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 | Planet Extras! | | Planet Review: Ezeefit Sports Ankle Booties
It's Bootie Time For Blistered Feet Forget Dr. Scholl's ... Ezeefit's Booties Provide Better Protection for Blisters By Robert "Just the Factoids" Burnson Ezeefit Ankle Booties are going to be bad for business at my local drug store. After getting The problem was that as much as I loved my new skates, my feet did not and were rebelling by throwing up a plague of blisters that Dr. Scholl's was helpless to contain. I went through box after box of Moleskins, Blister Blocks and Advanced Healing bandages; I went through roll after roll of Nexcare's Absolutely -- (Not!) -- Waterproof Tape. When I depleted the stock at one drug store, I drove across town to the next. I kept thinking I was only one blister away from being cured. But then a new one would pop up to prove me wrong. I tried loosening my boots, tightening them, remolding them; I experimented with thick socks, thin socks, no socks; I spent $13.50 (!) on a pair of Smartwool "blister free" -- (No, they're not!) -- socks. But the plague continued. Finally, after spending more than $100 on blister treatments, I tried Ezeefit's ankle booties ($15). That was a month ago. I haven't been back to the drug store since -- at least not for bandages. The booties are the invention of Susan Hirsch, a graphic designer who lives in San Diego with her husband, Bob, and skates with the San Diego Street Elite. A few years ago, after buying her first pair of inline speed skates, she developed her own stubborn case of ankle blisters. Like me, she tried everything. But when the blisters kept coming, she got creative and started sewing together pieces of neoprene (the stuff of wet suits) into booties. After a few failed designs, she found one that worked. Other skaters who saw Susan's booties wanted a pair of their own, and that's how Ezeefit Sports was born. After consulting with Susan, I ordered the 2 mm ankle booties, which she recommends for skaters with off-the-shelf boots, like mine. (She recommends the ultrathins for skaters with custom-molded boots and the 3 mm booties for those with loose-fitting, or "sloppy," boots.) When my booties arrived in the mail two days later (in a small padded envelope), my feet were still a mess. I had a fresh blister on the heel of one foot and a raw patch on the ankle of the other. I pulled the booties on, put on my skates and set off on a bike trail that included a steep climb, which I had found to be particularly aggravating to my blisters. (continued) Part 1|2 >>>
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... Copyright © 2005 by Robert Burnson | |||||||||||||
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