Putting on my hiking sock over my toe sock liner socks - prevents blisters!
It may not seem intuitive, but wearing 2 pair of socks is the best method for wicking moisture away from your feet to prevent blisters. Not two hiking socks, but rather a synthetic or wool liner and a thick synthetic or wool outer sock.
- Liner Socks: Wearing a liner sock is a great trick I have found useful to prevent blisters on the trail. They are very thin socks, and generally are made of wool, silk, or synthetic materials. Remember that cotton is your worst enemy on the trail, because it retains moisture, rather than wicking it away! My personal favorites are Injinji toe sock liners, which may look a little unconventional, but are designed so well that there are not any seams around the toes. This design provides further blister prevention!
The drawback? They’re always sold out! All of my hiking friends are wearing them now, and the word is getting out that these funny looking liner socks are preventing a lot of blisters and unhappy feet on the trail
REI is not carrying the liner socks anymore, but they are available online at SummitHut. Even though it says “Men’s Liner sock”, they are unisex. A small fits women’s shoe sizes 6-8.5, and medium fits women’s 9-11.5. - Hiking Socks: Your thick hiking socks are the outer layer, and provide cushion and insulation. The only thing you need to remember is that they must be synthetic or wool, so they wick moisture away from your feet. Over time, you may have established a large collection of socks like me, to suit various hiking needs. I wear thinner hiking socks for summer day hikes, thicker for backpacking trips when my feet want more cushioning, and super thick mountaineering socks when I’m snowshoeing. My favorites are the SmartWool socks, such as these SmartWool Light Hiking Socks for dayhikes and these SmartWool Mountaineering socks.
How I prevent blisters: my toe sock liners!
I love the Injinji’s as an insert. REI has them again and I bought several pairs for changing out 1/2 through my day hikes.
We are slowly training for our summer backpacking trip. I took the training tip on lacing my backpackers from the REI shoe salesperson and got blisters on blisters. I am looking forward to trying out your lacing method and see if that helps my low volume foot stay blister free.
Thanks!
Hi Heather! I hope it helps!
Yes, after reading this article awhile back I tried the toe sock/smartwool technique and it worked beautifully during a 6 day trip throughout the Grand Canyon.
I just need a couple more pair of the Injini socks and I’ll be set for many seasons!
Further, the Injinis keep your toes from rubbing together or rubbing around inside your shoes which can cause blistering. Yeah great idea and they’re available on Amazon!
Hi Robin! I’m so glad the toe sock/outer sock combo helped you! It truly is the best way I’ve found to keep my feet happy on long hikes and backpacking trips. Thanks for your comments.
you are really a good writer. you’ve done a fantastic job! keep it up
Hello Hiking Lady!
My husband and I are getting ready to hike the Narrows and a few other places and I have a question about socks. I am not worried about sweaty feet as much as I am getting my feet wet in the river and THEN blistering. How do you suggest we handle this situation?
Thanks and I love your blog!
Great question Alicia! If you’re going to be doing a lot of hiking in water, especially at the Narrows, you should rent or buy canyoneering shoes and neoprene booties, which will keep your boots dry. There is one outfitter I know of called Zion Adventure Company that rents that equipment for people hiking the Narrows.
Have fun!
Have you ever used Tape Relief? I was exploring tape and moleskin last time to ease my blister pain, when I stumbled upon this stuff. It is a lotion you can put on the skin to protect it from friction and prevent blisters in the first place! It would be a good combo with the sock liners. You can get it on their website: http://www.taperelief.com/
Hi Peter,
Thanks for the comment. I wasn’t aware of Tape Relief, so thank you for pointing it out.