How to stop my boots crippling me.

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I've got a pair of scarpa minstrels I've had them a couple of years, when I first got them they were super, this last year they have started giving me major heel blisters. 

I've tried a few things to stop this, experimenting with one pair of socks instead of my usual two, we tried taping them but the tape had lost some of its sticky and just moved the blisters lower down on my heel to where the edge of it was and some on the inside of my ankle as well. Yesterday I put blister plasters on before we started and now I have blisters (maybe not quite as big as normal) under them. 

 Cobra_Head 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

I feel your pain, I have terrible trouble finding comfy boots.

 Alkis 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

I wonder if you have a more extreme version of the issue I have with Scarpa boots: heels that are too shallow for the heel cup shape they use. I have a pair of Mantas but I've tried other mountaineering boots they make too, and while I do not get blisters, I get *very* bad heel lift. If that is the case, you could be ending up with relative movement between your heel and the heel cup even with a flexible boot. There may be a lacing solution for that issue on a boot like that (as opposed to a B2) but I am not sure.

 MonkeyPuzzle 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

Sounds like good old heel-lift to me. Basically there should be zero movement in the heel of your boots.

I push my heel back into my boot hard when lacing them up and I use heel locks (racer's loops) in my lacing to lock them off at the point my ankle joins my foot to keep my heel totally secure and in place.

The Mistral appears to have two traditional metal "hook" type eyelets at the ankle - try really cranking the laces round the bottom set of those metal eyelets as hard as you can without discomfort. If that's too high up, try making a racer's loop between that metal eyelet and the uppermost fabric eyelet and again cranking it as tight as you can without discomfort.

Racer's loop video. Shows a running shoe but same technique on a boot in basically the same place in relation to your foot.  youtube.com/watch?v=jG_XzEjD9Ls& 

Post edited at 12:05
1
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

I used to suffer a lot but 1000 mile socks sorted it for me

 Slackboot 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

1000 mile socks as DubyaJamesDubya has suggested but with the added ingredient of rubbing your feet with Petroleum Jelly before a walk. This works for me even for the longest walks.

 johnlc 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

Maybe something to consider is if you are any different.  Were you doing a lot of something then (eg cycling, running, physio) that you aren't doing now?  Is your gait different?  Are your ankles or hips more or less flexible?  Are you carrying a bigger rucsack?  If your boots are the same then presumably you are the change.  I suspect  that if you are unlucky, it only takes a slight change to one's gait to cause problems of the sort you describe.

 kathrync 26 Apr 2021
In reply to johnlc:

In addition to the specific points that johnlc makes above, bear in mind that most people's feet get bigger over time anyway - not because of growth, but because they get flatter and wider due to weight gain, looser ligaments and other changes such as bunions or heel spurs. It may simply be that your boots used to fit you, and now they don't any more...

In reply to Slackboot:

I'm so dim, I have an antiblister stick (my sister referes to it as foot lube) I only think it put it on when I where killer heels with bare feet, is it worth putting on under socks will have to try. 

 Babika 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

I used to have this problem all the time - i did so much sock buying and pre-taping it was unreal. Always carried lots of Compeed everywhere. 

The solution was incredibly simple: a bigger pair of boots. 

I had my feet measured in 2 climbing shops and they both quoted me a full size larger than I'd been wearing and my "normal" size. 

Of course I didn't believe them at first (nobody likes big feet) but they said this disbelief is a common reaction. So I bought the larger size and....no more problems

Good luck!

 Neil Williams 26 Apr 2021
In reply to kathrync:

> In addition to the specific points that johnlc makes above, bear in mind that most people's feet get bigger over time anyway - not because of growth, but because they get flatter and wider due to weight gain, looser ligaments and other changes such as bunions or heel spurs. It may simply be that your boots used to fit you, and now they don't any more...

Indeed true.  And lockdown, if like me you're barefoot the whole time at home, has accentuated that.  I've gone from the big end of 11 when I was 18 all the way to the rather nuisance-big 14.

I suspect that not having put on a pair of tight climbing shoes for 12 months will also have contributed to this.

Post edited at 13:45
 Alkis 26 Apr 2021
In reply to MonkeyPuzzle:

One thing to note, although it is not applicable to a soft pair of walking boots like the Mistral, is that if you are getting *really* bad heel lift and it is because your heel is not the right shape for the boot, solving it through lacing is ill advised. In my case, the resulting pressure on the top of the foot when front pointing (as the heel will still *try* to lift, your boot just won't let the top of your foot to rise) damaged a nerve and I had no feeling in my toes for more than a month. Swapped to a different make and model and it was like night and day.

 kathrync 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Neil Williams:

> Indeed true.  And lockdown, if like me you're barefoot the whole time at home, has accentuated that.  I've gone from the big end of 11 when I was 18 all the way to the rather nuisance-big 14.

Ha - I've gone from measuring 2 to 2.5. I'll be ecstatically happy if I can make it to a 3 as it opens up a lot more shoe options!

 Sealwife 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

Firstly - you have my sympathy, blisters are totally miserable and so is having a pair of boots go from fitting well to not fitting well.

Heel lift, as others have said, quite possibly your feet have changed shape.  If heel lift is the only problem there are a couple of things you could try.  Various lacing tricks as mentioned above, different footbeds (I have a pair of super feet insoles which help a bit), taping your feet (Spenco advesive knit is my weapon of choice because it’s not bulky and very rarely comes off assuming I’ve put it on clean, dry skin and cut edges to a rounded shape).  My other half had a pair of anti-heel lift things put into boots years ago at Braemar Mountain Sports.  They were clear plastic cradles, the bottom bit being flat and put under the footbed, the upper part cradled the outer edges of the heel and they held the heel down.  Sorry, I don’t know what they are called. 

