Bushwalk Australia

I bought a pair of Keen tarhee II http://www.keenfootwear.com/p/M-TARGHEE-II-WP.html

and Im getting blisters on the inner bottom section of my little toe. Both left and right foot.

Trying to diagnose what may be the cause as Ive never had quick developing blisters before (happens in under a day). In fact Ive only ever had hot spots..usually after day 2 or 3.

My little toe does tend to curl downwards and it seems to be each footfall puts pressure on that toe until eventually a blister forms.

I have plenty of room in the toe box and there is no pushing of my toes against the side or the end of the shoe. I do have some discomfort on the upper part of my foot around the tongue area of the shoe as it seems to pressure that area a bit.

Im trying to work out if its just the keens that ill fit my feet for some reason.. or maybe my foot has become less tough or whatever as I get older. Basically do I go and spend another $200 on new shoes or should I problem solve by taping and perhaps investing in a gel toe cap etc. Ive already tried toe socks and hasn't made a difference.

Try hikers wool wrapped around your little toes, in the hope that the shoes will break in a bit. I have had several pairs of keen targhee ii and one pair gave my little toe grief at first but the problem went away after a while. Also try modifying the lacing. Good luck.

You could also try toe socks / liners (e.g. Injinji).


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I have had a pair of identical Keen Targhee II hikers for years. They have just about had it now but are very comfortable and I still wear them on short walks and for casual use. They did take a while to "break in" and I vaguely remember not liking them early on. I don't recall blisters specifically but I may have had some. The problem is that everyone's feet are different and it's hard to generalise. I find the wider forefoot fitting of these really suits me. I would suggest perservering if you can but maybe restrict use to shorter walks and protect the affected toes with blister tape. Give time for the shoes to loosen up, which they should based on my own experience. Hopefully that will eliminate any rubbing. The main issue I have found with these is limited grip on slippery rocks etc.

Going off the pictures it looks like the shoe has a high instep providing more arch support. Could that be rolling your foot over onto the outside of your foot and causing the blister.

Thanks All for the advice.

For those of you that wear Keens and mentioned a breaking in period. Im curious how long that was ?

Ive worm these shoes now for 3 day hikes, one overnighter and a two night/Three dayer. If anything the hotspots on my toes are developing quicker.. my last walk (easy half day, two minor hills) was when I developed the blisters (one on each foot).

I might try the wear in a hot shower technique I used to do with boots.

crollsurf wrote:Going off the pictures it looks like the shoe has a high instep providing more arch support. Could that be rolling your foot over onto the outside of your foot and causing the blister.

hmmm. Yes. I had a look inside the shoe with the innersole removed. the Instep is raised and also the toe box area appears to be slightly elevated. Which could account for the pressure on the toe.

Perhaps I am very lucky, but I have had no breaking in period with my Keen Gypsum mids. Looking to buy a new pair as well over the next few months.

I was drawn to this thread as I have similar issues, but mine were caused by a pair of Merrel street shoes, and a new pair of work shoes. Wearing my boots does not aggravate the issue.

wildwanderer wrote:For those of you that wear Keens and mentioned a breaking in period. Im curious how long that was ?

Many pairs of Keens and pretty much zero break-in period. Up in the toes area, they stay in shape until they are badly worn. Even then, the black toe cap area stay the same. The insole gets worn, that's all.

Take the insoles out and check for bumps and lumps and dirt first, lubricate the toes? Trim the nails too

Wrap some Fixomull around the offending toes. It reduces the friction on the outer layers of skin.
A blister is caused by the outer layers being sheared back and forth over the inner layers.
Eventually the interface between the layers breaks and the blister forms.
Coolmax socks or such like that wick the sweat away also help to stop the drag.

I had a serious issue with some new boots. Really bad heel blisters.
I was really regretting buying those boots until Coolmax and Fixomull solved it completely.

Blisters on and between my toes in ski boots is why I really like Injinji toe socks, but these have never been an issue with the much wider toes of my walking boots

Moondog55 wrote:Blisters on and between my toes in ski boots is why I really like Injinji toe socks, but these have never been an issue with the much wider toes of my walking boots

They are about 40% Coolmax so would wick OK as well.

wildwanderer wrote: . . . I do have some discomfort on the upper part of my foot around the tongue area of the shoe as it seems to pressure that area a bit . . .

That comment made me wonder whether your issue might have anything to do with the shoe lacing. Perhaps this has nothing to do with your problem, but maybe it's worth a try. I've recently been omitting lacing up all eyelets on my boots and found this much more comfortable.

