I swear by moleskin

[Marshmallow]

Whenever I know I'm going to be doing any walking, I make sure to have a small pair of scissors and a few strips of moleskin with me. This is available in the foot care section of any drugstore. If I begin to get a red place or blister, I add a little moleskin which gives me a layer of extra skin for protection. I couldn't have made my treks through Europe without this.

[Barney]

Well, I had pretty mixed experiences with moleskin. In some cases it worked great and in some it didn't. I'm still carrying it though, just in case.

[wvbreamfisherman]

I've generally had good results with it. I think one of the most important things you can do is get your skin completely dry before applying it.

Tincture of benzoin applied to the skin is also helpful as it makes the skin a bit tacky.

You can also use the tincture by drining a blister and then injecting the benzoin directly into it. I've only done this a couple of times, with good results, but it burns like fire for a few minutes LOL.

[RingTwist]

Moleskin has worked for me most of the time, so I carry it. You just never know.

I've never tried tincture of benzoin but it doesn't sound pleasant.

[wvbreamfisherman]

It isn't pleasant....but it works.

[Grandpa]

Moleskin is fine in a lot of instances. My first choice is the old gooey fabric athletic tape. It is easier than duct tape to keep wrinkles out and sticks better than moleskin.

Benzoin is terrific stuff once you get a blister. I haven't tried it as a preventer but like wvbream said, I've heard it is good. SIL, who was a navy corpsman working with the marines told me, "once you inject it into a blister, you won't get another blister in the same spot" so there must be some residual to it. He treated a big blister on my heal one time, and the next two days I hiked about 30 miles in the Sawtooths and felt no pain from the blister. I haven't had another in the same spot but then I don't get many to begin with.

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


Can't critique moleskin, as I've never skinned one.

[wvbreamfisherman]

You gotta use a really small, really sharp skinning knife....and tweezers.