Blister help……

I’ve had same problem

One thing I’ve done is just move the insole back a little

I wear my low-cut hiking shoes around town while running errands, walking the dogs and mowing the lawn.  So I put 5-7 miles a day on them most every day.  If they present any problem, I’ll see it long before a BPing trip.

For the insole problem, what about trying after-market insole that hit your foot at a better place (or not at all)?

Your skin looks pretty soft, like mine (and unlike my wife’s calloused soles).  My tender feet are only a problem for my when barefoot on sharp gravel or stream beds (which I cross, exclaiming, “Oooh, Oww, Ouch!”.  Merrells always fit me well enough that I can find a size in that sweet spot of minimal heel lift but not no toes touching anything while on a steep down hill.

I only had to do it on one pair of shoes, but there’s the trick of using two shorter shoelaces per shoe so you can lace the top differently than the lower laces around the middle of your foot.  Perhaps that could let you tighten the shoe around your heel a bit more without tightening the whole shoe.

When I’ve had excessive heel life due to my heels being smaller than the heel cup of the shoe (usually in dress shoes), I’ve added “heel pads” or “heel grips”:  

The ones shown above have a lot of volume.  Others were a layer of corduroy material that was much thinner.  On the trail, I’ve effected that with one or two layers of MoleSkin or MoleFoam (a good reason to have at least the scissor of a Victorinox Classic to trim such materials to shape and give them nice rounded corners.

Ouch – I’m wincing just seeing that…

The only other thing is do make yourself do a foot check at meals or breaks while hiking.  When I take my daughters out I do it every break on the first day and then at meals on the second to try to identify and deal with hotspots before they become blisters.  By day 3, if they don’t have any blisters, we’re usually good without checks.

Yeah, Holy moly those are some wicked blisters. find some new shoes for sure.

Here’s my blister treatment regime:

–Stop at the first sense of a hot spot and readjust/treat the hot spot. This is annoying as it can happen within an hour or two of beginning a hike, just when I want to keep going.

–if a blister has formed, be proactive. Take time to treat the blister

–I use Iodine as a first layer, because it’s sticky and antiseptic, then follow with a square of moleskin with a diamond cut out of the center to relieve pressure, followed by leucotape carefully wrapped all around the foot/ankle. I’ve also used Second Skin blister pads after applying the iodine, followed by Moleskin, tape.

For me, a painful blister ruins a trip. the above procedure has saved me in the past, Blisters were pain free after treatment.

As soon as you feel any even modest heat, stop and apply Leukotape P over the spot.  Carry it in your hip belt on contact paper ready to apply so its quick and you avoid the temptation to soldier on.

Always worked for me until I found good fitting footwear (exceptionally difficult in my case)

I certainly have baby feet – my wife often pokes fun at me for it.  I’ve just never had problems with blisters before – at least not since moving to trail runners twenty years ago.  I’ve always put some tape on a hotspot – perhaps I waited too long this time?

I certainly don’t want to get blisters on day 2 or 3 of a week long trip!

If I do try some new shoes – is there any recommended for narrow feet (particularly a narrow heel)?

I has a pair of boots – Danner.  I got no blisters.  Then, I started getting many blisters.

I went to REI and described my problem and they suggested I needed a wider footbox, like solomon x ultra 04.  I got those and have had zero blisters since.

So, maybe go to REI and ask them.

Normally, I would never suggest REI as an expert source of info, but maybe for boots they’re good

I’m jealous.  Solomons are too narrow for me, my feet are like pizza slices

In my experience, blisters are so individualized, only trial and error will give you the answers you need. But whatever you try, why not also bring some leukotape with you and apply it at the first sign of friction.

I will absolutely take Leukotape, and I did apply tape on day 2 and these blisters were under the tape.

I will absolutely take Leukotape, and I did apply tape on day 2 and these blisters were under the tape.

Ouch, really unfortunate. That hasn’t happened to me.

At my worst, I had to apply leukotape at 10 places.

Then, if I have to get my feet wet walking through a stream, I have to reapply the leukotape at the 10 places.

geeze, Jerry…just, geeze!  10 places! Hips, shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes…)? Wait, no, all on your feet, given wet feet, etc.

