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I consider foot care supplies to be an important essential for lightweight backpacking. In Necessity vs. Importance: Considering Ultralight Essentials , I advocate (with great enthusiasm!) the inclusion of Leukotape, compound tincture of benzoin, and Hydropel in a backpacker's kit of essentials. However, when I remove my socks and let my toes breathe through the open structure of a sandal, my foot care strategy changes. The objectives of this article are to discuss the limitations of the supplies I take for shoe-packing in the context of sandal-packing and to offer the reader alternatives that are better suited for sandal-packing.
Slippy Tape
First, as much as I advocate the use of Leukotape for blister prevention and maintenance, it is not my choice of tapes for sandal-packing. Leukotape is a soft, pliable tape with a wicking surface. Thus, when it becomes exposed to nature's grit and grime (as it will, when unprotected by shoes and socks), it becomes a sticky, gooey, ugly mess. The alternative is a tape that is smooth with a washable surface. The obvious answer? Duct tape!
Duct tape's key limitation is the lack of stickiness of its edges when applied directly to the surface of the skin. As with Leukotape, this limitation is easily resolved by applying compound tincture of benzoin to the skin surface prior to application of the tape, and by rounding the corners of the duct tape patch to minimize peeling.
The final piece of the foot taping puzzle for sandal-packers is the use of a lubricating agent on the outside surface of the tape. While this increases the potential for the tape to get grimy via the absorption of dirt throughout the day, it's a grime that's easily washed off the slippery surface of duct tape at day's end. The advantage to using a lubricant are twofold: it prevents water absorption into and under the tape edges (the primary reason that tape peels) and it reduces friction between sandal straps and the tape surface. Hydropel is a superb lubricant for this application. Its hydrophobicity not only acts as an excellent skin protectant (see below), but also as a useful tape protectant.
Say No to Crack
The most remarkable surprise to the new sandal-packer hiking over long distances is the appearance of cracks in the skin of the feet over longer durations. These cracks are painful, prone to infection, and very slow to heal. They are caused by the repeated cycles of supersaturation and dehy...