How To Prevent Thigh Chafing When Hiking
Do you want to go explore the outdoors but need to know how to prevent thigh chafing when hiking? Join the club! Many people have rediscovered a love of the outdoors and hiking is more popular than ever! But hiking has a downside - chafing!
Hiking has always been popular in areas with beautiful vistas. It's a great beginner activity for anyone who is keen to get outside and enjoy nature. Not only does hiking come with great views, but it’s also great exercise. But, like any exercise, hiking causes sweat... And friction... And rubbing... These three things are a recipe for a chafing disaster! Both beginner and experienced hikers experience chafing. And there’s probably nothing worse than getting chafing on a hike or backpacking trip.
Chafing usually occurs between your thighs or butt cheeks during hikes, especially in hot or humid weather. Repeated friction can quickly turn some innocent rubbing into an extremely painful experience. That’s the last thing you want midway through a long trek! Sweat is common during exercise, it's the reason runners, hikers, and other athletes often suffer from chafing during exercise.
Experienced hikers refer to thigh chafing as monkey-butt or baboon ass. Yes, really. But whatever you want to call it - chafing is absolute agony and gets worse with every step you take.
Luckily, we’re experts in preventing chafing. So if you’re heading out on a hike, here are some trail-tested ways to prevent chafing.
Preventing Chafing While Hiking
- Choose the right hiking clothing
- Wear unisex exercise thigh bands
- Wear your clothes the right way
- Stay clean
- Pack chafing treatment
Choosing The Right Hiking Clothing
Clothing is all-important when it comes to chafing prevention. Choosing the right clothing for your hike starts from the very first layer - underwear. An essential way to prevent butt and thigh chafing is to wear synthetic underwear. Avoid fabrics such as cotton, modal, rayon, viscose, Tencel, lyocell, and bamboo. These fabrics absorb sweat and can quickly become damp.
The cut of underwear you choose is also very important. You should avoid tight-fitting underwear. Underwear with lots of seams, lace details, or other embellishments is also inadvisable. Women should avoid bikini or thong cuts and choose styles with longer legs. Underwear with a longer leg will help protect the top of your thighs from friction. Men should avoid loose-fitting boxers and opt instead for fitted jocks.
Unisex Exercise Thigh Bands
Bandelettes unisex thigh bands suit both men and women and are worn in conjunction with underwear. These thigh bands are great in the summer months so you can hike in shorts, but your bare thighs won't rub together. You can also wear thigh bands underneath loose-fitting hiking or climbing pants. This will help to prevent thigh chafing from skin-on-fabric friction.
Wearing Your Clothes The Right Way
You may think there’s an obvious right way to wear clothes. But you can wear your clothing the wrong way when hiking. Firstly, make sure that your clothes fit correctly. Clothing that is either too tight or too loose can cause rubbing and irritation. Shoes that are too tight will cause rubbing and blisters. Your backpack needs to fit as well - backpack straps that are too long can cause unwanted friction, and a poorly adjusted pack can move around, causing even more friction. You should also avoid tucking in your shirt when hiking. When wearing a backpack, it’s common to sweat on your back. By tucking in your teeshirt, the sweat drains to areas that typically chafe. So remember to keep your teeshirt loose and free from your waistband! Choosing a ventilated backpack can also help prevent back sweat.Stay Clean
Make sure you start your day of hiking as fresh and clean as possible. Put on a fresh set of clothing at the start of the day. Make sure to wash or wipe off sweat and salt from the skin before going to bed. If you’re on a multi-day hike with little clothing changes, try to rinse the salt and sweat out of your hiking clothes.Pack Chafing Treatments
Wearing Bandelettes thigh bands can prevent chafing on your thighs. But if it’s already too late be sure to treat chafing quickly. Untreated chafing or monkey-butt can become infected. Especially if you’re outdoors for many days without showers and fresh clothes. There are many chafing treatments on the market. To learn more, check out our full guide to treating chafed thighs. 
Now that you know how to prevent chafing when hiking, are you ready to get on that trail? Still not sure? As well as a chance to get some fresh air, there are many great health benefits to hiking.
Hiking Benefits Include:
- Lower stress levels
- Improved mood
- Reduced risk for heart disease
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower cholesterol
- Lower body fat
- Fun!
