My husband and I have recently got into backpacking. We love it! You can see such beautiful places if you're willing to take the time to get there. On our way to our first camp we got terrible blisters. I was so thankful for a product we had brought along called StaphAseptic First Aid Antiseptic. It has lidocaine in it so it helped to relieve the pain as well as prevent infection (blisters hurt so bad!!). We found it to be a good product for backpacking due to its small lightweight size. It can actually be purchased in single use packets so it adds little weight to the pack. I saw that the manufacturer (Tec Labs) is giving away a free sample and coupon on their website. If you're interested it's www.staphaseptic.com. You should give it a try on your next trip or just keep a tube in your medicine cabinet. I know that we will never pack without it!

Hi Amy

You might be better advised to sort out your shoe problems so you don't get blisters. Try a larger size of soft joggers.

Cheers

This message sounds suspiciously like spam to me.

You could fry that sucker up with some eggs and beans and have breakfast

Wonderful spam, wonderful spam!

(I need some dinner that's starting to sound good)

tastes like spam too.

I don't even know what soft joggers are (but I'll google it to see:) This was our first summer of backpacking so like I said we are new to everything. We were going by what people have told us and what we read in books and on the internet. The shoes I used for hiking are good shoes (Merrells) and they were even broken in from day hikes. Our hike was uphill almost the entire way (with a 30lb pack) and I just don't think the back of me feet could handle all the pressure. I'm definitely going to look into the shoes you recommended because I would much rather not get blisters than have to treat them. Thanks for your advice (and the nice little comments about spam....hehe). I look forward to learning more on this website and gaining knowledge from the experienced.

I don't speak Aussie fluently but I think "soft joggers" would mean trail runners or just running shoes in general.

Edited by simplespirit on 10/02/2008 08:10:55 MDT.

Thanks for the clarification:) Do you think just regular running shoes would provide enough support for that kind of hiking?? I'm definitely willing to try my running shoes next time if people think that would be more comfortable........At this point I think my flip flops would have given me fewer blisters than what I had on.

I don't know what you mean by "support" but I know of a few backpackers that use regular road running shoes. Trail runners will offer a little more protection and are likely more durable for off-road use. Plus you can get them in something other than white.

Edited by simplespirit on 10/02/2008 08:23:43 MDT.

I was told (maybe by an unexperienced source:) that when you hike for long periods of time you need ankle support.

Thanks for your advice Chris....I appreciate it. I was looking at your profile and saw that you are into the Ultralight backpacking gear. I think my husband and I will have to invest in some of that this next year. My extra small pack weighed at least 30 lbs (I'm not sure if that's considered heavy but I only weight about 100). My husbands was about 50 - 60 lbs. His poor back was rubbed raw by the end of our trip (and we still enjoyed it:). Spending a little money for ultralight gear I think would be worth it.

Depends on how strong your ankles are. I've never needed it and I've transitioned my GF from boots to trail runners despite her having trick ankles and a surgically repaired knee. With her the transition was gradual as she felt her ankles were strong enough to move to less support. If you asked her now, she wouldn't go back to boots.

There are cases where boots can be handy but I don't think ankle support is a good one.

I, like most people on here I think, started out with weights near what your husband was carrying. After 1 trip like that I replaced all my gear with lighter equipment and have been dropping weight ever since. I'm fortunate I have the means to do full gear replacements like that but most people don't so you can start with bigger items like pack, shelter, and sleeping bag and go from there. You can get good deals on the gear swap here if you don't mind used stuff.

Amy, good to see you are out hiking and looking for information to help you out. You only need ankle support if you are carrying more weight then necessary. Lighter loads don’t need heavy boots. I would take a hard look at what you are carrying and see what you can leave home. That’s a place to start. I would also suggest you read about how to lighten up, here are some of my favorite books:
• Lightweight Backpacking & Camping: A Field Guide to Wilderness Hiking Equipment, Technique, and Style. Its on sale on this website http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/00070.html
• Lighten Up, also for sale at this website http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/lighten_up_book.html
• The Backpacker's Handbook, by Chris Townsend http://www.amazon.com/Backpackers-Handbook-Chris-Townsend/dp/0071423206
I found all of these at the local library and read them before finding this site. Start with "lighten up". It’s a short, quick read with great information. Then read the others for a more in depth study.
Your question about shoes/boots is covered in all of the above books.
BTW, do you or your husband work for www.staphaseptic.com or Tec Labs? You first post screams of self promotion.

Edited by bestbuilder on 10/02/2008 10:23:12 MDT.

Cool! Thanks for the book recommendations. We'll have to check those out.

Hi Amy

The 3 books recommended by Tad are definitely recommended.

Soft joggers - any low-cut light joggers with flexible soles. The opposite of big heavy leather boots.

The best advice I can give is to make sure you buy shoes which match the shape of your foot (foot shapes vary widely), and to get the shoes BIG enough. Your feet will grow at least half a size when you are walking. What fits in the shoe shop will give blisters on the trail. Go up have a US size!

Take several different sorts of socks with you and be willing to vary the number and thickness of what you are wearing while you walk. You will soon find out what works.

You do NOT need 'ankle support' or 'arch support': both are hazardous marketing spin. Grandma Gatewood did the AT several times wearing Keds!

Cheers
Roger

Sorry I thought you were a spammer Amy. Welcome to the site.