I just returned from Zim. with a good size blister on my left foot. I won a pair of Russel PH's last spring and up graded to custom PH Mbogo. I wore them this summer about 2/3 weks for break in which is not supose to be necessary. I have called them and told of the problem and so far no answer (about 5 days) as to what they think I should do.

I wore them in Zim. for about 10 days before Buf hunting and on the first day of Buf hunting after about 2/3 hrs of tracking I felt a blister comming and when the stalk went south I stopped and checked and for sure there was a very nice blister. I put a blister patch on and finished the day. Then next day I preped the blister (it opened) with mole skin, and tried to hunt but still very painful. Then next day I changed boots to a pair of Rockey Safari boots (I have had for about 10 yrs and cost abput $30) and things were OK considering the blister.

The reason for this is I used the same socks with both pair of boots.

Russell, in their catalogue go on about the proper sock and many here post about the proper socks. I have never seen anyone post about getting blisters from a different sock it always seams to come up in respect to a pair of boots. I do beleive it is the boots not the socks.

I have found regardless of what sort of shoes I wear on safari. I always get blisters. And whether right or wrong, I prick them as soon as I get back to camp. After that they do not both me that much.

The best thing for avoiding blisters are those double layer socks. They do help, but, they do not eliminate the blisters.

Every time I buy new boots they give me blisters and always in the same place. I've gotten to the point that when I buy boots I wear them for months before hunting. I'm not sure why but this works and I never get sore feet while hunting anymore.

I also have some two sided tape that I tApe to the backs of my feet when I hunt more than a day or two and this prevents blisters as well.

Interesting enough socks don't seem to matter.....I find no value is them except for warmth and a little protection from the shoe.

Once the shoe is "broken in" I don't concern myself with blisters anymore as they just don't happen at all.

Thankfully I only buy new hunting boots once every ten years or so.

I learned from my climbing and backpacking days that a liner sock is as important as the sock itself. I use smartwool for both liner and main sock. The liner can be a wool mixture or polypropolyne. The liner sock wicks the moisture away from the foot, the wets spots and loose spots are the culprets. ----- Always when buying hiking and climbing boots they had a 45 degree box with a tread on it. When you put the socks and boots on and can stand on that 45 degree box with your toes pointed downward and your toes have any movement downward, then your boots are still too loose. They have to be snug when on that box, otherwise you will get the blisters, and then mile after mile after the Buffalo, Elephant or whatever will make it hard on the feet. ----- On my Safari I used a well worn pair of hiking boots (Gore Tex no less) with the liner socks and mountaineering weight main socks and didn't have a blister. That didn't help my unoperated-on knee, (if that is a word) but I survived. This is my experience for what it is worth. Good shooting.

Blisters canbe caused by a number of things, but these days I suspect a lot are down to people having soft feet. If you spend 90% of your life in the office wearing well fitting comfy shoes your feet are going to be "baby soft"...I've known folks soak/rub their feet with all sorts of mixtures trying to toughen them up, but at the end of the day breaking your feet in seems to be as important as breaking your boots in!

Regards,

Pete

DOJ

The liner socks really are the trick but that doesn't mean the Russels were not a poor fit. I had one pair I just finally gave up on. Those dicontinued Rocky "Safari" boots are the best thing I have worn. I wish I had bought about 3 pair. Mine now look like someone went over them with a wood rasps.

Regards,

Mark

Here is what works for me.
I work out in my hunting boots, try the Thorlo level 3 tennis crew sock with a second thin calf high sock over it. So far, years, no problems!

.

Alf,

That might well be the "Doctor" in you replying, but I would be interested to hear how you and your mates dealt with blisters when you were in the Army...I am guessing that most guys wore "as issued" boots which were probably not exactly high quality???

Regards,

Pete

Merino wool socks are the only ones worth a poop. No special care.

But, of course, if you would just listen you wouldn't get blisters.

