!!??blister preventor that actually stays stuck in place??!!

[DougPaul]

I have the same terrible problem, blisters occur on the bac of my ankle just above the heal. The fix I use is 2 padded bandaids per ankle and then use two strands of athletic tape, but I make the strips long enough to secure them, not too tight, towards the front of my ankle. Haven't had problems with it sliding and I am a big sweater

Just don't run the athletic tape all the way around the ankle or leg--don't want to risk cutting off the circulation.

(Your wording suggests that you don't do this--I just wanted to underscore the point to prevent anyone from making the mistake.)

Doug

 

[sbear]

toes need to breath

Nope, never let the ends of the tape touch each other, that would not be good for the circulation . But I find anchoring the ends on the top of the ankle stops the tape from slipping.

 

[DougPaul]

Nope, never let the ends of the tape touch each other, that would not be good for the circulation . But I find anchoring the ends on the top of the ankle stops the tape from slipping.

Good--you sounded like you were ok.

If ones feet/ankles begin to swell, the effects of a non-expandable band might not be too nice...

Doug

 

[BrentD22]

Shaving Cream + Duct Tape...

I read somewhere that the army used to have their soldiers apply shaving cream to their feet. It would hinder sweating and prevent blisters. I tried applying some shaving cream letting it dry then I applied duct tape and it stuck like a dream. Although that Benzoine Tincture stuff sounds good too.

 

[adirobdack46r]

As I mentioned I work in a medical center, I repair the medical electronic equipment, so I don't have first hand knowledge of medical stuff out of my area of expertise. This morning I saw and couple registered nurses and I asked them if they have ever heard of the Benzoin Tincture stuff. Without even having to think about it they said "sure you put in on the skin and it gets sticky, we use it all the time in the Operating Room to hold bandages and dressing in place". So this just confirms what I've been being told here by VFTT fellow hikers.

About the not going all the way around with tape. Ooops....guess I'm lucky I did not loose a foot due to poor circulation. The reason I posted the question about how to get things to stick is because till now (I say now because I think the Benzoin idea is the way to go for me now) the only way I could get something to stick all day was to wrap the tape all the way around. All I need is a piece on the back of my heel but to get it to stay I had to make a piece go from behind my heel to under my heel, then wrap a piece from under my foot to the top so the ends touch, then a piece from behind my heel all the way around so it touched the other tape. ALL THIS just to get a little piece to stay on the back of my heel. My wife and I tape up our heels the same way before every hike. Maybe now with the Benzoin idea we won't have to. In an effort to make sure the tape was not too tight we would stand as we made the ends of the tape meet because standing makes our feet spread out. If we taped them with no weight on them and then stood up it was immediately evident that the tape was way to tight.

 

[dave.m]

My uncle is a doc and he turned me onto Tincture of Benzoin with a different twist.

Use it as a skin toughener.

Apply it to the heel daily for several weeks prior to hiking season. I use a small paint brush. Be warned. It stains socks and bathroom carpets. As afka_bob can testify, I used to burn through both duct tape and moleskin with regularity. ToB has put an end to my heel suffering.

Ask a pharmacist to order it for you. Its usually not stocked.

Couple of loose comments. My uncle is a pediatrician and he suggests 1/2 ToB and 1/2 mineral oil for nursing mothers who get chapped. Most bottle of ToB suggest using it for treatment of oral cankers (not tried that). I've talke with several competitive sailors who use it to toughen their hands for rope handling. Also known as "Friars Balsam" by some. As others have mentioned, it is also used as a base coat for foot/anke taping. Trainers often use a spray on base coat that is similar. IMO, better to just toughen up the skin and avoide the taping issue all together.

BTW, if you haven't started to do this yet, start leaving your ankles laced more loosely. Consult Colin Fletcher's The Complete Walker for lacing ideas to lace the front of the foot tight while leaving the ankles looser. Usually some overhand knots inbtween eyelets works. To reduce blisters, you want the ankles looser, not tighter. With stiff soles, the ankle moving in the boot is a reality. Tightening just ratchets down on the ankle turning the boot into a meat grinder.

 

[Mr. X]

BTW, if you haven't started to do this yet, start leaving your ankles laced more loosely. Consult Colin Fletcher's The Complete Walker for lacing ideas to lace the front of the foot tight while leaving the ankles looser. Usually some overhand knots inbtween eyelets works. To reduce blisters, you want the ankles looser, not tighter. With stiff soles, the ankle moving in the boot is a reality. Tightening just ratchets down on the ankle turning the boot into a meat grinder.

Fantastic input, I've been doing the opposite, obviously with poor results. I'll try it out, thanks!

 

[DougPaul]

I read somewhere that the army used to have their soldiers apply shaving cream to their feet. It would hinder sweating and prevent blisters. I tried applying some shaving cream letting it dry then I applied duct tape and it stuck like a dream.

Another trick is to apply anti-perspirant to the feet. Don't know if it will help keep moleskin in place, but it will keep one's feet drier. There is also a foot powder containing anti-perspirant (Dr. Scholl's Bromodiasis, IIRC).

Doug