Mike, what do you use? I'm looking for a cheaper alternative to Hydropel for avoiding trenchfoot. I do a lot of canyoneering, where you're in water most of the day.
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Hydropel alternatives
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I've used vaseline for years and while it works, it also heats up and gets runny, and soaks into clothes and socks. I understand Hydropel dries, absorbs, or otherwise ends up non-sticky and non-slimy while still preventing chafing. I'm having a hard time picturing this. Something like silicone mold release, maybe?
(Has anyone tried mold release, btw? Many kinds are food-grade so obviously non-toxic.)
To the point: could someone describe the "feel" of Hydropel when it's on? I'm considering trying it. And–since it would be replacing vaseline in my kit, is it feasible for use as lip balm?
So I had a not-so-great Hydropel experience.
I decided to proactively use Hydropel on a 3-day, 71 mile trip in May. I applied it to my feet a couple times a day. I don't remember it feeling too slimy and in general didn't recognize a difference with it. I don't usually get blisters, though.
The trip we were on was a remarkable rocky trail. After the trip my feet turned into one big callus and I was quite proud. No blisters – and it looked like I could walk on broken glass without concern. Two weeks later, however, I lost the entire layer of skin on the undersides of each foot. This had never happened to me before on similar trips. The only thing I can blame is Hydropel. Maybe I misused it. But I'll never use it again for fear of losing an entire layer of skin again.
A little goes a long way. A couple of weekends ago, I put a thin coat on my feet and then put on my toe socks and didn't take the socks off for the next 2.5 days of hiking and camping. For the first time in my summer hiking experience, I avoided the "white, wet, wrinkled foot" syndrome, and my feet have been fine since. (I BPed the next weekend, as well, but only for 1.5 days.)
Amazing stuff. At $20 a tube, it seems expensive, but used sparingly, as it should be, a tube ought to last a while.
And my feet and socks didn't stink that badly either, at least compared to my usual experience.
Stargazer
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