I found that an initial double wrap of Leukotape over moleskin would stand up to stream crossings and all the rest. But I’m stringent about using Event gaiters and keeping my feet as dry as possible, precisely because I’m subject to blisters when hiking with wet feet.

My feet are odd.  I was born with some deformaties, nothing major.  So a lifetime of feet issues.  And me abusing them hasn’t helped.   I use Luko tape before I head anywhere, on the heals.   My feet tend to move up and down in the heal cup.   I take MoleSKIN and use the entire sheet in each heal cup.  I trim pieces of it to fit.  I do this when the shoes are brand new.  I do have to carefully use my fingers against the top edge of the SKIN to get my foot in the shoe, to keep the skin in place.  I replace the Moleskin when it is 40 percent loose.   You can also use MoleFOAM (thicker).  It doesn’t conform as good.  The treatment helps me not wear the fabric off the heal cup, adds some “push” on my heal to keep it in place.

I never had luck with the heel pads but only tried them in dress shoes.

This looks like an interesting concept I plan to try with those, to try and better lock in the heel

Blisters are, as others have noted “personal” or specific to our set of conditions.  I’ll share what helped me, and hopefully something in this list will help you.

Shoes – they must fit correctly.  I need shoes built on a straight last.

Heel blisters – stabilize my arch with a better footbed. Superfeet green helped, custom orthotics better.  Also, lace more loosely.  I was on day 4 of a High Sierra Trail out and back and a fellow hiker recommended I try it.  Sounds counterintuitive, but no matter what your foot will move around inside your shoe.  Too much is bad, but over tight lacing increases the pressure/friction of that rubbing and it turned out there is a sweet spot for me.

Balls of feet – stabilize my arches.  Only custom orthotics did this sufficiently for me.

Between my toes – injinji toes socks.  Original weight coolmax, I wear two pair, one on top of the other.

It took me 41 years to find my “recipe” and have been blister-free for the last 16.  Hope it doesn’t take you that long.

Best.

While on the optic, has anyone tried any Hydrocolloid gel blister bandages? Possibly with Leukotape on top for protection? It supposed to enhance healing.

Also, lace more loosely

I agree that this can be helpful.

https://www.band-aid.com/products/blisters-footcare/hydro-seal-blister-cushion-bandages-heels

Nothing else works like the Bandaid blister wraps. They fill in the hole, and are waterproof. Zero pain after applying. Also, toe socks and better shoes.

I was a chronic blister suffer till about 18 years ago, when I went to Injini socks. I actually wear Injini socks even at home. But try the bandaids. You won’t regret it. Find at any pharmacy or big box store.

I agree with Sarah about the band-aid blster pads. For great pain free treatment, one can aso

–start with tincture if benzoin followed by the blister pad

–follow with mole foam with a diamond center cut out

–leucotape

I rarely get blisters so I always have to think about what to do when I get one. I have to remember that the clue for me for when a blister is coming on is not heat, nor pain, but itch. I just feel some persistent little itch on my feet somewhere that just doesn’t stop, and that’s my clue to stop, cover with tape, or treat right away if the blister has already formed. That happened last fall in Grand Canyon, in a place where i never get a blister- the side of a toe. Must have been some grit or something in there and just felt itchy. After treating and covering, it was all fine.

I’ve never tried to toughen my feet and it sounds sketchy to me. I’d hate to do something to them that makes anything worse and I’ve heard horror stories about people messing with their toenails, or calluses, etc. I don’t even do pedicures; those places spread disease and cause infection! But if I had persistent issues in one location – like your heels – I’d either find better fitting socks and shoes, or preemptively tape my heels. I’ve done the advance taping in my ski boots when doing a longer trip. Those boots never fit well and finally when I could afford it, I replaced them. Happier feet now!

I don’t get pedis commercially – that is a fast way to foot infections for sure. Many shops don’t sterilize the tools correctly (before you call me racist, it is an issue due to many of the women being forced to work in the shops as indentured servants for being brought to the US – and they speak very little English – if they are a citizen and speak English, less risk). However, acquiring a good tool set and knowing how to perform pedicures and manicures is a valuable life skill. My husband gets his done by me. I even do my kids’ feet still – so they don’t cut their nails wrong, but also so I can watch for things like athlete’s foot breaking out – which can lead to blisters as well.