Any tips for drying out boots?

landpirate · Nov 22, 2015

I accidentally went knee deep in a peat bog yesterday in a blizzard on Dartmoor. My boots are soaked. They are currently stuffed with dirty socks to soak up some of the water and sitting on the dashboard of my van soaking up any sun that there is.

Has anybody got a top tips for drying out footwear?

Anagor · Nov 22, 2015

landpirate said:
I accidentally went knee deep in a peat bog yesterday in a blizzard on Dartmoor.

Ouch!

landpirate said:
My boots are soaked. They are currently stuffed with dirty socks to soak up some of the water and sitting on the dashboard of my van soaking up any sun that there is.

That's why I like flip flops. They dry quickly.

No, seriously:

landpirate said:
Has anybody got a top tips for drying out footwear?

Newspaper! Scrunch the sheets up and put them in. Put the shoes in a warm place. Change the newspaper after a few hours. That would be my idea.

Tude · Nov 22, 2015

Dam - @landpirate I've been caught in some bad rain storms on long bike trips and had to ride for hours in wet everything (nothing like pouring water out of your shoe when ya take them off) but I've had some luck with hitting a public bathroom with the hand dryers and take advantage of them. Might not get totally dry but enough to keep on going.

kecleon · Nov 22, 2015

Yeah I found those hand dryers the best for waterproof shoes. It drives the moisture out. I hate it when waterproof shoes get wet though because you basically just gotta get them.to a point then wear them, otherwise you're looking at like 24 hours minimum for them to dry.

Rob Nothing · Nov 22, 2015

I fell into the Columbia refilling water once, in waterproof boots. The climb back up to my train felt a little like climbing through a Pete bog.. after 5 hours and sticking them upside down in the porch drain holes for better air circulation, they were prty much dry when I had to put them on again.

But that was summer time, and it was well over 100 degrees that day.--Winter time wouldve been a different story.

Bathroom hand dryer.. Seconded. And maybe a handful of those little packages they put inside bags and cases sold in the surplus stores. Forgetting what they call those little guys

lone wolf · Nov 22, 2015

Toilet paper or napkins work well. Just change it often. Once you get rid of most of the moisture find a hand dryer.

Anagor · Nov 22, 2015

Yeah, hand dryer is a good idea. And toilet paper and napkins. Perhaps faster than newspaper. But change often ...

Odin · Nov 22, 2015

This might not be the easiest option... If you have the time and could somehow access a boiler room/utility room and place them ontop or next to a roaring heater... I would do that with my wet muddy work boots at my old shop and they would be crisp dry next day... (did damage the boots faster over time though... I didn't tend to them well and mud does destroy a pair over time... meh)

Overall use of hand dryer sounds excellent... easy to find usually.

Dmac · Nov 22, 2015

Dartmoor! I watched a nature show about that place. There was an old lady there who had a badger rescue, had badgers in her house, in the yard, just waddling around all over the place. over 30 of them, only a few cages. I was amazed they didn't go after her or the other badgers. she even had them cuddling on her lap! crazy! we started calling her "the Druid of Dartmoor".
Anyway, if your boots have laces, unlace them completely and open them up as much as possible to help get the air in and stuff with paper towels or newspaper (change with fresh paper when needed) hair dryer, fan or vents (in house or on dash of car) will help or set them in a sunny and breezy spot. good luck and keep an eye out for those badgers!

Waya anisitsune · Nov 22, 2015

camp out some where and build a nice fire. keep it hot! grab two thick sticks and implant them into the ground angled at the fire but not touching the flames. put a boot on each and wait do the same with your socks

enjoy the warmth. - wolf

Art101 · Nov 22, 2015

I have had good results with those hand warmer thingies.

Mankini · Nov 22, 2015

I'll tell ya what, Madame. What kind of boots are they? UGGs? Leather dress boots? Hiking?

If they're glued lasts, its tougher. But if theyre sewn lasts; canvas or some other cloth I would say throw em in a dryer on low heat or delicate/air dry for as long as you need to. Fires may damage leather: other methods may take too long...But I've had good luck with clothes dryers.

