Hydropel being discontinued?!

[Mikael Akke]

I use chamois creme, which is what cyclists use to reduce friction in the butt area. Works great on the feet too.

[David Colbert]

I tried the Lanacane Anti-Chafing Gel on a trip recently when I could find a resupply of Hydropel. I personally like it better than Hydropel. It has an interesting dry-but-silky-slippery feel to it and goes on easier. I don't think it's quite as waterproof as Hydropel, but it will last all day. The Lanacane also works great in those "other" places that need protection from chafing. Works good after the fact too. Highly recommended.

Still not inexpensive at about $10 for a one ounce tube, but definitely worth it.
http://www.lanacane.com/anti-chafing.php

David

[Jason Elsworth]

Did a test of Ggoo this weekend (one foot Ggoo and one foot Hydropel). Two half days and one full day of hiking. Feet were wet from eve of first day onwards and plenty of river crossings on day two. I inspected my feet at the end of the day and couldn't see any differences between each foot. The Ggoo is easy to apply and tea tree smell is nice. Look forward to doing a longer test. Should probably also do a test with one untreated foot. As I said before I was kindly provided the product free of charge.

[Ryan Smith]

I also found this stuff from my internet searching. Had some good reviews.

http://www.2toms.com/sportshield

Ryan

Very sweet, thanks for the update Jason!!

I too have been testing it, but not a lot has I have been gimped lately :(

Have you used it all for monkey butt or nipple problems?

The one thing I am not liking about it is how hard it is to wash off your hands. It just seems to be a fair amount harder to wash off than Hydropel, wasting precious water in some areas. I tried rubbing my hands in dirt to try to get it off and that was a mistake lol I have tried using wet wipes and towels and they just end up sticking to my hands. No doubt that whatever the water repulsion stuff is in it, that they are using it doing its job lol

@Ryan,

Hmm, roll on or towels only… not sure that would work out. The towels might, but no way you could use a roll on in-between your toes – unless it is a fairly wet roll on.

They also say it requires soap in order to get it off. Not sure I like the idea of that on a long distance hike. But for day hikes, it looks like it could very well be added to the list of potential/viable alternatives!! Thanks for pointing it out.

[John S.]

Go buy a pair of thick rubber gloves at dollar store, cut off enough glove to keep index and middle finger together and use that over and over to apply. Place it in ziplock after application.

[Mike M]

anyone try sportslick before? I've used (still use for general chaffing) bodyglide, but never have used sportslick

[Ryan Smith]

Good idea John.

Ryan

[Anonymous]

"anyone try sportslick before? I've used (still use for general chaffing) bodyglide, but never have used sportslick"

It's a standard part of my kit. Works great for monkey butt, too. It contains both an antibiotic and an anti fungal, which is great for crotch/butt related irritations.
If you order direct from the manufacturer, you can get a 3.8 oz tube for $12, way cheaper than buying from a retailer in smaller tubes. It's at least a 2 year supply that can be shared with friends. The link below will get you to the manufacturer.

http://www.sportslick.com/ordering.html

[Mike M]

thanks Tom :) I see it has silicone in it, do you know how it compares to Hydropel for feet protection from the wet?

anti-fungal, antibiotic is definitely a plus- I can see that being helpful for the feet as well

[Anonymous]

"do you know how it compares to Hydropel for feet protection from the wet?"

I'm sorry, Mike, but I don't. I do very little backpacking where my feet are wet for days on end, and I have never had any trouble with my feet on those rare occasions when my feet were wet all day for a couple days in a row. Drying them out at night has always been enough. I think you guys get a lot more rain than the Sierra and, even in the Cascades, I have not had more than a couple of days in a row. So far…..

[Mike M]

it's usually shoulder seasons that I deal w/ a lot of wet feet, the Hydropel really helped your feet from getting all wrinkled (and thus less prone to blisters)-it also contains a silicone base, I think I'll give Sportslick a go and see how it does in that area :)

[Anonymous]

"I think I'll give Sportslick a go and see how it does in that area :)"

Would you post your experience, Mike? I, for one, would be interested to know if it works well for wet feet, just in case.

[Chris Irwin]

We have something in the UK called Lanacane, it's an anti-chaffing gel. But having never used Hydropel, I wouldn't know if it's a similar product. Not sure whether that's available to you in the US?

[Mike M]

I think Hydropels big appeal (for me anyways) wasn't in anti-chaffing, but in preventing severe maceration of the feet in very wet conditions- for anti-chaffing I find BodyGlide adequate, but not for the feet.

