what the title says
during holy week I visited some cities in spain
started in san sebastian, went to burgos, madrid, barcelona and then back to san sebastian, all in a week
when I arrived to the cities I would visit all the touristic places by feet, walking from one place to another, by the end of the week I had these huge blisters on my feet, especially on my pinkies, the blisters were the same size as my pinky, the first day in madrid I had to rest because I just couldnt take it anymore and in the days I was in barcelona I was just walking with a limp everywere
I was using running shoes, btw
Is it normal to get blisters?
What can I do to avoid them?
I'm planning on hitchhiking on june, is there another kind of problem like my blisters that I should be aware of?
>>1108607
Get comfy in the GOOD quality shoes you plan to walk in.
Have good socks
Carry blister pads
Man the fuck up
>>1108607
coincidentally just heard something on the radio about this yesterday
use the flimsy paper athletic tape. Somebody tested super-marathon runners something like 90% didn't get blisters with the athletic tape
Get good shoes.
Get either high quality running/sports shoes, or high quality shoes in LEATHER (very important).
Sometimes even good shoes will give you blisters under some circumstances (temperature, humidity, newness of the shoes...). In this case, use that special bandage that heals and soothes blisters immediately. I always have some on me, it's a life saver.
>>1108607
Shoes that aren't utterly wrecked and fit well obviously. Avoid getting them soaked too. Walking around in heavy rain and puddles is almost guaranteed to result in pain later.
Other than that, you don't. You just put a plaster or pads on the blisters and move on. If it still hurts or you don't have any at hand, put something soft like a cotton ball between the blister and the shoe. Even a wad of toilet paper will help.
Man up
Walked shorter distances (15 or so km) in my Reebok indoor sports shoes ("RealFlex" model?), which I bought not realizing they were for indoors, without any problems. It's like walking on clouds and they are extremely thin, light and airy. Cheap too. I've used them outdoors for over a year and the sole is practically like new. The annoying thing is that the rough pattern lets pebbles and even small snails that begin to stink badly after a few days get stuck so you have to floss them. For longer distances with a heavy pack you may want anklesupport though because your legs become like noodles after a long day. Also maybe something warmer if it's gonna be cold. Both sets of heavier shoes I've worn when walking over 20km repeatedly have given me blisters in some place or another though.
A real tip I'd give is to wear two pairs of thin socks, so called liners, so they chafe against eachother instead of against you. Can tape your heels preemptively with some kinda bodytape and exchange it for a blisterbandaid if you actually develop blisters.
People talk about merino wool and its sweatwicking properties. I find my feet get sweaty as shit no matter what but I still like Woolpower's merino liners as they are seamless, cheap considering it's merino and quite durable.
>>1108613
Thinck socks with good padding and elasticity. Look at decent camping stores
just break in your 3 season hiking boots before you leave. Keep socks dry, change during day if necessary.
But the most important thing is broken in shoes, well really, broken in feet, because every shoe rubs feet in a different place. So you need thick skin in different places for different shoes
>>1109135
this,
you never travel with new shoes, if you have to walk a lot.
skate shoes
Circa, Lakai or Es
http://esskateboarding.com/
https://c1rca.com/
http://lakai.com/
you're killing your feet in anything else
>>1109174
as you can see in this image from 2007 in the highlands of Tibet I rocked the circas pretty hard, they also had a stash pocket where you can slip a couple of grams of hash
>>1109175
but theyre no match for the dunes of dunhuang
look at all the freakin padding though
>>1108621
>leather
Unless you're doing something quite extreme (like running for a long time, climbing, walking in sand, melting snow etc., in this case you have specific shoes), if you're just walking for a long time like in a city, I always take leather shoes.
First off, you sweat much much less in these, especially if they are not too small. Bonus point: your feet won't smell bad.
And also, they tend to be better quality, especially if they are made for walking (not high heels or anything fancy); not only the materials are used for comfiness but they also have a better design in general.
I remember when I was in Beijing, it was blasting 40°C at some point almost every day, and I could wear without any issue some leather sneakers with a pair of cotton socks. Yes, cotton is the keyword. Wool is ok in winter, but as for spring-summer-autum, get a pair of 100% cotton socks.
I have very sensitive feet and it doesn't stop me for walking for over 5 hours anywhere. Just get good shoes.
>>1108607
Dont use new shoes.
You get blisters because your feet arent used to the friction from the shape of your shoe yet.
Break in whatever nice shoes you want to wear for a few months and then use those.
Thru-hiker here, 3000+ mile experience.
2 big things cause blisters. Heat and moisture.
Best thing I can recommend is the to NOT wear BOOTS. They trap heat and moisture. For city walking, you don't need ankle support.
Go for light, breathable, athletic shoes. If you are concerned about fashion, the big names make modest dark colored sneakers. (NB, Adidas, asics)
Buy a smart pair of tech socks. They have good warrantys. They are worth the price (smart wool, darn tuff)
Last point, superfeet insoles. Hands down the best insole in the game
Follow my advice, I walked the AT in 5 months and got one blister
Wear two pairs of socks.
Don't wear new shoes. If your feet are aching give them a break by hiring a bike for a day.
Break in a pair of boots, and make sure they're breathable. In my experience army boots (those fit for combat, with mesh holes between leather like pic) are the best option you can find for long distance walking. I've walked well over 1000km in the same pair of boots and they still look good as new. If you care for them they'll last you for a good 5 or so years of non-intensive walking, I would check out a milsurp store.
I also have a pair of expensive hiking boots that were donated to us that I've done a few hundred km in and they work perfectly
For socks, look for quick dry socks or similar. Personally my favorite kind are a pair of thin hiking socks by High Sierra, they just work(tm). 2 pairs of socks can also work but if they hold in sweat then you're fucked. I've hard the pleasure of having my the half my foot sole peel off because of intense exercises we've done.
Remember this is mainly if you're planning on doing very very long walks. If it's a day to day thing in the city or a quick day hike then don't invest so much on boots, go for shoes like mentioned above.
>>1108612
>flimsy paper athletic tape
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/mueller-sport-care-sport-care-athletic-tape-1.5-in.-x-12.5-yd/ID=prod4683-product
do you mean something like this?
>>1109175
outfit is pretty highschool stoner tier.
You look my heroin addicted friend who lives with his parents.
>>1108613
You also might want to double-sock it if you're getting hot spots often. You wear thin athletic socks and then thicker elastic socks over that, so when your feet rub inside your shoe, it's just soft sock on soft sock.
Like the others have said, buy good hiking/walking shoes and make sure you wear them everyday for at least a month before you leave so they're somewhat molded to your foot and broken in.
If you feel a hot spot on your foot, take your sock off and put some moleskin on it, that way it won't turn into a blister.