ALL boots need to be broken in regardless of what anyone tells you. Taking a new pair of boots on a hunt without breaking them in first is asking for misery. LIFE is to short to wear bad socks! I use the Thorlos, I forget the exact version, but they are made for hiking in warm conditions. They wick the sweat away, keeping your feet dry, which will mostly prevent blisters. I also like to sprinkle my socks with foot powder(corn starch). It also helps keep them dry and acts as a lubricant. I have the double layer "blister resister" socks, but don't need them, if I follow the directions I've listed. Whatever you do, DO NOT wear cotton socks, they just soak up the sweat and stay wet.

I´ve only once had a blister when hunting and that happened when I started using only one layer of socks. As long as I use a thin liner (cotton) and a heavier outer sock (wool) then I have no problems.

Quality boots are a must but the fit of the boot is more important than the price tag.

CoolMax or CoolMax/Wool blend socks are supposed to be very good at keeping your feet dry.

My wife wears SmartWool socks in Africa and has had no problem.

I have four pair of CoolMax/Wool socks that I bought at LL Bean several years ago (they have since discontinued that style). They work so well that I save them for safari only.

I have seen some good reviews on the Bridgedale brand of socks but have not tried them.

Neither of us have ever had a blister while on safari. My wife wears Russell PHs and I wear Rocky Kangaroo birdhunter boots.

Don't buy cheap socks, you should budget anywhere from $14 to $18 per pair for your socks. Why ruin a $25,000 safari because of a pair of $3 socks?

If you are susceptible to blisters, take an extra pair of socks and change at lunch.

Regards,

Terry

I have found wool socks work the best. Ones that I have used and work well are from Smart Wool (http://www.smartwool.com). They have different cuts and weights available depending on how you intend to use them.

I agree with Pete E, I have "soft" feet from wearing loose athletic-type shoes year round. I use a pair of Smartwool socks with a thin Ultimax liner sock. In additon, every morning before I head out I tape my feet at friction points with athletic tape before putting on my socks. This combo,used with my Russell PhII's (as well as other boots) has worked like a champ. Never ever had a problem. Overkill? Perhaps, but once you get a blister, you're done, finis, kaput. There is also an athletic product called "Tuffskin" that sprays on and makes you skin, well, tough, and might be an alternative to tape.

Blisters?

Wear good fitting boots.

Use the proper socks.

Wear them for months before you actually need them. Hiking/hunting boots often have a tough sole and are made of durable materials that resist wear. The longer you wear them, the more broken in they'll be.

I also generally add a good squirt of anti-fungal foot powder when hiking extended distances in hot weather. I was part of a trek that hiked 71 miles at Philmont Scout Ranch a few years ago and using I listed above, had absolutely no trouble with my feet.

I don't know if it anybody every thinks of this, but I try to have a second set of shoes to wear after I come out of my boots. Tennis shoes or something similiar that are light and comfortable to give my feet a break. Take care of the feet, and they'll take care of you. Life with sore feet and blisters sucks!

Tex

After a safari filled with blisters on both feet, I have decided that no socks is the answer (I could be wrong...). Sort out which boots/shoes you will be wearing and wear them sockless until your foot forms to them and off you go!

Perfect boot fit is the #1 way to avoid blisters and there is often a fine line between perfect and pretty darn good. That line is what separates no blisters from obtaining blisters.
My test is a trip to Cape York in early summer each year. The heat is similar to Africa at that time of year - 105F or so in the shade.
After a week of averaging 10 mile or so a day the heat always helps in determining whether the boots are the perfect fit or not!
If there is just a bit too much room for the toes to squirm then blisters will arrive.
I have had boots which I thought were great prior to these trips eventually deliver blisters after a week or so of accumulated tramping.
** One of my pet hates is finding a "perfect boot" and then go back and try and buy another pair a year later [or even 6 months]. They discontinue the model or even though I have bought the identical boot and size the manufacturer has changed plants. The lasts are usually completely different to the point where they no longer fit my feet compared to the previous purchase. In one case I could not get them to fit as the new factory's production meant my size now sat between a couple of 1/2 sizes.
One too large and the other too small - that is how cricital I am about fit in order to avoid blisters. I also believe that socks are neccessary to provide a lessening of friction between your skin and the inner boot.
The obvious other thing to watch for is sock with seams across your toe area and avoid these like the plague.
APB

I like a single pair of Thorlos. Any liner sock I wear ends up pulled down around my foot - not very comfortable.