[Brian Barnes]

Be sure you purchase the right product… Lanacane® Anti-Chafing Gel would be a reasonable substitute for Hydropel since it contains: Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone (what percent?) Crosspolymer, Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch.

Hydropel contains 30% dimethicone which is a silcone substance which both reduces friction and acts as a moisture barrier. Hydropel also contains 10% hydrophobic starch to minimize the greasy feeling of its petrolatum base.

Plain Lanacane is a topical anesthetic containing benzocaine, which I'd avoid using on a daily basis as a preventive agent due to this problem: http://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch/safetyinformation/safetyalertsforhumanmedicalproducts/ucm250264.htm In addition, this version isn't going to do what you want it to.

Also – here is a related BPL post on the topic: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=33635

[backpackerchick]

Most of the products listed here are not good alternatives, IMO. I used Eucerin's Aquaphor Healing Ointment on the feet before I discovered Hydropel. It is odorless and can be used on the face, lips, etc. as well. It's a bit different than Hydropel in that it doesn't create the long lasting barrier Hydropel seems to provide.

In search of a replacement, I have recently tried Skin Strong Skin Equipment Slather and Body Glide Unisex Skin Glide. IMO, neither is a good substitute for Hydropel — they are both thin white fragranced lotions..ick. The Slather is worse. I would go for Aquaphor before either of these.

The powder forming Body Glide is a smelly white mess that sticks to the socks.

Forget A&D ointment…you will be stuck with that smell for the life of your socks. There is a diaper rash product by Kiehl's that I have used in the past. I believe it is a zinc oxide based product. It worked OK.

Perhaps a compounding pharmacy could more or less duplicate Hydropel.
Active Ingredients: dimethicone 30%
(dimethicone 17g in 56.69g)
Inactive Ingredients: Petrolatum, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Labeler: Genesis Pharmaceutical
NDC Code: 64760-006

[Jason Elsworth]

have used ggoo on one short cycle ride as an anti chaff formula and was happy with it. longer ride next weekend with two four hour days so will see how it goes. longer term for cycling and hiking anti chaffe I will probably use an all natural product called sweet cheeks and keep ggoo for preventing feet maceration.

[Cayenne Redmonk]

I just read the ingredients and made my own.

Works great.

[Mike M]

^ would you mind sharing the "recipe"?- thanks

[Colin Krusor]

Yes, I'd like to know how you made your own. I tried it and it didn't work very well. No amount of mixing keeps the dimethicone and petrolatum from separating. The modified starch stays mixed with the petrolatum, but the dimethicone forms an oil layer at the top of the container about five minutes after mixing. I used fairly thick dimethicone (350 centipoise).

[backpackerchick]

I am trying this next. http://www.3m.com/product/information/Cavilon-Durable-Barrier-Cream.html

Here is the summary of a clinical trial by 3M. Note: they are looking at wash off times as opposed to rub off times.

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=66666UF6EVsSyXTtOxTcoXT_EVtQEVs6EVs6EVs6E666666–&fn=70-2010-8204-0.pdf/?WT.mc_id=C3SD_Facebook_SkinBarrierCompare

Interestingly, the article concludes that dimethicone concentration does not correlate with efficacy.

I do NOT want something smelly with anti-bacterial (Sensitivity to topical antibiotics can develop over time. Neosporin sensitivity is very common.) or anti-fungal agents!

[Back to Eucerin's Auaphor Healing Cream for a moment, it is readily available in 0.14 oz/3.4 g tubes. I have seen this product by Eucerin in many different European and Asian countries although it is not necessarily labeled "Aquaphor".]

I have used Badger Baby Balm (fragrance free) on susceptible areas of the feet and it does alright. Good on the hands, lips, face too. The small tin is very hard to find.] I have also used Burts Bees hand salve (available in tiny tin) and the thick Neutragena Hand Cream (Unscented). Again, OK.

I use the stuff after cleaning my feet in the evening and before putting my sneakers on in the morning.

As for reusing any sachets, one can p rick (that's a naughty word!) the sachet with a pin and use a bit of tape to cover up the hole). They are still a mess but I have found this works better than tearing off the top. Generally avoid sachets!

Here is one, I have NOT used — Cramer Skin-Lube. http://www.cramersportsmed.com/products/training-room-supplies/skin-lube® In addition to other sizes, it is available in a 25 lb bucket! Reviews suggest it is messy.

[Colin Krusor]

Cameron, I'm interested in your experience with making DIY Hydropel. I'd like to try it again myself, and, if you tried it and succeeded, a little information about your methods would be of interest to me and probably others.

[Cayenne Redmonk]

I started with a store brand cracked skin cream that had some PJ, emulsifiers and silicone in it, that's probably the difference.

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