Preventing blisters on your feet: The best tips for pain-free hikes and outdoor adventures

Blisters on the feet. Almost everyone who enjoys walking is familiar with them. They are usually uncomfortable and painful, often even the reason for abandoning a hike. In rare cases, open blisters can lead to severe infections or sepsis.

However, there are a few simple things you can follow to best prevent those annoying blisters on your feet.

It doesn’t matter how you’re out and about. The tips and tricks for blister prevention work just as well on your next long-distance hike as they do on a day hike, during trail running and training, or on a leisurely stroll or dog walk.

Causes of Blisters on the Feet

To successfully prevent blisters, you should know the main causes of blister formation. Only then can you effectively keep blisters at bay. True to the saying: “Know your enemy.”

• Pressure: Shoes that are too small or tight, pressure points, creases, seams, or other pressure spots in the shoe can injure the skin on your feet and lead to blisters.
• Friction: Ill-fitting shoes, incorrect or defective gear (e.g., inappropriate, very rough, or heavily worn materials in socks and shoes), as well as sand, small stones, and other dirt increase friction inside the shoe. This acts like sandpaper on your skin and promotes the formation of blisters.
• Moisture: Moist skin is softer and therefore more susceptible to injury than dry skin. For example, rain, wet meadows, or river crossings can lead to wet socks, shoes, and feet. One factor that is often overlooked is that sweat also softens the skin on your feet. Additionally, the salts you lose while sweating increase friction on the skin.

To successfully prevent blisters, you need to minimize the three main causes of blisters:

• Pressure
• Friction
• Moisture

Here are some points to consider to reduce these three main causes of blisters:

Choice of Shoes

To prevent blisters, the choice of the right shoes is of utmost importance. Particularly, the correct fit is crucial. This helps prevent pressure points. However, breathability and other factors should also be considered when choosing shoes. A summary of the five most important points for selecting the right shoes for long-distance hikes can be found in this blog post from wegalsziel.at.

Good to know: In waterproof shoes with membranes (such as Gore-Tex), the membrane is usually stitched inside the shoe. As a result, these shoes typically have more potential pressure points than models without a membrane.

Reducing Friction

Trail gaiters like the Tidy Gaiters keep sand, small stones, and other debris out of your shoes, helping to prevent blisters.

With every step, particles are propelled toward your shoes. Depending on the conditions, this happens more or less intensely. We all know the feeling of sand in our shoes after a walk on the beach. But moist soil, small stones, dust, and other debris regularly find their way inside shoes. This is especially true for mid-height shoes like hiking boots, running shoes, trail running shoes, and other casual footwear. These foreign bodies and particles increase friction within the shoe system. They act like sandpaper and contribute to blister formation.

Therefore, you should definitely try to keep these foreign bodies out of your shoes as much as possible. For mid-height shoes, trail gaiters have proven to be effective. Our Tidy Gaiters are elastic, ultralight, and breathable trail gaiters that effectively keep sand, small stones, dust, and other debris away from your shoes.

Socks and Shoes

Choose the right socks and shoes to keep friction as low as possible. Different materials have different levels of roughness.

So don’t skimp on the socks. Opt for proven models designed for the specific purpose. For hiking, models made from synthetic fibers or merino wool, or blends of these materials, are recommended.

Old or worn socks and insoles can also increase friction. Therefore, replace holey old socks and worn-out insoles.

Foot Hygiene is Important for Blister Prevention

Clean and well-maintained feet help prevent blisters. Regularly wash and free your feet from dirt and the salts that cling to your skin from sweating. Small particles sticking to your skin increase friction between your socks and skin. Additionally, they often cause other skin irritations during longer hikes.