Leukotape!!!!

James, I P.M.'d Al Shaver who might be of help — see his review of Leukotape here. I asked him to join this thread.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/reviews/display_reviews?forum_thread_id=3819&cat=First%20Aid%20and%20Survival%20Gear%20%26%20Accessories&cid=58

I have used leukotape on Kevin Sawchuk's recommendation a number of times on my extremely blister prone heels. I do get better adhesion with benzoin, but I've still had problems keeping it on and I've still gotten blisters after prophylactically taping heels (I don't blame the tape).

I met up with Uber Trail Babe Catra Corbett on the 1/2 Dome Trail and ended up bunking with she and her running mates at the Curry tent cabins (pre-landslide).

They all swear by J&J Elastikon tape. So I picked up a roll plus aroll of Kinesio Tex from zombierunner.com (great site). Don't have sufficient experience to comment on these products yet.

A while back I did some experimenting with different taping methods. I altered skin prep. methods, skin adherents & edge treatments all using Kinesio Tex tape. I had small patches of tape all over my feet with different taping methods to see what worked the best. Ok, so maybe I have too much time on my hands, but it was better than watching reruns on TV.

My best test pieces lasted for 3 days, working out, showering & just hanging out. At the end of 3 days, I could peel the tape off of my feet, but there was not much adhesive left. After 3 days, the skin under the tape looked surprisingly healthy. On one sample, I tried reapplying peeled up tape with benzoine which worked quite well.

My conclusion was that what kept the tape on my feet the longest was properly prepping the taping area of my feet before applying the benzoine. For me, proper prep meant washing the area with soap & water, letting it dry a bit and then cleaning the area with alcohol pads twice before applying the benzoin. Also, let the benzoin dry for 3 minutes or so to let it really tack up before putting the tape on. When you are finished, apply either powder or Hydropel to the tape and surrounding area so that any left over benzoin does not stick to your socks.

Bill,

Thanks for sharing your results and tips! Do you happen to have any experience with leukotape? Any comparison between leukotape and kinesio tex tape? Any sense of which might be best suited to hiking, assuming you only had one type of tape to carry? My guess is that more people on BPL own and have experience with leukotape rather than kinesio tex tape, and I'm sure many would be interested in your thoughts.

James

James,
I do not have any experience with Leukotape. It seems to be the tape of choice around here, probably becaouse Ryan Jordan speaks so highly of it.
Bill

Curious what folks do to pack a small amount (ie. not full roll!) of leukotape with them? Wrap some on a dropper bottle and seal in a baggie or?? I have a roll but would like to split off at least 4 or more portions……vehicle stash/carry on day trip stash/ mountain bike daytrip pack/ backcountry first aid kit stash etc etc. Thanks in advance.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/essentials_jordan.html