Blisters. A thru-hiker’s worst enemy. Blisters are the leading cause of thru-hikers quitting the trail. Blisters are my greatest fear - far surpassing snakes, broken bones, bears, rapists, the lot. I’ve quit treks because I couldn’t bear for each step to be complete agony. My feet are my babies, without them there’s no getting anywhere.

The key to hiking blister free is prevention (louder for those at the back!), not treatment. Once you have a blister, it’s not going anywhere in a while. Hiking on it will make it worse, the best thing you can do is to take a couple of days off and let it dry out. If you’re hiking and feel a “hotspot” on your foot that feels hot, stingy, or scratchy, stop immediately and apply preventative treatment. Do not wait until the hotspot has become red and angry. Nip that bugger in the bud.

footwear abc

High-quality, well-fitted shoes and socks are alpha and omega. Experimenting with footwear is expensive, you can hardly test out new shoes every season. Take your time shopping, most good outdoor gear stores have an artificial stony up/down path where you can try walking in the shoes. Socks on the other hand, is probably the gear item I replace most often. Always break in your footwear and train for your hike to get your feet toughened up.

A common mistake is buying shoes that are too tight. Remember, your shoes must fit 1-2 pairs of socks, maybe a special insole, your swollen afternoon feet (and yes, your feet do grow bigger after weeks on the trail) with room to spare. Wearing shoes that are too tight can not only cause you feet to blister - but your toenails can blacken and fall off after a day of long descents. Horrendous!

I wear both boots and trail runners on my hikes depending on the type of terrain I’m up against, and I’ve upsized quite a bit from my street shoe size. My Lowa Innox boots are 1,5 sizes bigger than my regular size, and my La Sportiva Akasha runners are a full 2 sizes bigger. Importantly, size is not just about length, but about width. Some boot/shoe models come in both narrow and wide designs. Also, certain brands use designs that accommodate different footshapes. For example, Altra and Merrell are known for their wide toe box – a feature favoured by many hikers as their feet swell over time. Having a wide toe box with wriggle room for your toes also prevents bunions.

Socks are just starting to come into their own – they are as important as your shoes for a comfy trekking experience. Especially if you wear boots, the norm is definitely to wear two pairs: a thin liner sock and a cushioned outer sock. Both are ideally a wool blend. Aka those acid-coloured synthetic socks you always find on sale at sports stores will not cut it. I’ve tried both Smartwool and Bridgedale and blistered badly with both. The only sock combo that works for me – and it is probably the most used combo in the thru-hiking world – is Injinji toe sock liners + Darn Tough outer socks. Injinji socks look like gloves for your feet, and it takes a day to get used to your toes being individually wrapped (I think they look super cute though!). Their liners are thin and soft, I usually replace them once the fabric gets thin on the heel and rough to touch. Darn Tough socks, on the other hand, are the tanks of the foot world. They come with a lifetime warranty. My two pairs have over 3000 km on them and are nowhere near expiry. Now, that’s an investment!

Whatever you do, stay away from cotton. No cotton should touch your body anywhere on a hike!

artificial aides: tape tape tape!

In paces that I know might become problematic, such as underneath my arch, I prefer to tape preventatively with Hapla Band. Hapla Band is a stretchy, sticky tape, originally designed for ultrarunning. It’s a great, non-bulky option for low/medium-risk areas where socks might be on the tighter side, it’s very cheap and hardly takes up any room in your 1st aid kit.

Now for the more heavyweight stuff. When people say that Europe’s global power is on the decline, I’m like – y’all clearly have never tried Compeed. Compeed is the shizzle. No other pads/band-aids even come close. If you’ve developed a hotspot, Compeed is the only thing that can save you and prevent it from turning into a full-scale blister. Compeed blister pads are rubbery and very sticky. They come in large sizes for the heel and foot sole, and smaller types for your toes. They can be pricey, so buy them in bulk if you ever find them on sale. If you put a Compeed pad on a blister, you’ll see a white, gooey mass form through the pad. That’s the pad draining out the blister fluid and creating a cushion around it. Because they are sticky, they can be painful to pull off if the blister is active, so only put them on after you’ve drained it.

I’ve seen people use all kinds of tape on the trail: Leukotape, duct tape, second skin, regular band aids. Please don’t use the latter, they’re absolute rubbish and fall off the minute you start sweating. I’ve never tried moleskin, but it seems like a competitive candidate from what I see in online hiker forums.

keep your feet dry

Even the best footwear will not always prevent blisters is your feet are turning into soggy raisins in rain, snow, or rivers. I know the struggle, there were days on the Te Araroa in New Zealand where we clocked 45 river crossings between camps.

The eternal debate between Team Boots and Team Trail Runners culminates in how to prevent wet feet. I find the trail runners camp particularly militant here, and I personally prefer boots. The major advantage with boots is that they keep your feet dry in less extreme circumstances than river crossings – if it’s raining heavily or you’re hiking in mud, a really good pair of gore tex boots will stay dry. However, if you know you’ll be doing multiple river crossings and hiking in an otherwise hot and dry climate (think Pacific Crest Trail), trails runners might be a good option because once wet, they dry out much faster than boots. Easy in, easy out. I carried both boots and runners on the Te Araroa – a heavy but smart choice in the end – and used the runners on big river days, but boots in the gnarly, overgrown mountain sections.

Always let your feet dry out in camp. I carry double pairs of socks so I always have a dry pair on hand. Take out your insoles at night to dry any moisture from sweat in the sole. I’ve never used waterproof socks, but these could be an idea if you know you’ll be hiking with wet feet in freezing temperatures – such as towards the northern end of the Triple Crown trails in the US.

don’t moisturise your feet

It’s a common mistake to think that treating your feet to a balmy moisturising cream will make them happy. Skincare is good right? Wrong. You don’t want your feet to be soft and squishy, you want them hard and tough. The only exception is if you’re developing big calluses and they’re starting to crack. Then you should put something clever on the cracks, but stay away from the rest of the foot. Keeping your feet dry will also help prevent cracking, because wet skin = vulnerable skin. Your feet might start flaking in random places when the skin sheds from the constant pressure of being stomped on by you and your pack all day, but this is normal. You can cut off the flakes if they get bothersome, but don’t tear at them.

when disaster strikes: how to treat blisters

It’s a common misconception that blisters should be left alone. Big mistake! Once a fluid-filled blister has developed anywhere, you want to pop it before it bursts from the pressure of being constantly stepped on. Dip a needle in hand sanitizer to prevent infection. Prick the blister gently from the side and squeeze out the fluid. If you feel like you simply must put something on it, stick to some antiseptic cream (thin layer). The best way to get rid of blisters is to air out your feet for a day or two. After the West Highland Way, I had to wear flip flops for a week! If you must keep hiking: Smack on a Compeed and pray to the god of cell-renewal.