are some general tips that works for most people. F
2. Get the right shoes
I wrote a post about choosing the right shoes HERE
In summary I recommend light, breathable trail running shoes.
3. Get the right socks
I wrote a post about choosing the right socks HERE
It is not only the sock but also the application. You should take few seconds to make sure to place socks on your feet properly, make sure they are smoothed out, there is no gathered fabric anywhere or any type of dirt as this will cause hot spots or blisters. This is very important and often overlooked step.
4. No sweaty socks
Wet feet will blister so the main trick is to change your socks. The frequency depends: Is your footwear breathable? Is it hot day? Are you wearing socks from sweat-wicking materials? If it is warm day, I would change socks every 2-3 hours. Even if you do not think you sweat but still doing big hike, I recommend to change socks at least once. If nothing else, changing your socks will give you new energy boost.
Even if you do not want to change socks, at least take off your shoes and socks during every break. Spread them out and let them air and dry out.
5. Use tape
This tip was massive game changer for me. It is not necessary for everyone, but I am suffering from hot spots at the ball of my feet causing pain, discomfort and blisters. I started to use KT tape as preventive measure for hikes above 15km. Combining this method with the previous tips practically eliminated blisters for me. I still get hot spots in this area when doing long hikes but KT tapes makes massive difference for me.
6. Training matters
Another point is your training. You need to train your feet to be able to cover the distance you plan to do during your trip. If you cover 10km in your training but plan to do 30km, you will likely suffer and get blisters. The amount of stress your feet are exposed to during 30km is just not the same as 10km. It is better to do one session of 30km than 3 sessions of 10km.
