Heel Blisters- Need advice

[Blockcaver]

I get heel blisters from most any hiking/hunting boot when climbing with the exception of the Meindl Perfekt Hunter and Hiker lines that were sold by Cabelas before Bass Pro bought them. They have a bit wider toe box, a fairly narrow width heel area, but a larger "cup" behind the heel that works "perfekt" for my protruding bony heels. Never get heel blisters from them...whether first time out or worn out. And I do have a different style of Meindl Islanders that are sold in Canada and they do give me heel blisters....no enhanced heel cup on that line, although the rest of the boot fits OK.

Meindl USA (some former Cabelas employees in Sidney, NE) are now importing a boot like the old "Perfekt" lines under a different name. I hear good things about them and will buy from them when my Perfeksts wear out...which will be a while since I stocked up when Cabelas was closing them out just before the Bass Pro takeover.

Good luck...blisters suck but are avoidable with the right boot....and I don't need to wear special socks either....one pair of COSTCO Merino hiking socks and still blister free on climbs.

 

[Franger]

This is going to be a lengthy post, I hope it helps you.

Here is the list of boots I’ve owned for hunting, backpacking, and hiking the last four years in Colorado.

Scarpa Kinesis GTX
Zamberlan 1030 Sella
Crispi Hunter
Lowa Tibet LL
Scarpa Kuiu Rebel K 8

This is just a list of the ones I’ve owned and used. There have been around a dozen other pairs from various brands that I wore in my home and returned.

In the last three years I have:
-had my foot professionally measured and done it myself as well.
-worn dozens of combinations of socks to include wool socks, synthetic socks, silk liners, wool liners, toe socks (injinji), thin, thick, and no socks.
-used duct tape, athletic tape, leukotape, moleskin, and Compeed (amazing stuff).
-tried gobs of off-the-shelf insoles to include the ones you bake and mold to your foot at home.

I have never had issues with blisters until around 5 years ago. I have always had weak ankles and learned over twenty year ago as a college student and backpacking guide to mitigate that using quality-built, stable, supportive footwear.

I have discovered that feet change as we age and issues that were minor almost always develop into more severe issues over time unless corrected via strengthening, orthotics, or surgery. Just one example, high arches, strong but overused calves/Achilles, poorly balanced foot; this combo sometimes results in boney protrusions on the heel as haglunds Deformity (back of heel) or heel spurs (bottom of heel).

My results from all of this obscene amount of research, purchasing, and testing is that: stiff-ish boots + uphill + under load + heat/moisture + untrained feet = heel blisters.

Solutions? In my case, none are very simple. You can remove a variable or two from the arithmetic above and not develop blisters. But my experience is that at some point in mountain hunting, the uphill/under load/heat/moisture portion of the equation is non-negotiable. That leaves only two real ways to mitigate this issue. Footwear and training.

I firmly believe that the reason I didn’t get blisters all those years ago was that I was always on my feet. In a military academy, we were always wearing shitty footwear, walking somewhere. Standing on bleachers in uniform at football games, marching to meals, running up and down a hill in crappy boots, running to class in leather low quarters, etc etc. Then in summer, I’d pop down to New Mexico in some heavy Asolo boot that was like a Cadillac compared to my combat boots and walk for miles and miles under load. Not. One. Blister. My feet were trained and conditioned.

Fast forward to now. I sit at my job. I sit around watching my kids. I sit at the brewery and I sit on my mountain bike and sit on the chair lift. Every pair of shoes I wear is comfy as hell. I bought them that way! My feet aren’t conditioned.

I just returned from a few days backpacking in the Never Summer Wilderness. I wore the stiff Scarpa Kuiu boots mentioned above as a shakedown for this September. They fit great and have some many nice features. My heels were pretty wrecked after 4500 uphill feet the first two days. The boots fit, I wore great socks and my insole is good for my foot shape and I didn’t even sweat too bad. But…my feet aren’t conditioned.

It does NOT matter how good your boots fit. If there is any friction—and there WILL be at least some friction going uphill under load in stiff soled boots, I don’t care what anyone says—and you have been wearing flip flops all summer, your heels will react to that friction. Full stop.

All of that to say this. Mitigate all the variables you can. Be relentless about fit. About moisture management and about quality. But understand what many here have finally started concluding, you may not need boots with a medium to firm stiffness in the sole. They are heavier, generally slow to break in, and your feet aren’t conditioned to walk in them because most of us don’t wear them enough. Then we set off hunting in them because ”they fit great.” Once you have removed the variables of fit and foot structure, understand that you may still develop blisters. You can only mitigate that through less stiff, more flexible shoes, or training your feet to deal with the kind of shoe you never wear.

This fall I plan on a new approach. Comfort and speed before the kill (like a Hoka Kaha or Altra Olympus Mid and a light ankle brace) and a pair of ”pack out boots” in the truck waiting for me after the first load.

I hope all that helped. Truly. This process kind of sucks.

 

[Conrad101st]

Everyone has a different heel. I have found that my bony heels do better with nice round heel pockets for the most part. And the other thing I discovered is that fat insoles make it worse. I now just use those thin plastic danner heel cups in most boots with no other insert for the rest of my foot.

