3 Tips for Drying Your Booties, on my blog…
http://stokemagazine.blogspot.com/2011/12/3-bootie-drying-tips.html
plus extra info to keep ordors away…
more tips
Good stuff! I have used a cheapo small fan to dry kayak booties, gloves, and mitts for years. Paper towel cardboard rolls help to direct the air into the booties and gloves. The new NRS Toaster Mitts are problematic because they have a smaller opening; I may have to resort to real boot dryers like you mentioned.
I would not get another “DryGuy TRANSPORTER Boot, Shoe and Glove Dryer”; I had one that I used only about 25 times over 2 years, then it broke. The cheapo fans I often let run for weeks at a time; the last one lasted 4 years, and cost about $16.
Another rinse to deodorize booties: Listerine or equivalent. Readily available, and minty fresh! Another good deodorizing rinse is white vinegar cut with water 50%. That is good as a foot rinse also, to fight athletes foot. A doc recommended 50% white vinegar to combat swimmers ear, so thats something to keep in mind if you get your ears wet. I keep some in a re-used “honey bear” plastic bottle; easy to squirt a bit into the ears, or boots, etc.
Cheers-
Bill
Forced air heating/cooling duct
Nothing special for me - I just put the booties near a
forced air duct from the regular heating/cooling unit.
When circulating air kicks on, it flows into boots
drying them quite nicely. No gimmicks needed.
Don’t dry them. Dry your socks.
Why dry wet booties? They’re just going to get wet again when you step in the water tomorrow.
What you want is dry feet, not dry shoes.
Wear a thin waterproof sock under your bootie or shoe, such as NRS Hydroskin. At the end of the day, just turn the sock inside out and it will dry overnight in the air, even in a tent or vehicle. Then you can have dry feet the next morn even if your rubber booties are still damp.
This method also prevents foot oils and odors from going into the bootie, since you foot is not in contact with it. They go into the sock, which can be easily rinsed and cleaned when it is turned inside out.
You can also wear a thin wool or poly sock under the rubber sock for extra warmth or perspiration transport.
some great tips…mine go on the
DryGuy after every outing…hot weather or cold. I have heard of taking a cooler along and placing hot water jugs in that…all your gear will be warm, not just a couple items. and then the wet gear can get thrown in it to keep the car dry too. Lots of great ideas.
it’s the stench from NOT drying that
is gross…like a dead critter. Mine get dried always. Has to be better for the fabric to dry once in a while too.
Wanna dry them in 15 minutes?
– Last Updated: Dec-16-11 5:32 PM EST –
If you want to dry them really fast, with no risk of overheating, you are in luck if you own a shop vac or any old-fashioned canister-style vacuum cleaner. Just plug the hose into the outlet vent, stick the hose deep into your boot, turn on the machine, and the boot will be dry almost "right now". Also, it works great on hip boots and waders which aren't easily dried any other way.
All my paddling boots come up to just below the knee, and I just use a commercial "boot stand" type of dryer that directs warm air all the way inside. Knee-high boots are slow to dry in a reasonable time unless you put either forced air or a heat source directly inside. The idea that air blowing "at" the opening will cause air to stir deep within the boot is purely wishful thinking, but it's okay if you have at least a whole day to get the job done. If that weren't the case, propping open boots in front of the output blast from an 80,000 BTU unit heater would not be 20-times slower than the vacuum-cleaner method, but it is (in spite of the fact that the boots get much too hot that way).
To avoid stinky boots, dry them every time, no matter how short the trip. Even if the boots "feel" dry to the touch, they are not as dry as they need to be to keep stuff from growing. The other thing, use wool for your outer sock layer. Wool is naturally stink-proof compared to any synthetic material. My paddling boots are 7 or 8 years old and look 20 years old from all the use they've had, but there's never been any funky odor thanks mostly to quick drying every time.
I saw a couple sarcastic comments
from the “Perfect Paddler” here. Always someone who thinks the question is stupid.
BUT, any question deserves a proper response (unless they are being deliberatly quarrelsome).
I live in the desert we we did our annual Yule paddle yesterday. My scuba boots got wet and icky (lake water @ 36 degrees) so when I get home, I toss my booties and other wet gear into the shower and rinse it while I clean up myself.
Then I hang it on the outside clothes line.
If, like today, it is raining when I got home, I hang the rinsed booties from a string under the overhead heating vent, close enough to get warm, dry air but not too close to damage the material.
The stench is not really from not drying
It’s from skin oil, sweat and dead skin cells that accumulate in your boot if you don’t wear socks in them. Going barefoot is the real cause of odor and simply wearing socks will all but eliminate it.
If you can’t air or sun dry your boots, stuff 'em with newspaper. It will absorb most of the moisture and the ink has antibacterial properties.