Blisters While Hiking: The Most Common Causes (and How to Avoid Them)

At first, I did everything right.
At least, that’s what I thought!

Sturdy Meindl hiking boots, high-quality construction, a perfect fit in the shop. Exactly how I thought good shoes were supposed to fit.

Then reality hit.

Blisters.
Lots of blisters.
Under the balls of my feet, on my toes, on my heels—basically everywhere you don’t want them.
It felt like even the blisters had blisters.

But I was sure it would get better. My feet just had to get used to them. Yet the blisters kept coming back. After one march, after two, and still after the third.

That was the point when I realised:
Blisters don’t happen because your body doesn’t “know” this kind of strain yet.
They happen because I hadn’t understood the reasons behind them yet.

Why blisters happen in the first place

Over time, I realised there isn’t ONE single cause. It’s always a combination of factors.

Friction is the classic one. What fits perfectly at first can quickly become too tight over long distances. Your feet are working, swelling and changing. And suddenly, the very shoe that felt ideal in the shop starts rubbing.

Then there’s moisture. Sweat softens the skin, making it more prone to damage and more vulnerable.
And this is exactly where a major misconception catches up with you: waterproof shoes sound great at first. On long hikes, it might rain. The thought of having wet feet then? Terrible! Gore-Tex, membranes, all great—until you realise that the system only works to a limited extent in both directions. What doesn’t let water in also only lets a limited amount out.

Then there’s pressure. Especially if—like me—you’re carrying a little more weight down the trail, it creates stress that is particularly noticeable under the balls of your feet or on your heels.

Finally, the skin itself plays a role too. Too much callus becomes cracked; too little protection makes it sensitive. Here too, it isn’t black and white—it’s about balance.

Prevention

Everything I’ve tried

I’ve tested pretty much everything you read about or get recommended.

• Double-layer socks.
• Taping.
• Bodyglide.
• Deer tallow.
• Changing socks.
• Blister plasters.
• And above all, shoes:
  • Different shoes.
  • Bigger shoes.
  • Wider shoes.
  • More breathable shoes.
  • Softer shoes.

And honestly, a lot of it helped less than I expected.

The biggest differences didn’t come from the “tricks”, but from two fundamental things: the right footwear and managing moisture.

The biggest lever: shoes that leave room

The key for me was understanding that shoes work differently over long distances than they do in everyday life.

What feels slightly too big in the shop can suddenly fit just right after 40 or 50 kilometres. Feet need room. More than you think.

I also noticed that many manufacturers simply make shoes too narrow—especially if you don’t have a classic “standard foot”. For me, for Trailrunning and extreme hiking New Balance models were a real game changer because they simply aren’t cut as narrowly.

Trailrunning and extreme hiking: New Balance Hierro Trail Running Shoes

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For mountain hiking I found meindl to fit my feet perfectly:

Mountain hiking: Meindl Island Pro Wide

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Then there’s cushioning. My first shoes were significantly firmer. These days, I hike in trail-running shoes with more cushioning, enhanced even further with insoles. The effect is huge: pressure blisters have hardly been an issue since.

As with most things, you can spend almost any amount of money on insoles. I’ve been desperate enough myself to buy pairs costing more than €50, without any noticeable improvement.

In the end, I settled on Scholl, one of the biggest and at the same time more affordable brands, and specifically their most heavily cushioned model, the “LiquiFlex ExtraStrong”. It works wonderfully for me – and costs less than €20.

Scholl LiquiFlex ExtraStrong Insoles

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Dry beats waterproof

The second big lightbulb moment was moisture.

For a long time, I was convinced that waterproof automatically meant better. After all, you want to be prepared. In practice, the opposite proved true.

These days, I hike in trail-running shoes with mesh. Airy, light, breathable. Combined with regular sock changes, I have far fewer problems than I used to with waterproof shoes.

Putting on fresh socks every 15 to 20 kilometres feels like a reset every time. Your feet dry out, recover and feel “usable” again. It’s not only physically noticeable—it’s a real mental boost too.

