#1: Carry Lightweight Backpacking Gear
This is the most obvious suggestion, but also the most important. Every step you take sends a tiny jolt through your feet that is magnified by the weight of your backpack and all your gear. Over the course of a long backpacking trip this can lead to big-time foot pain and injuries like: blisters, shin splints, heel spurs and plantar fasciitis. Reducing your gear weight means less impact on your feet and less foot pain.
Articles About Lightweight Backpacking Gear:
The “Big 3” Backpacking Gear Items
5 Heavyweight Backpacking Gear Items You Can Replace With Ultralight Alternatives
Top 5 Backpacks For Thru-hiking and Multi-day Hikes
How To Pack A Lightweight Backpack
#2: Wear Lightweight, Breathable Shoes (That Fit)
The best shoes for lightweight backpacking are trail-runners, cross-trainers and lightweight boots. When choosing a hiking shoe look for one that is lightweight, breathable, flexible and (most importantly) fits your foot. Traditional heavy leather boots are not good footwear because they are stiff and abrasive to the feet. Buy your shoes one size larger than you would normally wear to make room for foot swelling, which can happen on longer hikes.
Popular Lightweight Hiking Shoes & Boots:
#3: Wear Socks That Provide Enough Cushion (But Not So Thick They Overheat Your Feet)
When choosing hiking socks you want a combination of cushion and breathability. Too thin and they won’t provide enough protection from abrasion and impact against your shoes. Too thick and your feet will sweat like a sauna. Most backpackers I know wear lightweight hiking socks or running socks made from merino wool (and sometimes synthetic materials like nylon, Coolmax or blends).
Popular Lightweight Hiking Socks:
#4: Replace The Cheap Insoles That Come With Your Hiking Shoes With High Quality Insoles
Unfortunately, most hiking shoes come with cheap foam insoles. They don’t provide enough arch support or shock absorption and usually end up flat as a pancake within a few hundred miles. So you’ll need to cough up another $35 or so for some high quality replacements. The good news is that aftermarket insoles typically outlast the shoes they go in, so when you replace your shoes after 800 miles you can keep on using the insoles.
Popular Hiking Insoles:
#5: Take Frequent Rest Breaks, Remove Your Shoes And Elevate Your Feet
When hiking in hot weather, uneven terrain, or over long distances your feet will probably tend to swell and throb some. This happens when blood flows to your feet in response to the microscopic injuries that occur every time you slam them into the ground. To counteract this effect I like to take frequent “shoes off, feet up” rest breaks.
Example:
2.5 miles (15 minute feet break)
2.5 miles (45 minute morning snack break)
2.5 miles (15 minute feet break)
2.5 miles (1.5 hour lunch break)
2.5 miles (15 minute feet break)
2.5 miles (45 minute afternoon snack break)
2.5 miles (15 minute feet break)
2.5 miles (dinner and camp)
I remove my shoes and socks, elevate my feet and rest them on my pack at every break. This gives them a chance to air out and for the blood to drain back into my legs and relieve any swelling. Plus it feels really good ?
#6: Clean Your Feet Often (And Dunk Them In Cold Creeks Whenever Possible)
Nothing in the world feels better on swollen, achy feet than getting dunked in a nice cold creek! The flowing water massages your tootsies, increases circulation, numbs the pain, reduces inflammation and makes everything feel good for a little while.
My dirty dogs
As an added benefit, it cleans off the abrasive grime (dirt + sweat) that tends to accumulate on your feet as an unfortunate side-effect of wearing breathable shoes with lots of mesh panels.
Too bad there is not always a good creek available. But it’s still a good idea to clean your feet frequently. When there is no convenient water source nearby I use a moistened bandana to wipe off the grime.
Keeping your feet clean and smooth and free of gunk goes a long way toward preventing hot spots and blisters because it eliminates a big source of friction between your feet and socks (dirt).
#7: Be Proactive About Fixing “Hot Spots” (Before They Develop Into Blisters)
If you follow the first six suggestions in this list: carry lightweight gear, wear good shoes, socks and insoles, take frequent rest breaks and keep your feet clean you will have eliminated most of the sources of friction that cause blisters. But sometimes they are unavoidable, and that’s when you need the “McGuyver” of hiking remedies: duct tape.
There are commercial blister bandages (like moleskin, second skin, etc.) but none of them work as well as duct tape. The beauty of duct tape is that it’s slippery on the outside and super-sticky on the inside. Apply it to a hot spot on your foot and it will stick for a long time, even with sweaty feet, while the slick outside surface glides smoothly against whatever your foot was rubbing on (reducing friction).
The key is to apply duct tape as soon as you start feeling that tell-tale tingle of a hot spot. DO NOT put it off until your next planned break. Stop, drop and tape immediately.
Despite your best efforts you may still develop a blister. Here is the best way I know to fix them: Wait until you get to camp (don’t mess with it while you still got walking to do). Run a threaded, sterilized needle through one end of the blister and out the other side, leaving the thread in place overnight. As you sleep the goop will leach out along the thread, slowly draining the blister, and in the morning it will resemble a flat, dry, hard callous.
Seal the ex-blister with Liquid Bandage and duct tape or band-aid over it. If possible, identify and eliminate the source of friction that caused the blister in the first place, so it doesn’t cause any further aggravation.
LAST RESORT: Take Ibuprofin (“Vitamin I”)
Finally, if nothing else works, you can always turn to drugs. “Vitamin I” is the pet name given to ibuprofin by hikers (because it is such a commonly used anti-inflammatory and anti-pain medicine on the trail). Drugs do not eliminate the source of the discomfort, but they can provide temporary relief by numbing the pain until you can find and fix the real problem.
Have a question about fixing foot pain, or a suggestion from your own experience? Please post your comments below…