Agreed, not a glamorous topic, but Id appreciate some advice from experienced trekkers. I'm planning a Kili climb in October. I have a decent new pair of hiking boots and I'm starting to break them in and hopefully I'll avoid problems. I'm wearing 2 pairs of socks (light synthetic and heavier wool)

That said, what's the best way to handle blisters if they appear? I've heard everything from duct tape to self-surgery... what works?

MOISTURE IS YOUR ENEMY...wear wicking socks. Polypro liners are good. Thorlo has some good moisture wicking socks.

BLISTERS- ummmm...I just pop 'em with a pin, put on a band aid and suffer.....
Foot powder keeps you dry.

I'd plan on using a pair of trekking poles...I hear they're great for your knees.

Be sure to break your boots in well before the hike. Liner socks + hiking socks are nice. I used Fox River liners with X-static (for the odor control) along with Smart Wool hiking socks or Wigwam hiking socks. Bring enough socks to last you, and wear dry socks.

Bring some moleskin with you just in case. I've also seen special blister bandaids on the shelves in the stores, but I've never used them so can't attest to their quality.

Trekking poles are pretty much a must unless you are a bionic man.

Ok. I am about to introduce you to my patented system for avoiding blisters.

1. Shoes a size too big
2. vaseline before you put the socks on
3. two layers
4. talcum powder in second layer.

Foot care pt 2:

Every hour you hike, stop, relax, take off your shoes, whatever, but take weight off your feet. Do it for 5-10 minutes. Its a method used by the US army and British army on their long distance hauls, and friends of mine on the camino swear by it.

If you see an irritation forming, cover it with zinc tape before it becomes a blister. If its a little toe, there are toe tubes one can buy to protect the little toe from being bruised. Once damaged, they take a long time to heal and cause a lot of trouble.

moleskin is good protection, so is duct tape.

Blister medicated bandaids---

Many people on the Camino swear by Compeed, which absorbs the liquid that comes from the blister.

Other people who are less squeamish, burst the blister with a sterilized needle, but make sure to have a thread with a knot on the end inside, covered in anti-biotic gel. This way the pus leaves, and no infection forms. It is then best covered with a soft gauze bandage and waterproof tape that holds well to the skin for protection.

If you do use a compeed like product, make sure you attach it well with a waterproof gum rubber based tape. Always attach it dry and free of grease. When removing a sock, do it with care. Compeed can catch the skin and tear, especially on a wet foot. The result is not good.



Still, with all these things, prevention is the best policy. If you feel a little pebble in your shoe, and it just won't go away, STOP. Take the pebble out, and you have one less blister.

If you find that your tendons are aching, you're going too far every day for the weight you are carrying. Reduce weight or reduce distance and or speed.

If your blisters are multiplying, STOP for a day. It means something is wrong with either your equipment or you're not letting your body heal from the previous days damage.

If

Thanks for the good advice everyone. Has anybody had any experience with "Compeed" to prevent or help with blisters? I've read mixed reviews. Not sure if they're worth the expense to bring along.

Ok..

This is the thing about compeed. It doesn't Prevent blisters, per se. To prevent them you need adequate sized shoes, vaseline or grease on the feet to prevent inter toe rubbing. less irritation on your feet as you walk, and DRY feet.

If there is a little sore bump growing at the end of the day, it becomes a blister darn quick. So, cover it with zinc tape or some kind of soft bandage, and let it heal on its own. If its a little toe, baby it, give it a toe tube or soft bandage.

Once you get a blister, and its not too huge, THEN you put compeed on it, and hope that you got it in time. Compeed isn't great for huge blisters, though its better than nothing. The really big ones need really big bandages. The best product I've seen, hands down, is the compeed material in sheets one gets in Germany. You cut it to the size of the injury, just the size, and then put it down with waterproof tape. If you go with a group, then your group leader should be more than competent to deal with your foot problems. He'll have a big enough medical kit to do most anything, as he'd have to considering where exactly you are.

Its worth taking, yes. Its light enough, and when you need cushioning, you have it. At worst its an expensive anti-irritation/pressure cushion, and I have used them as such.

I've never been lucky enough to avoid blisters entirely. In fact, I think of hiking boots as devices that inflict many very small injuries upon your feet to prevent the larger, more difficult to deal with injuries. I've tried a lot of things including expensive boots, vaseline, 2 layers of socks, talc, etc. I just usually end up with blisters if I hike enough. So here's what I do, it's worked for me on Kili and everywhere else.
1. Put antibiotic cream on the popped blister.
2. Put a regular band-aid (plaster) over the blister.
3. Put a medium-sized piece of moleskin over that.
4. Duct tape the heck out of it. If the blister is on your heel, run the tape from one side of your foot to the other. This will leave unattractive 'tape residue' on your foot but your protection will not come off, no matter how many streams you ford or how deep the snow is.
5. Don't swim in the Rio Grande with blisters. You can get a nasty, nasty infection from that.

All of these comments are great.
I used wicking socks; poly/silk bicycle socks and Smartwool over that (I also used sole inserts!)
The real trick was buying boots with plenty of toe room and breaking them in, 60 to 70 miles(you will hike 50+).
I used Asolos but there are many good boot choices.
I never got blisters just sore knees even using poles (a must)...but I was 53 at the time and I was going to hurt somewhere...
The last tip is walk SLOWLY...it is not a race...it helps keep your feet cool...if you feel a hot spot, stop, remove the boots and relax...
Good luck