Cotton Kittyhawk · Nov 22, 2015

puttin' two hot rocks from next to your night's fire inside your boots overnight works decent.

roguetrader · Nov 26, 2015

my suggestion is get more than one pair of boots then you can rotate 'em - ramming with newspaper and leaving near a heat source e.g woodburner works but they're usually not ready by the next day ; when u want em normally !
So the snow stuck on the moors ? we r in South Hams but no snow just rain, rain, and more rain : so I empathise with the perpetual soggy boots

landpirate · Nov 28, 2015

Anagor said:
That's why I like flip flops. They dry quickly. No, seriously

I think I would have been dead if I was wearing flip flops. They're OK for urban areas but not the footwear for the moors.

voodoochile76 said:
I'll tell ya what, Madame. What kind of boots are they? UGGs? Leather dress boots? Hiking?

If they're glued lasts, its tougher. But if theyre sewn lasts; canvas or some other cloth I would say throw em in a dryer on low heat or delicate/air dry for as long as you need to. Fires may damage leather: other methods may take too long...But I've had good luck with clothes dryers.

They're leather and gortex waterproof boots. Made by Keen. They're pretty new so don't think I'd want to chance them in a tumble dryer but it's definitly a good idea for older boots or trainers.

roguetrader said:
my suggestion is get more than one pair of boots then you can rotate 'em - ramming with newspaper and leaving near a heat source e.g woodburner works but they're usually not ready by the next day ; when u want em normally !
So the snow stuck on the moors ? we r in South Hams but no snow just rain, rain, and more rain : so I empathise with the perpetual soggy boots

I sadly had leant my spare boots to a soggy friend the day before! But yeah two pairs is the answer.

The snow settled while it fell but it was just icy slush after a few hours. Yeah this relentless rain is pretty depressing

dmac66 said:
Dartmoor! I watched a nature show about that place. There was an old lady there who had a badger rescue, had badgers in her house, in the yard, just waddling around all over the place. over 30 of them, only a few cages. I was amazed they didn't go after her or the other badgers. she even had them cuddling on her lap! crazy! we started calling her "the Druid of Dartmoor".
Anyway, if your boots have laces, unlace them completely and open them up as much as possible to help get the air in and stuff with paper towels or newspaper (change with fresh paper when needed) hair dryer, fan or vents (in house or on dash of car) will help or set them in a sunny and breezy spot. good luck and keep an eye out for those badgers!

I'm going to find this badger woman she sounds amazing. I'm quite a fan of badgers although sadly I more often just see them dead at the side of the road.

In the end I stuffed my boots with dirty but dry socks for a few hours. That soaked up a bit of the water inside. I then realised I needed to scrub all the mud off of them if they were ever going to stand a chance of drying. Then I patiently held them over my gas stove, rotating them regularly so they didn't burn. That helped a load and then lastly i wore them while still a little damp but I think the heat of my feet over a day dried then out.

I think a hand dryer would have worked great but sadly I was not really anywhere with one.

Thanks for all your great ideas. I wish you all happy dry feet!

Dmac · Nov 28, 2015

@landpirate Wearing your boots till they dry is a great way to break in a new pair of leather boots! In Boot Camp one of the first things the Drill SGT made us do is soak one pair of boots. Once wet, we let them drip dry for an hour or so, then put them on and went on a road march. We brought many pair of socks and changed them every 15 minutes. Once they dried out, those boots fit PERFECTLY! almost like a pair of socks. Another tip is to lace the boots up really tight while wearing them (this with the movement helps stretch the leather out while it dries) that way the leather wont shrink while drying. I have no idea how old the documentery was, but it was done by bbc. hope you find the badger lady! a badger rescue maybe?

creature · Nov 29, 2015

if you need to wear your boots while they're wet, get the heaviest garbage / largest sandwich-freezer bags you can find.. stick yer driest socks on, then use the boots..

this isn't the same, of course, as drying them, but i've done this many, many, many times when i knew i would be in wet areas (cold weather, also) & stayed fairly comfortable.
you'll get sweat damp. of course, if warm.
you'll get damp chill, if the boots are wet.
but you won't get wet-cold or wet guishy or bog-shat..

you can def put the boots back on, if there's not a prob with them freezing.

wearing wet boots in dry conditions is a reasonable way to dry them.

Goretex can be heat damaged, so be carefull of direct contact of the sole on a radiator, or overly hot hot air in the upper, if they're GTX lined.

wet boots in shitty weathers *suck*... sorry you & mamma nature had an episode..

stay warm!!

C

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Any tips for drying out boots?

landpirate

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Anagor

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Tude

Sometimes traveler is traveling.

kecleon

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Rob Nothing

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lone wolf

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Anagor

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Odin

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Waya anisitsune

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Art101

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Mankini

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Cotton Kittyhawk

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roguetrader

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landpirate

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Dmac

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creature

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