You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
MCJnr did his Gold DofE practice last week, and has only today mentioned that he developed a big blister under his toe on the final day.
It's shrunk and not causing him problems now, but he's doing the final expedition a week on Tuesday, so 7-8 days to make sure it clears up and heals properly, and is ready for another 4 days yomping across the Yorkshire Dale's carrying all his kit.
Any tips or suggestions to help him along?
We still bumping?
Get some Compeed.
And you'll even get 15% off with his DofE voucher. Or 20% if you mistakenly type "adu" instead after the last dash 😉
Aye, compeed blister plasters in a couple of sizes, they're like voodoo- feels better straight away and helps healing too, and they mostly stay in place as long as your feet are dry when you put them on. Not as good as a normal colloid bandage but they hardly ever work on feet. You can also use them as immediate relief to stop a rub or small blister becoming a big one as the day goes on.
(I have anti-blister socks which are basically 2 layers that are supposed to allow movement between them, so the skin doesn't rub. They don't work well for me but it's an interesting idea0
TBH as a mountain biker you should always have some of the big compeeds around, they're great for crash repair, hand blisters- if you're planning big rides or multiple uplifts then whacking them on even before bits start to wear can work great, like, at fort william my hands always get beaten up so as soon as I start to feel a hotspot I'll stick on over it, second skin.
Give the blister as much air as possible in the next week. Definitely take compeed for the next trip. What inner soles is he using, how many times has he worn the boots and do the fit well, and what socks and how often is he changing them. If the weather is good, does he have the option of wearing a comfortable pair of trainers. I wore trainers for a day walk in the peaks on Friday and was amazed at how good my feet felt after 11m ( I wore my boots the day before and after )
As above, ideally deal with it when it is a hotspot, before it becomes a blister with moleskin/blister cover. If you get one, cut some donuts to go around the blister, not touching it to relieve the pressure so you can finish the yomp.
Is he double socking?
I used to suffer from blisters a lot.
Tried a number of things, socks, boots etc. with different levels of success.
Then I got some custom, heat moldable footbeds. They are brilliant.
The ones I have are by "Sole" and cost about £35. Worth every penny.
Blisters as above for the immediate problem.
Wearing two pairs of socks will likely stop it happening again.
We have the Compeed in ready, thanks.
I tend to wear injinji toe sock liners when walking any decent distance. They're pricey, but really help to keep feet from being sweaty,and for me, toes rubbing each other. Prior to that I'd often apply some vaseline where I had issues.
As above compeed is great and catching hot spots early is key as well as proper fitting footwear, taking into account swelling.
Does jnr take time to lace carefully? I have seen lots of blisters on DofE through 'cannot be bothered' lacing...
+1 on insoles making a big difference - I have used them for years, eldest now uses them as well.
A couple of thin wicking socks often work better than thick and 'soggy' wool socks over a few days.
Short of different boots, that is about all you can do.
As longdog, my last bad case of blisters was two toes rubbing together. Injinji socks sorted that for me. Worth working out what it rubbing where. It could even be the way he's lacing his boots up.
Based on description of where it is, taking time to ensure toe seams are in the 'right' place. Or socks w/o seams....
So much great advice here, unfortunately it's from older more responsible persons. As a youngster you'll not take heed of any of it so Cougar has it with 2 thin pairs of socks.Simple and effective.
Agree on the Injinji toe socks - I couldn’t do ultra-distance stuff without them. For multi-day, dry/fresh socks every morning and use talc/foot powder as it reduces friction/absorbs moisture.
+1. Compeed* For some reason I quite dislike endorsing a sole brand (SWIDT?) for such a common and pedestrian (SWIDTX2?), and if there is anything costing half the amount (or less) yet doing the same job then I’ll happily insert that in my rucksack instead of.
*But why the big/wasteful placcy boxes? 😡
I’m not hiker, but I am an ultra runner so know the fun blisters bring.
With his current blisters, pop and drain them with a sterile needle and cover in iodine. It’ll sting but it’ll fix them in time for his next walk.
