Other/Mixed Foot care kit

[Darren Best]

This is from the rucking thread, but I felt it deserved it's own home.

When rucking, hiking or trail running your feet are literally your wheels that get you where want to go and back home again. Having a problem with your feet can either make you extremely miserable or strand you.

My first line of defense is prevention, I do a lot of walking and hiking all year round to make sure my feet are toughened up and stay that way. I also walk barefoot on gravel and concrete. Good socks are a must, I use Darn Tough merino wool hiking socks, they are absolutely the best. Make sure your chosen shoes fit good, most people buy them too small. Be sure to wear them as often as possible to get them broken in and find any hot spots ahead of time. Also keep your nails trimmed.

I carry a miniature first aid kit specifically for my feet, I got this from an article on Backpacking Light.

Kinesio tape
Benzoin compound in a small dropper bottle
Spenco 2nd skin patches
Triple antibiotic packets
Krazy glue
Alcohol prep pads
Small Swiss Army Classic knife, it has scissors, nail file, knife, tweezers and toothpick
4" x 6" loksak plastic baggy, it's basically a super heavy duty ziplock bag

How much you take with you will depend on how long you plan on being gone and how many people will be there.

How to use it;

Hot spot - clean the area with a alcohol pad to remove oil and dirt. Apply benzoin compound beyond the area the tape will cover. Cut the kinesio tape to the shape you need, peel off backing and apply. Stretch as little as possible and make sure there are no wrinkles or turned edges.

Blister - drain the blister. Clean with alcohol pad. Apply benzoin compound. Apply triple antibiotic. Put a piece of second skin over the blister.

Cuts or cracks - Clean with alcohol prep pad. Use benzoin and triple antibiotic. Close with Krazy glue.

Kinesio tape has a paper backing which makes it really easy to work with and cut to the shape you need. It is thin, tough and very stretchy. I have used it on my hands during KB snatches, so it is very tough and sticky.

 

[Deleted member 316]

I'm always barefoot in the summer. I only bring shoes in case I need to run into a store. One time when we were hiking the Bruce Trail (which is rugged and fun) I stubbed my pinky toe so bad it literally took the tip off. No way was I going to let lots of blood ruin that day. The blood and mud eventually clotted the wound. Lol

 

[JeffC]

I always have mole skin bandages, duct tape, large compression bandage, and a Leatherman in my pack. In my experience that is all I need for my feet. I have an awesome pair of Salewa boots that I have done 30+km day hikes, and multi day touring in the Canadian Rockies with hardly a foot issue. I have done a lot of Nordic Sking, and Ski Touring also. I bought a pair of XC Ski race boots which trashed my feet a few times and my kit kept me going.

Your kit is very thought out.

 

[pet']

Hello,

It depends if I ruck long time and far from home. Basically, it is:
2nd skin patches
swiss knife to cut off skin
alcohol to clean everything which has to be cleaned (knife and area)
tape to be sure the 2nd skin patch does not go away
water

Antibio only when I go very far away.

Kind regards,

Pet'