Crotch Rashes

“Ok, this is serious. I'm heading back to the AT soon to finish a thru-hike I started in '98.”

“To continue, what knocked me off the trail in '98 were extremely painful rashes in the crotch area. These resulted from the fact that my shorts were always damp from sweat and rain, and nothing dries on the AT. With the dampness and the rubbing, pain ensued. I could never keep my skin dry, no matter what I did. I tried baby powder and various lotions. Anyone have any suggestions.”

“one word - commando”

“I even tried hiking naked for a few miles. Good for me, bad for the public.”

“Don't scratch them!

8)”

“use a sarong - hey its the AT no one will notice”

“I use standard hiking shorts with the mesh underwear attached. I have tried normal shorts w/o underwear, and that was no more effective. Instead of the wetness of the underwear touching ur skin, its the wetness of the shorts. No difference.”

“I'm offering a $20 award for an effective suggestion. I'll mail you the award upon the completion of my hike if your suggestion prevents these painful rashes.”

“Witch Hazel + corn starch to prevent it. A&D ointment to clear it up once it starts. I have no idea how this works on adult crotch rash but it works wonders on baby diaper rash.”

“Wash and change more frequently! pack a extra set of quick dry shorts! Are you as hairy as bacpac claims to be? Have you thought about shaving or trimming? Maybe pack a specific 'sac' towel and dry and air out a few times a day. Take a couple of extra moments to take in the breeze when urinating or squating. Man that feels good!”

“hydra-cortisol heals it quickly. If you can get for doctor to prescribe some it's better than over the counter. But even the 'counter stuff works well.”

“I got a friend that gets that problem. He's thinking of using a jock strap.”

“Did some research, figured out that the condition is a heat rash, sometimes called prickly heat.”

“Why was he thinking of using a jock strap? To keep the sweat from his sac away from his thighs, and keep them from rubbing? Sounds like it might help.”

“and whats the best thing for that?”

“There was actually and article in backpacker about this.

TMI Alert

I wear nylon jogging shorts that have the sewn in briefs. I also wash up with baby wipes each day. I have resorted to simply duct taping my inner thighs before. It works for the shorter term, but I've never done it for 3 straight months.

Powder, ointments etc all treat the symptons - but in my mind, by that time it's a lost cause.”

“two words: goats blood”

“Lose the weight thunder thighs.”

“patagonia capilene boxers.
dude, get them. they work wonders.
i used to have that problem every time i hiked until i got these boxers. it sucks to spen 30 bucks on a pair of underwear but it's well worth it.

ps they stink like sweat really really bad after a while.”

“This is an untried idea -- Use one of those dry stick antiperspirants like Secret. baby butt goo sounds like it might be good should this fail.”

“Try spandex shorts...Works for me :)”

“Try the capaline or coolmax briefs, powdered (corn startch/baby/shower to shower or gold bond etc.). If a rash developes use hydrocortisone or benadryl gel asap. See your doc for stronger than OTC, but the benadryl is pretty strong. Take cat baths (use the baby wipes/alcohol pads) or "go jump in a lake" as often as possible-at least once a day. Plus wash your clothes at least every few days.”

“my approach is to use the capilene boxers plus using the extra strength Gold Bond powder (green can) every few days - do this before the rash gets too bad or else the extra strength Gold Bond will really light you up.”

“rub it with coarse grade sand paper then apply alcohol”

“That's a great idea MaryPhyl! Almay makes a fragrance-free antipersperant/deoderant that is da bomb.”

“I echo Spirit Coyote - Spandex shorts are totally the way to go. I'd be very shocked if that didn't cure the problem.”

“BTW Walkindude, how is SlimJim??

Chips76, I have no advice. I FEEL for ya dude. I wear swimming trunks with the mesh liner. Works for me.”

“I got that rash myself a couple of times on treks during hot, humid weather - very uncomfortable, painful. Most likely caused by damp/wet skin rubbing against damp/wet skin in/around the crotch area. Switched from boxer shorts to boxer briefs, which hug the inner thighs and crotch much better than boxer shorts. Since then, I've never had the problem.”