For the new ones, I too like toe socks, but if nothing else, do the basics. 2 pairs of think socks, lots of Vaseline between the toes and make sure he’s doing his boots up properly.
I use the Alpkit Akcelerate dual layer socks for hiking, they're thin ankle height socks aimed at runners but as I wear trail shoes for walking, they work fine. Any sort of proper walking boot gives me horrendous blisters, so I just use fell / approach shoes which are super compliant and seem to work for me.
Make sure competed are properly warm before applying. Did Nijmegen marches years ago with British Military Contingent nurses kept the compress in their bras and only took them out when everything was cleaned up and ready for application.
Compeed really are magic.
Sounds like sweaty feet, maybe, so as said, change socks often and dry the feet.
I've used Thousand Mile socks for years - basically socks with a thin liner sock built in.
Another Injinji wearer here.
Bridgedale also make great socks that reduce/eliminate blisters.
He has it. Also soak your feet in surgical sport toughen them up.
Bare feet get the air on them.
Pre tape bad areas
(Nijemagen 50 vet,)
So much great advice here, unfortunately it’s from older more responsible persons. As a youngster you’ll not take heed of any of it so Cougar has it with 2 thin pairs of socks.Simple and effective.
I used two pairs of socks back in my teenage days, including for my DoE stuff and it wasn’t 100% guaranteed not to get blisters. I switched to just one pair a while back and find that works just as well if not better as my feet don’t sweat as much.
Wandering huge trade shows in stupid smart shoes has been the killer for me - and I swear I’d have paid £100 for compead when I discovered them. I think Boots have an own brand equivalent.
Suspect MOAB’s advice will be the most relevant and most overlooked. Whilst he’s a teenager he is doing DoE gold so has a degree of responsibility about him, and having discovered the pain will potentially have more interest in learning - something as basic as tying your boot laces seems like something you learned at 6 but actually is a bit more complex than that - and of course most teenagers are fans of the loose fastened trainer.
He's pretty competent with the boots and lacing, done a lot of days/weeks living in them in the last 2-3 years.
Suspect the issue was that like the rest of the group it's 18 months since silver and he/they are just out of practice with back to back days hiking.
He needs to get back on it as these DofE expeditions are a warm up for a week hiking and camping through Snowdonia in August 🤣
If you want a cheaper alternative to Injinji, Decathlon have started selling toe socks:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/running-5-finger-socks-black-yellow/_/R-p-308500?mc=8554046&c=BLACK
(I've not personally tried them, but have no particular reason to doubt their effectiveness).
I did a lot of hiking when I was young, my dad was a bit nuts about the outdoors. Two pairs of socks helps a lot. I always took some trainers in my pack in a plastic bag to wear in the evenings. You often can't help getting your boots wet, so having something dry to wear in the evening makes a big difference.
When I got blisters, I'd just put a plain plaster over it (this was before the fancy plasters were invented), then pop it in the evening and remove the loose skin so it could dry overnight. Then cover it with a plaster the next day, dry it overnight, etc. They healed up in a few days, as long as they have a plaster over them you pretty much forget they are there.
I use thin silk inner socks when out on big full day stomps - you want a 'shiny slippy' inner sock rather than a grippy sock that just locks to the outer and transfers the movement to your foot. I had some 1000 mile socks but still had rubbing issues with them.
I too had issues with 1000 mile socks among others. went through the usual suspects above with no joy until someone recommended taping up with micropore tape. Does pretty much what RNP say above in that it provides a silky surface so there's no rubbing.
I just pre-tape before a big day out and air my feet out when at camp followed by fresh socks / trainers.
As longdog, my last bad case of blisters was two toes rubbing together.
I have two toes which rub - I tape them up with ordinary surgical tape.
2 pairs of socks too - Coolmax inners and good quality (Thorlo in my case) outers. Having said that it's a personal thing. A friend of mine suffered blisters for years and changing from two layers to one cured it for him.
As matt_oitandabout says kids, and adults winty follow the advice. Next from proper lacing to avoid tightness is resetting socks and boot/lacing when they start to feel a hotspot. Folk don't or just do a wee bit longer or wait to a brew up and by then it's too late.