As we all know, proper foot care is the difference between a fun outdoors hike and a painful nightmare. I've been using a new athletic tape (new to me) to prevent hotspots/blisters for a about a year now and it works better than anything I've tried (duct tape, spenco adhesive knit, etc). Its called Leukotape P. Its pricey but a roll lasts a long time. No affiliation with the company or anything. Just wanted to share it with you guys as I learned about foot care the hard way. Lots and lots of blisters.

I have had good luck with zinc oxide trainers tape, but the leukotape sounds cool. I've ordered some to try.

Thanks for the report, LED. I'm definitely a tape-on-heels guy. But most drugstore tape is junk. I have to track down some of this.

I remember when white moleskin would stay on my heels for days after a backpacking trip. Brilliant stuff. Naturally they stopped making it. Sheesh.

Moleskin is still available in my local drugstore and at Amazon. My wife uses a lot of it; tape seems to work better for me. If you really can't find it in your neck of the woods let me know and I'll mail you some.

EDIT: I missed an important word. I've never seen white moleskin. Sorry.

I like Spenco Second Skin for blisters, but the most important thing in blister treatment is properly fitting foot gear and well cushioned, snug socks so that the blisters never begin.

Not a problem. Trust me, the difference in adhesive power between the old (white) and the new (beige) is exponential. And, to be clear, the change is not in the right direction. IMHO.

FWIW, though, beige moleskin v.2 is still great for casual use. And it's still useful as a "doughnut" spacer around a blister that's just forming.

Especially if you have some sort of skin-friendly nuclear-sticky tape in your arsenal to keep everything in place. Just in case.

Yup, I have fond memories of white moleskin. I think there's a rule thought. Once a company develops a great product they must discontinue it immediately! lol

That would be Herblock's Law: "If it's good, they'll stop making it."

Feet are the original All Terrain Vehicle.They will take you to more places and get you into more trouble than anything else.Most people do more maintenance on their cars than their feet.Moleskin is the first thing I pack in my hiking FAK.Will look for this product.Thanks.....

BOATMAN
John

Thanks LED. I'm going pick up a roll and try it out.

Dougwalkabout, if you put Benzoin Tincture on the skin surrounding the beige mole skin it will stick very well. Be careful not to get it on the blister itself or it will feel like a combination of lemon juice and an alcohol swab on an open wound.

I like using wright socks. They have a separate sock and liner sewn together. Their sock does a great job preventing blisters.

Standard disclaimer, no affiliation with either company.

Hm! Interesting. Thanks, Quietly_Learning. I had never heard of using tincture of benzoin for bandaging.

Just goes to show: there's always someone hanging around this forum who can provide you with practical information on some obscure but important topic. Gotta love it.

Thanks for hte post. I bring a roll of the plastic 'surgical' tape from my office; it sticks great when needed.

Fortunately, I'm the type of guy that wears regular white cotton crew socks on a hike and have no problems. A week long backpack might net 1-2.

I bought a role of Leukotape P and tried it out. I was on a short run (4 miles) Saturday and got my feet completely soaked, which is not a recipe for happiness. Sunday morning I stuck my running shoes in the dryer and looked over my feet. I have a recently-healed blister on one toe, and when my feet get wet my heels are the first place that I get hotspots and blisters, so I taped up the toe and my heels with the Leukotape P.

After 11 miles, my feet felt great, no blisters, and the tape hadn't budged. It came off leaving a small amount of easily-removed residue near where the edges had been. The smooth surface of the tape didn't irritate my other toes where they were rubbing against it.

So for me, the Leukotape P is less expensive and works way better than moleskin. It also holds better than the trainer's tape I've been using.

I am in the same boat. I have worn white cotton crew socks for years. I used to run a lot of miles many, many years ago in the orbiters. Never had a problem. I have heard of others whose feet would be like someone ran them over a cheese grater. Never figured it out.

Me neither. I tried the 2-sock method ONCE. Blister City. Screw that. Most of my camping as a kid was w/ surplus or imitation Vietnam style jungle boots. Not exactly cushy.

Sometimes if it's cold I'll wear a pair of REI wool socks or smart wool or something. Even that though is a bit much for where I've lived (aside from Philly and Detroit in winter).