 

[cjdewese]

I haven't seen it mentioned here yet, but a good friend of mine turned me onto using the feet of pantyhose before I put on my sock. He used it when he was in the seals and never had any issue.

Since doing that I have never had another issue with blisters no matter what shoes I use.

 

[JStol5]

This is going to be a lengthy post, I hope it helps you.

Here is the list of boots I’ve owned for hunting, backpacking, and hiking the last four years in Colorado.

Scarpa Kinesis GTX
Zamberlan 1030 Sella
Crispi Hunter
Lowa Tibet LL
Scarpa Kuiu Rebel K 8

This is just a list of the ones I’ve owned and used. There have been around a dozen other pairs from various brands that I wore in my home and returned.

In the last three years I have:
-had my foot professionally measured and done it myself as well.
-worn dozens of combinations of socks to include wool socks, synthetic socks, silk liners, wool liners, toe socks (injinji), thin, thick, and no socks.
-used duct tape, athletic tape, leukotape, moleskin, and Compeed (amazing stuff).
-tried gobs of off-the-shelf insoles to include the ones you bake and mold to your foot at home.

I have never had issues with blisters until around 5 years ago. I have always had weak ankles and learned over twenty year ago as a college student and backpacking guide to mitigate that using quality-built, stable, supportive footwear.

I have discovered that feet change as we age and issues that were minor almost always develop into more severe issues over time unless corrected via strengthening, orthotics, or surgery. Just one example, high arches, strong but overused calves/Achilles, poorly balanced foot; this combo sometimes results in boney protrusions on the heel as haglunds Deformity (back of heel) or heel spurs (bottom of heel).

My results from all of this obscene amount of research, purchasing, and testing is that: stiff-ish boots + uphill + under load + heat/moisture + untrained feet = heel blisters.

Solutions? In my case, none are very simple. You can remove a variable or two from the arithmetic above and not develop blisters. But my experience is that at some point in mountain hunting, the uphill/under load/heat/moisture portion of the equation is non-negotiable. That leaves only two real ways to mitigate this issue. Footwear and training.

I firmly believe that the reason I didn’t get blisters all those years ago was that I was always on my feet. In a military academy, we were always wearing shitty footwear, walking somewhere. Standing on bleachers in uniform at football games, marching to meals, running up and down a hill in crappy boots, running to class in leather low quarters, etc etc. Then in summer, I’d pop down to New Mexico in some heavy Asolo boot that was like a Cadillac compared to my combat boots and walk for miles and miles under load. Not. One. Blister. My feet were trained and conditioned.

Fast forward to now. I sit at my job. I sit around watching my kids. I sit at the brewery and I sit on my mountain bike and sit on the chair lift. Every pair of shoes I wear is comfy as hell. I bought them that way! My feet aren’t conditioned.

I just returned from a few days backpacking in the Never Summer Wilderness. I wore the stiff Scarpa Kuiu boots mentioned above as a shakedown for this September. They fit great and have some many nice features. My heels were pretty wrecked after 4500 uphill feet the first two days. The boots fit, I wore great socks and my insole is good for my foot shape and I didn’t even sweat too bad. But…my feet aren’t conditioned.

It does NOT matter how good your boots fit. If there is any friction—and there WILL be at least some friction going uphill under load in stiff soled boots, I don’t care what anyone says—and you have been wearing flip flops all summer, your heels will react to that friction. Full stop.

All of that to say this. Mitigate all the variables you can. Be relentless about fit. About moisture management and about quality. But understand what many here have finally started concluding, you may not need boots with a medium to firm stiffness in the sole. They are heavier, generally slow to break in, and your feet aren’t conditioned to walk in them because most of us don’t wear them enough. Then we set off hunting in them because ”they fit great.” Once you have removed the variables of fit and foot structure, understand that you may still develop blisters. You can only mitigate that through less stiff, more flexible shoes, or training your feet to deal with the kind of shoe you never wear.

This fall I plan on a new approach. Comfort and speed before the kill (like a Hoka Kaha or Altra Olympus Mid and a light ankle brace) and a pair of ”pack out boots” in the truck waiting for me after the first load.

I hope all that helped. Truly. This process kind of sucks.

This was helpful and echoes a lot of what I’ve seen from other people. I may need to wear a less stiff boot. These Zamberlans are pretty damn stiff. I might go with a Lowa or a Salomon Quest. I love leather and waterproofing but gotta compromise somewhere.

 

[Franger]

This was helpful and echoes a lot of what I’ve seen from other people. I may need to wear a less stiff boot. These Zamberlans are pretty damn stiff. I might go with a Lowa or a Salomon Quest. I love leather and waterproofing but gotta compromise somewhere.

JStol,

I forgot to mention one thing! Please spend an hour or so looking at this website’s learning section or her YT channel.

Foot Blister Prevention & Treatment | Blister Prevention

Foot blisters are a very common injury. But do you know what causes blisters on feet? Watch our videos to find out the best blister prevention & treatments.

www.blister-prevention.com

This is an incredible resource. This lady spends an inordinate amount of time explaining why blisters occur (it ain’t just generic friction and moisture), how to use or misuse certain products, and what you can do for YOUR specific situation.

