Avoiding Blisters When Hiking

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Richard Fields. In this clip, we're going to talk about how to avoid blisters. There's no substitute for having your boots well broken in, prior to hitting the trail. Proper socks, and regular changes of your socks, can go a long way towards preventing blisters. At least one sock change a day, is often a good idea, especially if they're fairly new boots. That will give you time to cool your feet, to let your socks air out, and change into a new pair. Above and beyond that, if you have any known hot spots, places that you know ahead of time, that you're likely to develop blisters, it's always a good idea to use, like a duct tape, or an athletic tape, and tape that area ahead of time. Additional to that, if you find that you are developing hot spots, you can go ahead and further pad that area with some kind of a moleskin, or some kind of a blister blocking material. There's a variety of these things on the market. You can find most of them at any drug store, as well as any good backpacking supply outfit. Any time during the day, when your feet start getting really hot, and you start feeling abrasion or hot spots, go ahead and pull your boots off. Give your feet a half an hour to cool. Let your boots dry out, and if possible, apply some kind of a foot powder to your boot, and to your feet, prior to putting them back in, and hiking on them, and that's how to prevent blisters."