mend

For trail

How to stop (and treat) blisters on the trail — a New Zealand guide

Short version: patch the hot spot the moment your boot starts rubbing. Camp is too late. If it’s already a blister, don’t pop it: cover it with a hydrocolloid patch (the gel the patches are made of) and keep walking.

Stop it before it starts.

A blister starts as a hot spot — a patch of skin that’s warm and rubbing. That’s your window. Once you feel one, stop, dry the skin, and cover it before the friction does its work.

  1. 1

    Find the rub. Usually the heel, the back of the ankle, or a toe. If a boot feels "off," it’s worth a look before it’s a blister.

  2. 2

    Dry the skin. Hydrocolloid won’t stick to wet or sweaty skin. Wipe it dry first.

  3. 3

    Cover it. A blister patch over the hot spot, or a strip of roll tape cut to fit an awkward shape. Press the edges down firm and smooth so nothing catches.

  4. 4

    Keep walking. That’s the point — dealt with early, a hot spot doesn’t have to end the day.

Roll tape earns its place here: you cut it to whatever shape the rub is — a long strip up a heel, a small tab on a toe — where a pre-cut patch might not sit right. What the material is, how to cut it so it stays put, and how it stacks up against Compeed — including the trial that tested it — is all in the hydrocolloid tape guide.

If it’s already gone

Already blistered? Don’t pop it.

If it’s already a blister, leave it intact if you can. The skin on top is the best dressing it has. Cover it with a hydrocolloid patch: the gel cushions the raw skin, absorbs the fluid, and lets it heal in a moist, protected environment — which hurts a lot less than a raw blister rubbing against a plaster for the next three hours.

If the blister has already torn, wash it with mild soap and water and let it dry. Leave the loose skin where it is, then cover it with hydrocolloid. Change it only when it won’t stay on anymore — peeling one off early takes the blister skin with it. Keep an eye on it: spreading redness, heat, swelling, or yellow or green pus means it is infected. That one needs a doctor.

What to carry

Patches or a roll of tape — which to carry.

Both are hydrocolloid; they just come in different shapes.

Blister patches

Pre-cut, in a few sizes for heels and toes. Fast to slap on, no fuss. Best if you want to grab and go.

Blister Patches →

Roll tape

One 5cm × 100cm roll you cut to any shape. Handles the spots a pre-cut patch won’t, doubles as a wound dressing, and one roll lasts most of a tramping season. It lives in the lid of the pack and weighs nothing.

Roll Tape →

Most people carry both: patches for the obvious spots, a roll for everything else.

Going longer

Multi-day trips: making a patch last.

On an overnighter or a Great Walk, a patch has to survive days, sweat, and river crossings.

Not sure which patch?

The same gel works on faces.

The same hydrocolloid works on faces too. If you’re weighing up which patch you need, the hydrocolloid vs microneedle guide walks through it by stage.

Same injury, other shoes

Boots are not the only shoes that do this.

Breaking in a new pair is the same problem on a shorter timescale: if you already know where a pair rubs, tape that spot before you put them on. Keeping a dressing invisible in open shoes is in the heels and dress shoes guide. Feet swelling over distance is the running blister guide. Toes in a pointe shoe are the ballet and pointe guide, and hands on an oar are the rowing blister guide.

Common questions

The things people ask.

Should you pop a blister when hiking?

Not if you can help it. The skin on top protects it. Cover it intact with a hydrocolloid patch. If it has already torn, wash it with mild soap and water, leave the loose skin where it is, and cover it.

How long does a hydrocolloid blister patch stay on?

Days, if it is stuck well. Change it only when it will not stay on anymore — peeling one off early can take the blister skin with it. On a multi-day trip, tape over it to help it last.

Can you hike and shower with one on?

Yes. Hydrocolloid is water-resistant; that is part of why it suits the trail. Dry the skin first, then apply.

Hydrocolloid vs Compeed — what is the difference?

Same material class. MEND is NZ owned, ships from Auckland, and offers a cut-to-fit roll as well as pre-cut patches.

How do you stop blisters on the Great Walks?

Sort your boots and socks before the trip, then catch hot spots early — patch or tape the second a rub starts, dry skin first, and carry enough to re-dress over several days.

More on the skin side? See the do pimple patches work and cystic & under-skin guides, or email hello@mendpatch.nz — a real person will reply.