I had trouble with a pair of boots that bit into my instep on my left foot.
Had to skip the second top eyelet by going directly up to the top eyelet without crossing over the laces to fix it.
On my right foot I just lace it up normally.

Strong shockcord as laces works for army boots, it may also work for normal boots, not regulation as far as I know but I do know grunts who do it

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.

After some more time examining the shoes and the way my feet move when wearing them.. Im beginning to think the problem may be that they are to big and possibly to wide for my feet.

When I push the foot forward (like would happen when walking on a uneven trail) their is definite flex and slight movement. It moves in a diagonally forward direction which is the sort of movement I would expect to cause a blister of the type Ive been experiencing.

In the store it was a toss up between this size and the smaller size (they didn't have half sizes) I elected to go with the larger because on the test slope my toes hit the end of the shoe with the smaller size and feet swell when hiking.

In this current size I can fit my thumb between my achilles and the end of the shoe. (Which didnt concern me at the time as due to poor ankle flex I need a shoe that doesn't fit tight against the tendon.) So yeah.. I may have chosen wrongly on the size plus the keen last could be slightly to wide for my foot

Honestly it is very hard to get a shoe that is too wide or too long if it is only a centimetre. Well as far as my feet are concerned I always try on my boots while holding at least 12kg in each hand because my feet swell when I am weight bearing, same as after a long walk, at least a size bigger than at the start so I would try a thicker insole to start with

One thing you really don't want is your toes hitting the end of the boot when you walk down hill.

neilmny wrote:One thing you really don't want is your toes hitting the end of the boot when you walk down hill.

I didn't realise my last pair of boots were too small, until after walking Frenchmans Cap I couldn't feel my big toes at all for 6 months afterward!

Strider wrote:I didn't realise my last pair of boots were too small, until after walking Frenchmans Cap I couldn't feel my big toes at all for 6 months afterward!

That's nothing compared with 6mths loss of sensation of my down below after my first long distance bike ride (The Gong Ride).

Now that is nasty GPS and I doubt Fixomull or Toe Socks would have helped

neilmny wrote:Now that is nasty GPS and I doubt Fixomull or Toe Socks would have helped

No, but better bib/chamois and stronger legs would have helped. As for bushwalking, poorly equipment and pushing beyond one's ability will just bring chaos and disasters. Glad that the OP is carefully considering a key piece of equipment for the bushwalking activities ahead. I learnt my lesson...

If you have a large gap at that back of the shoe, perhaps try a heel lock to secure your heel to the back of the shoe - this will prevent your foot from sliding forward and keep your little toe off the toe box of the shoe.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jG_XzEjD9Ls

Also, as discussed, try toe socks. Or body glide.

South_Aussie_Hiker wrote:If you have a large gap at that back of the shoe, perhaps try a heel lock to secure your heel to the back of the shoe - this will prevent your foot from sliding forward and keep your little toe off the toe box of the shoe.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jG_XzEjD9Ls

Also, as discussed, try toe socks. Or body glide.

Thanks for this. I didn't know much about the heel lock and automatically assumed I couldn't do it because the keens dont have a 2nd eyelt. However after watching the video and seeing how the lock works Ive realized I can use the material loops on the keens.

Ive tried it and its made a significant difference to the sliding of the heel and snugness of fit, while keeping pressure off the top of my foot (which was an issue when I just tightened down all all the laces).

Ive got a hike coming up in a few days. Will see how the heel lock goes for blister prevention as well. I already have toe socks. (didnt make a difference to the blister issue sadly)

Good luck.

Here's the body glide, available at Rebel.

http://www.rebelsport.com.au/Product/Bo ... afe/406486

My wife runs the occasional marathon (I know, she's crazy) and body glide is a must.

I'm on my second pair of Targhee II Mid in the men's model which provides much more toe room then the ladies'. This means a size EU40.5 compared to my usual 39, first pair felt oversized to begin with but they have proved to be just right for me. I like the fact that I can lace firmly around the ankle whilst still leaving the rest of the boot with plenty of room.
Practically no break-in period with either pair.
I used to get awful blisters on the underside of my little toes. Insoles from a podiatrist have also helped enormously, not custom made but off-the-shelf with a few tweaks including extra arch support.
Big fan of Fixomull although I'm finally getting to the stage where I can go without taping.
Have used Trekkers Wool recently and was impressed with that too. It can be simply woven between the toes or taped into place.
My companion on the Larapinta Trail recently had the beginnings of a blister and used one of these which she raved about:
http://www.scholl.com.au/footcare-produ ... protector/
Good luck.
Edit: just looked at the "heel lock" video. I know it as "lock lacing" - also recommended by my podiatrist. Don't use it with the Keens but always on my runners.