The bottom line is that your blisters can be prevented. Shoe fit isn’t the culprit in most cases. And prevention is better than treatment.

 

[PA Hunter]

Duct tape or Leoko tape.

 

[cjdewese]

JStol,

I forgot to mention one thing! Please spend an hour or so looking at this website’s learning section or her YT channel.

Foot Blister Prevention & Treatment | Blister Prevention

Foot blisters are a very common injury. But do you know what causes blisters on feet? Watch our videos to find out the best blister prevention & treatments.

www.blister-prevention.com

This is an incredible resource. This lady spends an inordinate amount of time explaining why blisters occur (it ain’t just generic friction and moisture), how to use or misuse certain products, and what you can do for YOUR specific situation.

The bottom line is that your blisters can be prevented. Shoe fit isn’t the culprit in most cases. And prevention is better than treatment.

Read some of the material here. Thanks a ton for sharing will definitely be taking some away from this.

 

[Walkstoomuch]

Does anyone have experience using the Engo patches that are recommended on the blister care site that is shared above?

 

[Franger]

Does anyone have experience using the Engo patches that are recommended on the blister care site that is shared above?

Arrive today via Amazon. I’ll report back.

 

[JStol5]

Arrive today via Amazon. I’ll report back.

Please and thank you!

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Stiffer boots will definitely magnify problems with fit, and I have learned that when I am putting in a lot of miles with stiff boots, I start off by putting a piece of duct tape on my heels before I even put my socks on. Problem solved, and the tape will stay there for days if needed. If everything else in the boot fits well, I would try this, especially if you have found a good boot that fits well in the toe box.

Similar but duct tape doesn't stay on for me.

I have good luck with KT tape.

 

[xcutter]

You might try different socks. I have different socks that go with every boot for maximum comfort. Sometimes a thinner sock/thicker sock in a particular boot keeps me blister free.

 

[Franger]

Please and thank you!

Between the Salomon Quest and Schnee’s Timberline, I decided to keep the Timberline. The Quests fit a smidge better, but they have lots of other shortcomings compared to the Timberline, mostly relating to ankle stability and durability. I think I’ll also keep one of the boots between the Hoka Kaha and Altra Olympus, but that’s another discussion.

I tossed the Engo Heel patches in the Timberline’s this morning and have been wearing them all day. Im only running errands to the dump, post office, light yard work; normal domestic Saturday shit. I’m wearing Kuiu’s strongwool/poly blend socks, the ones they say wick the best. No liner.

So far so good. The interesting thing is that you don’t really notice the heel slip, or at least I don’t. I can’t pinpoint heel slippage while flexing the boot and I’m pretty attuned that sort of thing. The patches themselves are like a slightly thicker, slicker, more adhesive duct tape. It’s almost like some raft repair patches I’ve used, but much slicker/smoother on the face. Going for a hike tomorrow and I’ll report back.

 

[JStol5]

Between the Salomon Quest and Schnee’s Timberline, I decided to keep the Timberline. The Quests fit a smidge better, but they have lots of other shortcomings compared to the Timberline, mostly relating to ankle stability and durability. I think I’ll also keep one of the boots between the Hoka Kaha and Altra Olympus, but that’s another discussion.

I tossed the Engo Heel patches in the Timberline’s this morning and have been wearing them all day. Im only running errands to the dump, post office, light yard work; normal domestic Saturday shit. I’m wearing Kuiu’s strongwool/poly blend socks, the ones they say wick the best. No liner.

So far so good. The interesting thing is that you don’t really notice the heel slip, or at least I don’t. I can’t pinpoint heel slippage while flexing the boot and I’m pretty attuned that sort of thing. The patches themselves are like a slightly thicker, slicker, more adhesive duct tape. It’s almost like some raft repair patches I’ve used, but much slicker/smoother on the face. Going for a hike tomorrow and I’ll report back.

Thanks mate

 

[CaliWoodsman]

I'll echo the Salomon Quest recommendations. Other than that, the biggest things for me are 1. Wool socks, 2. Gold Bond medicated foot powder. I'll cover my feet in them and put some in my socks. Keeps everything dry and reduces friction. 3. Leuko tape - I carry this with me, but if I know I'm going to be covering a lot of miles and a lot of climbing, I'll pre-apply.

 

[sndmn11]

Fiddle with the lacing technique.

 

[Ron.C]

Any advice for tying boots that might reduce heel slip/blisters?

I was using a much stiffer boot (hanwags), but I used this technique and it solved my issue.

 

[Deadfall]

Got to schnees! I've dumped all other boots. That store is awesome.

I own timberline and kestrel. Neither are overly stiff. I personally don't like stiff boots.

Just got back from trip. Wore timberline with 75 pounds in a pack while traveling up and down mountains. It was the timberline first trip out of box. Zero time breaking in. Not even a hot spot. First boot I've owned like that.

Kestrel are alittle more flexible.

Entire point of this trip was to see if timberline were as good as I hoped. THEY ARE and better then I hoped

 

[Deadfall]

Ps. I wore zamberland for 3 years prior. Got blister more then once