On the question of vaseline as a smellable. Note that vaseline is a
trademark for a product containing petroleum jelly. Various products are
available that contain mainly petroleum jelly and some may have scent added.
On a backpacking trip you want to use petroleum jelly without any scent
added. Many pharmacies will have some generic petroleum jelly product
without scent added which is suitable for backpacking purposes.
As to when to use petroleum jelly it is useful to apply during the hiking
day on the feet as needed.
It is a good idea to plan to apply petroleum jelly to the feet AND to change
socks several times during the hiking day as needed. Foot care needs to be
continuous and ongoing. Don't "tough it out" when your feet are sending you
a "hurt" signal. Stop and determine what is causing the "hurt" and deal
with it. Proper preventive care of feet will stop blisters. A broken
blister in the hot environment of the hiking shoe can easily become
infected. I have personally experienced foot sores that took weeks to heal
in a hot and humid environment when they became infected and were very slow
to respond to antibiotic creams. Prevention is ALWAYS better than cure.
In the evening in camp it is not be necessary to apply petroleum jelly to
the feet. It is a good idea to wash the feet in the evening with nonscented
soap and water. Cleaning the feet in this way will remove most bacteria
which can cause problems if you have developed any open blisters on the
feet. Nearly always, with proper preventitive measures, you can avoid open
blisters.
Good foot care is of first importance to having a successful backpacking
experience. It's something that can be managed by good proactive and
preventitive measures. A nonsmellable petroleum jelly product can be a
valuable aid to good foot care.
Joe Jansen
JAJansenJr@gmail.com
http://www.customprograms.info/scoutingresources.htm
I used to be an Owl. SC-70-15
Philmont Crew Member 1965; Philmont Advisor 1978
2. Someone mentioned putting on vaseline of feet before going to bed.
Vaseline is a smellable in Philmont and it is probably not a good idea to
wear it to bed. (perhaps the stinky feet cancel it out?)
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Received on Sun Aug 7 16:37:03 2005
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