 Sealwife 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Sealwife:

Found the things Braemar Mountain Sports used - they are ski boot heel retainers.

 C Witter 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

The weather has been very hot - and hot feet blister more easily! I find this especially bad in cheap cotton socks, which seem to irritate my feet a lot in the heat. I certainly wouldn't wear two pairs of socks in this weather.

Since the boots are quite soft, lightweight ones anyway, maybe try an approach shoe/trainer instead? And get some nice light wool socks.

Just another thought!

1
In reply to C Witter:

Which country are you in, where it has been very hot? In the UK it has been sunny but cool (mid teens C) for the last couple of weeks.

In reply to C Witter:

A fortnight ago I was getting snowed on and yesterday was about nine with a Baltic wind, it's not very hot here

 Slackboot 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

> I have an antiblister stick (my sister referes to it as foot lube) I only think it put it on when I where killer heels with bare feet, is it worth putting on under socks will have to try. 

Not sure what antiblister stick will contain but honestly take a jar of Petroleum Jelly with you. At the merest sign (or feeling) of a blister put it on that area. It just gets rid of the friction which causes the blister. It's not a cure for badly fitting boots or anything like that but is one of the best walking tips I know. If I do a really long walk I put plenty on before I start too. Personally I never wear killer heels so this advice is intended for sock essential footwear!

Post edited at 17:53
 Richard Pegram 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

Google 'how to lace up hiking boots to avoid blisters' - this worked for me. There are ways to tie laces that hold the boot firmly in place and prevent blister inducing heel rubbing.

 olddirtydoggy 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

Are you sure you're not out of condition to to lockdowns? We've just got back and it's taking time to get the body and fitness back.

In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

I've used a surgeon's knot to reduce heel lift; it allows the forefoot lacing to remain sensibly tight (not over-tight), whilst keeping the ankle cuff tight. This REI video uses two surgeon's knots to kep the ankle cuff lacing very secure:

youtube.com/watch?v=OSlxzRJecT0&

 Pbob 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

I have had exactly the same issue with many boots (including Scarpa Mantas) before realising that the only real answer was to buy boots the same shape as my feet. I found a few models from different brands but the only brand that consistently delivered was Altberg but then they do every foot shape conceivable. Whilst suffering I did find a few things which helped. Try using deeper footbeds or heel wedges which raise your heel into the slightly narrower part of the heel. You can do a lot with lacing - try putting in a knot at roughly the place where the eyelets change direction to hold your ankle tight but the lace above that with a less tension to allow the boot to move with your ankle. At the end of the day it's worth repeating what I used to reply when I used to sell boots many years ago and got asked "what are the best boots...?": "Easy. The pair that fit your feet". 

 Dave the Rave 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

Fear not. I had some of the original Scarpa Trionic SLs back in 1985. They blistered me for a year.

My grandad, WW2, suggested this.

Put them in very hot water for ten minutes, then rub lard into the heel cup. Take a ball pane hammer, use the rounded end and encourage the heel cup to soften. ( he actually said smash the feck out of the heel cup).

Those boots were like slippers for the next 15 years. The heel cup loses its shape and feels soft but no more painful walks.

 Ridge 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Dave the Rave:

> Put them in very hot water for ten minutes, then rub lard into the heel cup. Take a ball pane hammer, use the rounded end and encourage the heel cup to soften. ( he actually said smash the feck out of the heel cup).

Boots were a different beast in WW2 (and 1985). Putting modern boots in anything vaguely like very hot water will probably result in the soles falling off.

 wbo2 26 Apr 2021
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya and slackboot : the worst blisters I've ever had were in the one time I used 1000 mile socks. 

I'm guessing something has changed after a year of limited walking , so you're getting heel lift that you didn't previously

In reply to wbo2:

Still worth a try for the OP.

 Flinticus 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Dave the Rave:

Would a rubber mallet do?

I've taken to wearing approach shoes to avoid blisters but this don't work for winter and crampons when I need to wear big old boots.

 Dave the Rave 26 Apr 2021
In reply to Flinticus:

A mallet should be fine. You will just need something firm that you can place in the heel cup to strike against. As I remember I used the end of a vice handle.

Someone will be along soon to say it’s cobblers, but honest to god it works.

 C Witter 26 Apr 2021
In reply to John Stainforth:

In the Lakes it's been scorching. Definitely weather to sweat in whilst trudging up a hill with a rack and rope on your back. I've been wearing factor 50 on 4 or 5 days.

 LastBoyScout 27 Apr 2021
In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

Change your innersoles, maybe to a thinner pair?

Only time I've ever had blisters on my heels was when I bought a new pair of Scarpa Mantas. They felt a touch baggy, so put thicker innersoles in them. That had the effect of lifting my heel bone up such that it rubbed - changed back to the thinner innersoles that came with them the next day and wore them without any further problems for years.

 oldie 27 Apr 2021
In reply to Dave the Rave:

 A mallet should be fine. ....You will just need something firm that you can place in the heel cup to strike against. As I remember I used the end of a vice handle.

It worked for me too in the past. I didn't use hot water or anything inside the boot but just smashed the heels with a mallet.

In reply to Mrs Only a Hill:

So I got it wrong in the op they aren't minstrels, they are peak gtx but still I have brought a pair of 1000 miles socks and yesterday did an over five mile walk in warmer weather than we have been having and woo no blisters. Fingers crossed I've found a solution. Thanks for all the ideas.


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