Oooooh that itchy burning sensation. The heat. The moisture. 

There’s no relief. With each step the burning increases… until I lay down on the ground, pull down my pants, and let the wind caress my torched & tortured inner thighs.

How am I supposed to keep walking for another 8 miles today with this horrible pain between my legs?

– an excerpt from my personal hiking journal 

I have no thigh gap. I once went on a date with my husband where I had to walk a handful of blocks from the car to the restaurant. It was a warm and quiet humid summer evening. I was wearing a flowy dress. Within a few blocks, I could feel that old familiar feeling of heat between my thighs, and by the time we got to the restaurant, I was dreading the walk back to the car. I had to shove my dress between my legs so that it looked like a romper. Thank goodness my husband and I can laugh together, or I would have been mortified.

Now, add in the fact that I love hiking, sometimes for an extended period of time. The constant rubbing of skin against skin, or friction caused by clothing or gear, leading to chafing, is a literal pain point. This is especially true in areas where my skin is sensitive or where there are folds, such as my inner thighs, and armpits.

And you know who else is prone to chafing on a long backpacking trip? Anyone who decides to strap on a giant bag of supplies and venture into the wilderness. It's not just us thicc honeys who suffer. Even those lithe and limber types can experience the painful friction of skin-on-skin.

But seriously, chafing is no laughing matter. It's like a constant wedgie, but worse. And it's not just uncomfortable; it can lead to blisters, open wounds, and infections. Infections can be particularly dangerous on a wilderness trip since you don’t have easy access to medical care, and the infection can worsen quickly without proper treatment.

Preventing chafing is key to avoiding these risks. Some ways to prevent chafing include wearing moisture-wicking clothing, applying lubricants such as anti-chafing balms, and keeping the skin clean and dry. It's also important to take breaks and adjust your gear to reduce friction and pressure on sensitive areas.

Here are some really good options:

• Select moisture-wicking underlayers, like Kula’s Pyka Pants or something out of merino wool. 
• Wear shorts with a longer inseam to keep your skin from rubbing
• If blisters on your feet are a chronic problem, consider trying toe socks or Wool-it. 
• Wear long sleeves or tee shirts instead of tank tops to protect your armpits — yes, I get chafe in my chubby pits too sometimes. 
• Remember the benefits of airflow, to dry out sweat-caked skin. 
• Keeping skin clean, with a wipe down at the end of the day, using products like Summit Suds Powdered Soap or Venture Wipes, can be tremendously helpful. 

And last but not least …

• If you're planning a backpacking trip, be sure to pack some anti-chafing cream, because nobody wants to be the tormented hiker with the wide-staggered hobble walk. Apply it to your thighs, toes, heels, armpits, butt cheeks, nipples or anywhere else that rubs. Use an anti-chafing lube like Salty Britches Skin Barrier Ointment, Salty Britches Chafing Ointment, or Gurney Goo! I tried all three so that you could learn from my experiences.

GURNEY GOO

Pocket Size weight: 0.4 oz

Made from Petrolatum, Cyclomethicone, Beeswax, and Tea Tree Oil.

Gurney Goo is made with silicon, to help with waterproofing and reducing friction, and Tea Tree, for its antiseptic qualities. It aims to keep your feet dry and prevent prune wrinkles/ trench foot in wet conditions.

I love the smell. The Tea Tree oil is just enough that it is pleasant, rather than overwhelming. Adding Tea Tree oil to this product is brilliant, as it fights infection, keeps bugs away AND can combat insomnia and anxiety.

Gurney Goo isn’t thick and oily. Instead, it leaves a nice thin layer of moisturized skin. I used it between my legs, and around my armpits, and was able to walk around in my wet bathing suit while doing yard work, with no resulting chafing. That’s a pretty good review, since I normally get a little chub rub when wearing my wet bathing suit for a long period of time. 

SALTY BRITCHES CHAFING OINTMENT

Weight: 2.5 oz

Made from Lanolin, Petrolatum, Microcrystalline Wax, Paraffin, Mineral Oil, Soy Sterols, Fragrance, Cod Liver Oil (high in vitamins A & D), and Tocopherol (Vitamin E). Preservative-free, paraben-free, and not tested on animals.

This company is pretty awesome. Their website notes that their product’s tubes are made from 50% PCR Material. PCR stands for Post Consumer Resin, a type of recycled plastic. Using PCR is beneficial for reducing our carbon footprint. Also worth noting, for every tube sold, Salty Britches donates one to the U.S. Armed Forces.

This product is extremely thick, and has a very slight, pleasant floral fragrance. I used it on my inner thighs, wore a dress, and walked a mile. Usually, this is a personal rule I never break — ALWAYS WEAR SHORTS WITH A DRESS.

I felt a little strange at first because though my thighs were rubbing together, they weren’t really rubbing, they were more slippery, and therefore sliding by each other. I came back with zero discomfort between my legs.

I tried it again at a lake. Knowing my shorts were gonna be damp, I slathered some on my thighs. I had zero chafe issues. 10/10 I would use it again.

SALTY BRITCHES SKIN BARRIER OINTMENT

Weight: 2.5 oz

Made from Lanolin, Petrolatum, Microcrystalline Wax, Paraffin, Mineral Oil, Soy Sterols, Fragrance, Cod Liver Oil (high in vitamins A & D), and Tocopherol (Vitamin E). Preservative-free, paraben-free, and not tested on animals.

The Salty Britches website boasts that this product is the “New Military ‘Blacked Out’ Edition Package of Salty Britches Skin Barrier Ointment. It prevents or soothes chafing and blisters during ruck, amphibious operations and all other imagined misery.”

This product is also extremely thick, and has a lovely ripe red fruit and citrus fragrance. First, this stuff works GREAT for chapped lips. It is extremely moisturizing, and feels luxurious to rub into any dry skin. I would use this more as an AFTER product for chafe, or even sunburns. It seems to immediately alleviate the burning sensation from thigh chafe, and prevents it from getting worse. I had a chafe-y day, stopped, applied it, and was able to continue on without further pain or irritation. 

Bottom Line

Try not to get chafe. It’s no fun. But there’s no shame in it, if you do. Find gear that works with you, not against you, and when all else fails, lather on a skin-safe chafe balm like the ones I mentioned. 

Ace Curtis is a plus-sized outdoor enthusiast. She enjoys hiking in Northern California and taking photos of many tree-covered hillsides. She was born and raised in Mt Shasta, CA at the base of a 14,163’ mountain. She is currently working with her husband on creating an off-grid lifestyle on 2.5 acres just a few miles from where she started life, 36 years ago. 

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