Proper hiking socks are absolutely worth their weight in gold on long-distance marches. Ideally, I use models with targeted cushioning for different areas of the foot, as this helps reduce pressure and friction exactly where it tends to build up. Thin everyday socks are a complete no-go for me on long distances, and even generic hiking socks often create friction points after a few hours. A well-fitting, purpose-built hiking sock can make a surprisingly big difference when it comes to preventing blisters.

Falke TK2 Hiking Socks

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And when it really does rain? Gaiters help and—again—dry socks.

Foot care—the underrated part

One thing I ignored for a long time was preparing my feet.

Today, I consciously start about 10 to 14 days before a longer march:

• A foot bath,
• trimmed nails,
• carefully reduced callus
• and daily moisturising with deer tallow.

Other rich, greasy creams probably work just as well, as long as they keep the skin soft and supple. A forester once recommended deer tallow cream to me, and I’ve been using it enthusiastically ever since. Even if 50% of the effect is just placebo, it still feels great to me 😄

Deer Tallow Cream

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The goal isn’t “baby-soft skin”, but tough, supple outer skin. Since doing this consistently, I’ve had far fewer issues with cracks or blisters.

What didn’t work for me

Taping before you set off can help—but only if pure friction is the issue. For me, it eventually stopped being relevant because the cause (shoes + moisture) had been addressed.

Bodyglide is also often recommended, but to me it felt more like an overpriced combination of wax and Vaseline. No real added value.

And double-layer socks didn’t make any difference for me either. They may work for others—but not for me.

The most important rule on the trail

There’s one thing I do consistently differently today than I used to:

A stone in my shoe never stays there for five minutes anymore.

Not “until the next break”.
Not “in a few kilometres”.

Get it out immediately!

Because if you wait, the blister is often already inevitable.

Treatment

When you feel a blister coming on

The most important thing: act early.

As soon as you notice something developing, take action. Clean it, dry it, put on a blister plaster. The earlier, the better.

I’ve tried a range of blister plasters, and the price differences can be quite significant. With the cheapest ones, however, I’ve found that the adhesive does not always hold as well as it should – and when you really need them, reliable adhesion is exactly what matters most.

Compeed Blister Plasters

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The plaster protects the area, distributes pressure—or friction—and prevents the blister from getting worse at the same rate.

What if the blister is already there?

When the blister is there, there are two classic approaches.

• Some say: leave it alone.
• Others: pop it.

Both are right.

Leaving it alone protects the skin, but especially under your foot, it can quickly make every step agonising.

Popping it relieves the pressure, but increases the risk of inflammation.

My middle ground

I’ve found a middle ground that works surprisingly well for me.

I always carry sterile blood lancets, along with disinfectant and sterile wipes.

Blood lancets are small, extremely sharp, individually sterile-packed pricking devices that are normally used to obtain capillary blood from the skin. Because they are sterile and tiny, yet still easy to handle, they are ideal for draining blisters.

Blood Lancets

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If a blister becomes problematic, I carefully prick it at the side – just enough to get through the very top layer of skin and reach the fluid underneath. You barely feel it at all.

The pressure can escape, the fluid is dabbed away, everything is thoroughly disinfected and then protected.

The puncture is so small that there is hardly any risk, and I can usually carry on almost normally.

Conclusion

There is no ONE trick.

During hikes, you’ll probably get a whole lot of well-meaning advice.
And I’m sure those tips worked wonderfully for other people.
My experiences are entirely personal too, and they don’t necessarily have to work exactly the same way for you.
Everyone has to find their individual causes and address them accordingly.

And that may be the most important takeaway of all.

Strategies like those mentioned above can help, and it’s probably a combination of several of them.

Ultimately, it’s important to remember: blisters aren’t random; they’re the result of several factors. If you understand those factors and adapt them to yourself, you can get this issue under control surprisingly well.

For me, it wasn’t hacks in the end, but the fundamentals:

• More room in my shoes.
• More air around my feet.
• Paying more attention on the trail.
• And a little more preparation beforehand.

What are your game changers?