"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...
I noted in today's paper that 3M is introducing bandaids based on duct
tape. The inventor got the idea after noting that guys on
construction jobs routinely slap duct tape on owies.

What a good idea! They'll stay stuck until they're ripped off even if
they get wet. I want me some of them!


That reminds me of a similar product for combating "owies". Back in my high
school and college days, I did a lot of backpacking with friends. One of the
most important items in the pack were Dr. Scholls "Moleskins" which were
used to combat the inevitable blisters that would spring up on the first day
out. Back then, the adhesive used on these Moleskins was amazing stuff. It
was tenacious and thick, with an inverted square-dimpled pattern. If you put
this stuff on at the beginning of the trip, it would last the whole week
(and then some). It didn't matter how many miles we hiked, or even if our
feet got wet crossing a river, those Moleskins stayed right where we put
them. This was not just a matter of comfort; if the flesh on your feet was
rubbed raw, how could you hike several miles out of the backcountry (with a
heavy pack on your back, to boot)?

Sometime (IIRC, it was during my college years), Dr. Scholls changed the
adhesive on their Moleskins to something equivalent to Scotch tape. It won't
even stay in place for ten minutes before the motion of the boot rubbing
against it had it bunched up and pushed away from the applied area that
needed protecting. I don't know if this was because some consumers
complained about not being able to get the old stuff off easily, or if Dr.
Scholls simply wanted to sell more product (since you had to constantly
reapply the new style Moleskin).

I still hike and backpack (and now snowboard too), so I still need to fight
the occasional blister. Does anyone know of a better blister protector that
stays on the way the original Moleskins would?