Boring Stuff

[sideways]

About those boxer briefs. They can be both very comfortable and extremely uncomfortable. I've tried both kinds. Avoid cotton (especially thick cotton) and boxer briefs that stretch 2 - 4 inches down the leg. If your junk sweats that cotton will absorb it all and keep that area moist all day long. Wet skin chafes easier than dry skin. Short boxers on the other hand will ride up your leg during the hike and create this lovely bunch of fabric that grinds up your inner thighs. Ouch

You are better off with fast drying thin synthetic fabrics in either briefs or long thigh length boxers/boxer briefs. Briefs need to be tight or you will get the same problems as with the short boxers. It is up to the wearer if they prefer a tight fit or a loose fit in their long thigh length boxers/boxer briefs as long as they dry fast.

Whatever you get make sure it does not have seams in places you do not want to have seams. Seam areas are prime contenders for chafing.

Underwear matters.

 

[Thomas Linton]

There really is no difference not fitting and not broken in, if you get blisters from your shoes, they're either the wrong size, or crappy shoes. That's not to say they won't get more comfortable as you wear them, but they should never be uncomfortable, even after a long days walk.

With leather boots (and some are still around), there really is a difference between not fitting and not broken in.

Leather can stretch to fit.

Nylon and rubber will not. If a nylon and rubber boot is brioken in it's realy your foot doing the adjusting by callousing over where the boot rubs. I'm with GW on avoiding that situation.

 

[Thomas Linton]

4. Wash your hands- Psst! Animals poop in the woods, anything you touch has potentially been crapped on recently, wash your hands before eating.

+10
Some experts believe that most cases of "da' runs" in the wilderness are due to poor personal sanitation, especially after bowel movements.

Chiggers. An absolute nightmare! Dusting socks and lower trouser legs with flea powder (Sevin) helps. "After crawling onto their hosts, they inject digestive enzymes into the skin that break down skin cells. They do not actually "bite" but instead form a hole in the skin called a stylostome and chew up tiny parts of the inner skin, thus causing severe irritation and swelling. The severe itching is accompanied by red, pimple-like bumps (papules) or hives and skin rash or lesions on a sun-exposed area. For humans, itching usually occurs after the larvae detach from the skin."

On me, they cause large, raised welts with a running sore in the center that lasts up to two weeks.

Soft shells combine both insulation and a shell into one. Hard shells are just a outermost shell. Soft shells breath better than hard shells but can't stand up to the wind and rain as well. Soft shells are a bit stretchy and better form fitting.

It is interesting how unhelpful today's language can be.

Once we had "rain coats" that were waterproof and "wind-breakers" that were only water resistant.

Once we had "shells"; called that because they were only a shell - no layers - no insulation but hailed for the flexibility they gave when combined with separate insulation layers. Maybe they had a smooth liner, mainly there to make them easier to get on.

Now we have "soft shells" and "hard shells."

A shell is "soft" in today's slang because it is not "hard." That is, it is not rated as waterproof. Waterproof = "hard." Go figure. I thought rain water was pretty soft.

Some shells, "soft" or "hard," come with insulation and some do not. That is, some shells are shells and some are not.

 

[sideways]

It is interesting how unhelpful today's language can be.

Once we had "rain coats" that were waterproof and "wind-breakers" that were only water resistant.

Once we had "shells"; called that because they were only a shell - no layers - no insulation but hailed for the flexibility they gave when combined with separate insulation layers. Maybe they had a smooth liner, mainly there to make them easier to get on.

Now we have "soft shells" and "hard shells."

A shell is "soft" in today's slang because it is not "hard." That is, it is not rated as waterproof. Waterproof = "hard." Go figure. I thought rain water was pretty soft.

Some shells, "soft" or "hard," come with insulation and some do not. That is, some shells are shells and some are not.

Touché. Your definition is clearer.

 

[Mikel_24]

Regarding footwear, blisters and such...

