Boot drying with hand warmers

[corbanzo]

Just saw this at a brown bear hunting clinic at the matsu sportsman show.

Take a hand warmer, the little plastic package ones, and place it in the bottom of a boot, stuck straight upwards in the middle, and leave it overnight.  Boot should me mostly dry come morning. 

[bilmac]

I made a drier out of a couple of pieces of large dia PVC held upright by a box. Put a light bulb in the box and the heat goes up the tubes into the toes of your boots on top. Make the box of something that won't catch on fire.

[corbanzo]

I have an electric boot dryer at home, I was talking about something for field use...   

[Blue Duck]

When Im camping and my boots get wet, I use newspaper..   Just wad it up and pack the boot full.  In an hour or two change the paper.  The paper will suck most of the moisture out.

[bilmac]

I have used newspaper to mostly dry boots that had been soaked with rain or snow. It takes several changes of paper when they are that wet. Nice thing about paper is that by drying them cool it doesn't seem to harden the leather.

[Badge54]

I tried to make one out of PVC.  I put a hand warmer in the bottom and hoped the heat would rise into the boots...  Didn't seem to put out the heat I wanted.

Maybe the old hand warmers that burn would put out the heat needed.  Hot rocks from the fire...

I am interested in a good field bootwarmer.

Badge54

[abigdiesel]

I confiscated one of my wifes old hair dryers and have pvc to funnel it up to the boots.  you can just leave it on cool air to circulate air or turn it on low heat and dry em quicker.  them cold mornings you can put warm boots on!

[Badge54]

I'd like one that doesn't rely on electricity.  Any more ideas?

Badge54

[abigdiesel]

Hot rocks work like you said.  I have seen people use the jon-e pocket heaters, that use lighter fluid, in boots overnight.  I have also heard that you take two of the disposable handwarmers and put em' in your boot and put a sock on top of em.  This idea seems like it would not let the moisture out to me though. 

I started wearing the Muck brand boots.  They are of rubber and neoprene construction.  They are waterproof up to the top of the boot, and the neoprene kept my feet toasty with only one layer of regular boot socks this winter all day in 10 deg. weather during our muzzleloader season.  With these I put newspaper in the toe at night and place em by the fire to keep em' warm.  In the morning the newspaper has pulled any sweat out and the fire has "pre-heated" em' for me.

All of my leather boots get the waterproof treatment about every 2 months.  Warm em' up by the fire, put two coats of sno-seal on them and put them back by the fire to let the wax absorb into the leather, then wipe off any excess.   None of my leather boots are gore-tex so this is the method I use and keeps my feet dry.  If you have gore-tex type boots then you have to use a water base sealer on the leather.

They do make a propane powered dryer, but then you would have to lug it around too.http://www.yeoldearcheryshoppe.com/peet-propane-boot-dryer-p-9767.html

[Empty Quiver]

I successfully used desiccant bags on a recent Co. trip. I picked them up at Gander Mt in the gun safe area. Stuffed them in each boot in the evening and by morning they were pretty well dry. Went the week without needing to recharge them. Dry Zone is the brand name, I bought them for gun and ammo storage boxes. The enclosed brochure suggested their use as boot drying as well.

My feet sweat profusely and as well as they worked I was very happy. If you aren't satisfied they can go into a storage box to protect gear. Roughly $12 I think.