View Full Version : drying your shoes
pgustaf249
05-04-2013, 22:42
When your shoes have been soaked, has tried to dry them using the chemical hand warmers? If so, how did that work out for you?
Best way to dry footwear is to fill the with balled up newspaper.
Sarcasm the elf
05-04-2013, 23:39
On the trail you can a nalgene bottle full of very hot water inside the shoe overnight, it does a decent job of drying them out.
MuddyWaters
05-05-2013, 01:58
No I have not tried it.
I dont see any need for it. Damp shoes dont bother me, neither do damp socks.
I dont think it would work very well.
Hand warmers dont even get warm to touch unless in confined insulated area, their heat output is very low.
bigcranky
05-05-2013, 08:11
If it's still raining, or the trail is overgrown and soaking wet, then drying my shoes overnight doesn't make any difference - they'll just be soaked in a few minutes the next morning. If they are wet but the weather has cleared off, then they will dry on my feet pretty quickly in the morning. Either way, I'm pretty comfortable in mesh trail runners and wool socks wet or dry.
garlic08
05-05-2013, 08:28
Then what do you do with the chemical waste?
Meriadoc
05-05-2013, 08:55
When your shoes have been soaked, has tried to dry them using the chemical hand warmers? If so, how did that work out for you?
Once upon a time I did, in winter. I closed off some of the air with a sock. It kept the boot from freezing but didn't really dry it.
Then what do you do with the chemical waste?
The good news is that handwarmers are basically iron. They are not at all hazardous. The bad news is that it is still waste. I avoid using handwarmers.
I'll echo what others have said: don't wear 'waterproof' shoes. Then it becomes a simple matter of wearing them dry. Change socks, or at least take your socks off and wring them out. Socks can hold a lot of water, making the drying process take longer.
kayak karl
05-05-2013, 08:56
1. put on feet
2. walk till dry
rusty bumper
05-05-2013, 09:00
Putting a 98.6 degree foot inside a wet hiking shoe is the best way to dry it.
daddytwosticks
05-05-2013, 10:19
I tried it once with my very damp trail runners. Removed the insole which did dry overnight. The chemical hand warmers got very warm, but didn't completely dry out the shoes. Once I put the shoes on the next day (with dry socks and insoles) and hiked on, my shoes completely dried by body (foot) heat. I stopped carrying those chemical warmers except for the coldest of hikes now. :)
pgustaf249
05-05-2013, 23:19
On the trail you can a nalgene bottle full of very hot water inside the shoe overnight, it does a decent job of drying them out.
So a Nalgene bottle won't break if I put hot water in it. I assume one shouldn't bring it to a boil.
backpacking + wet shoes divided by wet feet = AT Thru-Hiking x (eventually)
Countless times on the AT right after I've finally gotten my trail runners dry they get wet again.
Chaco Taco
05-06-2013, 06:01
take out the insoles and put them in your sleeping bag. If its still raining then just deal with walking with wet feet and bring a couple of extra pairs of socks. Take your socks off during breaks to dry out feet. Its all part of it...
fredmugs
05-06-2013, 06:40
So a Nalgene bottle won't break if I put hot water in it. I assume one shouldn't bring it to a boil.
Filling a Nalgene bottle with boiling hot water and then sticking it in your sleeping bag is a great way to stay warm. In fact it may be the only reason to bring a Nalgene bottle vice a Gatorade bottle that I'm not sure will stand up to that over time.
bigcranky
05-06-2013, 07:59
Countless times on the AT right after I've finally gotten my trail runners dry they get wet again.
Yes, this. :)