When I am going hiking, I always tape my blíster-prone areas in advance. I don't wait untill I feel a blíster is developing. I usually tape only the heels. Cloth tape with a good adhesive will last forever. Usually when I am going for a two weeks climbing/mountaineering trip to the Alps, the tape stays put for the two weeks straight. If it ever gets worn out (it happens) I just put one more layer on top of it.

After a couple cycles of sweating + drying the glue gets rock hard and you will only be able to peel it off without skinning yourself after a warm shower. It works great!

The blisters you get in the arches or at the bottom of the toes... cannot be prevented with tape. These bllisters develop due to continuous impacts with the insole of the footwear and no amount of tape will help. The only solution I have found that more or less works... is getting aftermarket gel-filled insoles. They provide much more cushioning and, at least for me, prevent blistering.

I hope this helps,
Mikel

 

[Esav Benyamin]

When I was in Air Force basic training, we mostly wore chukka boots, and we didn't march as much as Army or Marines. But blisters are a persistent danger and one of our guys managed to develop full heel blisters, both feet, on one busy day. He didn't follow instructions: a pair of light cotton socks with a pair of thick wool socks over them.

 

[Mikel_24]

... a pair of light cotton socks with a pair of thick wool socks over them.

Things have changed quite a bit. While I do appreciate the propperties of wool (keeps you warm even when wet, etc.) I think that there are better alternatives out there. I do have some wool socks but they loose their "loft" quite fast. I am able to squeeze two ice climbing / winter mountaineering out of them before they totally flatten and don't provide cushionning any more. And they are expensive! For a pair of socks I mean... Lorpen brand, mind you. They have some silicone dots under the toes so you don't slide forward inside your boot during step down slopes.

Now I tend to go with synthetic as much as I can.

Mikel

 

[mtangent]

Bamboo socks keep the loft better than wool, but soak up water like nothing else. Good in the dry.
I place cotton lowest on my list. I don't think it does anything well, as a bushwalking sock.

 

[gadgetgeek]

So rayon socks then?

Boring stuff that I'm amazed people still think,
Alcohol has no place in wounds. rinse well with sterile water (not from your spit filled sippy cup!) and bandage.

Athletic tape doesn't work. okay, well, it does, but lets say you are wrapping a bad ankle, with a full athletic kit (white tape, brown tape, skin spray) if you get it perfect, you'll get about 15 minutes of support. I'm not very good, so I'll get about 2 minutes of support before the tape loosens and starts to slide. (and to do an ankle, you need most of a roll of tape to do it right, almost two to do a knee) And white tape should never be used on a fresh injury. compression bandage is fine, re-wrap every 10 minutes, and rest, cool and elevate as soon as practical. But your mini-kit isn't going to have enough tape to get your mashed Achilles down the mountain. so better have an other plan. Taping an old injury is different, but its not the tape thats doing anything, it just providing a limit so that you avoid over-extending yourself. Being extra careful also works in this case. (and self cooling icepacks are basically useless, a wet rag provides as much cooling power)

Other first aid things that are not really appreciated, how much pain relief can be gained just by splints and support. even little stuff like sprained wrists can be really aided by a good triangle. As well as the importance of doing cap-refill checks or pulse and feeling checks frequently after an injury. compression syndrome isn't common, but gets very bad if ignored.
Funny how I've seen more first aid gear loads related to loosing limbs or getting shot than more frequent things like a diabetic emergency, eye injury or dental issues.

I don't know if works for chiggers, but Vics vap-o-rub works well on midge fly bites before they start to itch. once they start to itch, whiskey taken internally.

I will agree greatly on the underwear comments. I've been a boxer brief guy for the past few years, by fav were the fruit of the loom comfort band ones. I've tried a few synthetic types, and they are great for some things. the Exofficio ones I have are good, if sized weird, the small are snug and supportive, and the mediums are pretty much boxers (I'm about a30-32 waist) I've got some other ones that I really like, that are more spandexy and I plan to try some underamour ones at some point.

I have to wear pretty unpleasant uniform shirts at work, but I've found that the underamour tee-shirts have made life better. Its a bit counter-intuitive to feel better in the heat with more layers, and i might not be cooler, but I feel less gooey.