“Dang! Sorry... I meant to say that I switched from boxer shorts to boxers (not the briefs)”

“Chip maybe you will be the first TTer that I know of to try out that new hiking kilt. I think backpacker did an article on it a while back. It looks a lot like a mini skirt, but hey if it works it works.”

“Mountain Hardwear Mountain Kilt. Here's the link.

http://205.147.231.109/search97cgi/s97_cgi?action=View&VdkVgwKey=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebackpacker%2Ecom%2Farticle%2F0%2C2646%2C1981%2C00%2Ehtml%3F&DocOffset=1&DocsFound=2&QueryZip=kilt&Collection=backpacker&ViewTemplate=docview%2Ehts&SearchUrl=http%3A%2F%2F205%2E147%2E231%2E109%2Fsearch97cgi%2Fs97%5Fcgi%3Faction%3DSearch%26QueryZip%3Dkilt%26ResultTemplate%3DBPResults%252Ehts%26QueryText%3Dkilt%26Collection%3Dbackpacker%26ViewTemplate%3Ddocview%252Ehts%26ResultStart%3D1%26ResultCount%3D10&”

“hang yer wet shorts on the top of yer pack to let them dry, then change them twice a day. gold bond powder is some killer stuff, also super blue stuff.”

“behold those who sing the praises of almighty gold bond...
with it's triple action it's as soothing as a pond...
lift it up, for it is hearty...
add a dash and lets all party!!




(don't blame me..i'm running off 2 hours sleep)”

“Opie that was good! You almost sound like Bigfoot :)

Spandex is the key friend. From someone used to hiking in the heat I know.”

“men don't wear spandex, at least not straight men”

“Mmmmgood, a solution to that is wearing them underneath a pair of normal shorts while hiking. Dats what I do! You can hike and look like you're hiking, and not competing in the Tour de France.”

“I guess I'm gay and don't know it.

My wife will be disappointed.

I wear either spandex/lycra shorts or Coolmax boxers under my hiking shorts. Never had a crotch rotch problem.”

“You can keep your spandex. I have so many more problems with spandex not to mention the constant struggle adjusting furniture. It just ain't natural.”

“You just gotta get it a little worn out, trailhound!

I will admit that the shorts I use don't have a lot of spandex in them, and were designed to be underwear, not shorts.”

“spandex pulls and rubs too much hair off...WOW..what a frickin visual!!!!!

heh..go get a pair of jockeys with the "pouch"...*dies laughing*”

“At this point I would just like to be the first of the females on this board to thank you guys for feeling so comfortable around here that you can share this kind of information. I'm going to have nightmares tonight. Thanx.”

“Sweet dreams, Scully!”

“yea...this coming from a girl who asked to borrow duct tape..and then was suggested that she use tent stakes to keep from sliding around......ya..that visual still haunts us”

“when my girl friend and I were have sex 3-4 times a day for 6 weeks straight...the skin just got a bit worn out...but I slept real good.”

“I bet you did and the smell was real cool I bet.

8)”

“Wear capilene underwear...period. It has solved my chaffing issues. Tried the standard "sewn in" briefs as well as the jock strap and commando methods. Capilene or similar boxer tights have kept me high and dry.”

“yeppers and not. I had to go on vacation, just to heal up, neosporin works great too”

“Thats cool!!!!!Man the last girlfriend was fun but not that fun!

8)”

“On long hikes with high humidity or likely rain, I go commando and use Vaseline on my crack, sac, and thighs. The vaseline prevents chaffing and going commando prevents a moisture build-up.”

“I have had the exact problem that you are describing and your issue is fungal. Unfortunately that type of rash likes to hang on for a while too! I tried everything from cortaid, to head & shoulders shampoo to gold bond to neosporin and nothing would work. What you need is an Anti-Fungal cream. I use Lotrimin Ultra http://www.lotrimin.com/productsUltra.aspx?ultid=2 and it clears the rash up pretty quickly. Begin applying it the night before you leave on your trip and use it once a day on your trip and you should be rash free for the trip! Boxers definitely help as well! Good luck!”