"They say all "adventurers" have one physical weakness - and mine happens to be blisters. In the Gobi I walked 30 miles a day for weeks, and got blisters even having already worn-in my feet. I had to "walk through them" - ie , just keep on hobbling. Amazingly, the under skin did start to adapt, and thicken up, despite the outer layers having sheared off nastily, as the blisters burst in early days.

Thing is;

a) avoid friction - wear your boots in, and make sure they don't pinch

b) lessen the impact: I wear a thin, closely fitting sock, and an outer walking sock with a thick base which cushions impact.

c) keep feet breathing/moisture out - need socks that "wick" as they say nowadays. And light, breathing boots. These also keep the heat down, another factor.

All these are obvious, I suppose. The more walking you can do, before, the more your feet will adapt. But there's no total prevention that I've found."

6th Feb 03