Listen to the Doc, (Alf), he's right. I ain't no Doc and I don't play one on TV, but I've done a bunch of Sheep/Goat hunting and learned a thing or two.
Blisters are caused by movement of the foot against the shoe or sock. If your foot moves in the shoe, you will get a blister on a long walk. Fancy high priced shoes or socks are worthless if they don't fit and you don't cinch them up tight.
When I'm hunting, I use shoes/boots that fit, (they may come from K Mart)and cinch them suckers up like you were putting a saddle on a mule, TIGHT. Nothing should move in your shoe except your toes, if it does, you may get a blister.
Try coming down a steep hill with a goat on your back and a pair of loose fitting shoes and you will learn pretty fast. TIGHT is the way to go.

I recently bought a pair of Russell PHs and took someone's (I can't remember who posted it) advice here on AR and bought some Thorlo Light Hiker socks. This is by far the most comfortable boot/sock combination I have worn.

For years, I had the same problem. When my sons joined the Boy Scouts, they had a system of using a "liner" type sock and a heavier wool sock over that. I switched to that system, no matter what the weather, and have yet to get another blister.

There was custom boot maker back in the Sixties called BareFootBoot, IIRC. Designed to be worn without socks; didn't last long. Besides protecting your feet, socks also absorb salty sweat that can ruin leather in almost no time.

A couple of points of agreement to some of the posters. A thin liner "wicking" sock under a thicker sock is nearly always the way to go, even in hot climates. Those who've never used them can't understand how wool outer socks can be cool in hot weather, but it's so. They breathe better than some others. Here's another vote of confidence for SmartWool socks. (Synthetic outer socks can also be effective, and they dry more quickly than wool, but they don't keep my feet as cool as wool.)

Cotton socks are almost (?) always the wrong answer. They do not "wick;" the moisture stays evenly distributed throughout the sock. This evenness of moisture ("hydrophillic?") is nearly guaranteed to rub and blister. I speak from experience here, not just with the blisters, but with a subcutaneous mold infection that took 9 YEARS to get rid of. Repeat after me: COTTON IS EVIL CLOTH.

If liner socks slip down, then there's something wrong - maybe it was cotton? The liner needs to transport the moisture through the liner and into the outer sock, then into the leather boot; cotton does not do this. (Also, many waterproof leather shoes and boot are sealed and water impermeable, leading to problems.)

This isn't something I heard - it was me. Nine years to get over cotton socks and impermeable leather.

Jaywalker

I break in a new pr of boots by mowing the grass in them all summer, by the middle of the summer I quit wearing socks and boots to mow the grass using bare feet, even walk down my lane for the paper and mail in bare feet just like when I was a kid living on a dirt road running around all summer...by the time I'm off to the mountains my feet are like leather and any boots or socks feel heaven sent

I used to wear a separate liner and outer sock, until I discovered the Thorlo socks. They design socks for specific uses. Tennis, golf, light hiking, mountain climbing etc.. I use the light hikers for hot weather hunting, they are all synthetic, which wicks away sweat better than ANY natural fiber. They aren't cheap at about $13 pair, but I've NEVER worn a pair out!

Mark, my Rocky boots look worse on the top than the bottom. I wish I had an extra pair. Why is it when a company has a good product they think they have to change it for the sake of change. The only draw back to those boots is they are dry weather only.

Another vote for Smartwool. I started wearing Smartwool socks several years ago (usually just one pair, unless it's really cold) and they are the thing to keep blisters away, even when archery hunting for elk, walking, running or climbing 10-12 miles every day.