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Post by WoodChuck on Aug 31, 2015 12:15:41 GMT -8
Howdy folks,
I have a question for yall. How do you guys dry out your soaked boots in the field. I was hiking in frozen head about 2 weeks ago and was rained on (hard) for about 3 hours. Well the rain had soaked through my pants and then soaked my socks. Well as you guessed it my boots were like walking in puddles. Now, it took almost two days to dry them out when i got to the house. so i am looking for some good tips on drying my boots while still backpacking. I am coming up on a trip this weekend and it is supposed to rain all weekend....
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Aug 31, 2015 12:52:03 GMT -8
Put on some gaiters as a starting point. They'll keep your boots dry much longer. Take out the insoles and put them in bed with you. They'll dry out almost all the way overnight. Loosen the laces and hang them spread out from some parachute cord in a breeze if possible, in your vestibule if not. Personally, I would avoid a campfire myself - too many burn holes to risk it in my opinion. In a pinch, shove a synthetic shirt in your boots. It will wick out some of the moisture. Your milage on that last trick will vary depending on the shirt you use. One thing I just remembered that I used when tromping in wet thickets. I used to carry a pair of waterproof Goretex socks. I owned a pair made by REI and a pair made by Rocky. I preferred the REI brand. If I happened to dunk bad enough to soak the inside when it was nearing temps near freezing or a dunked crossing a river in winter, I could put them on and my socks inside of them would stay dry. Mind you, my feet weren't warm but bearable.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Aug 31, 2015 14:19:07 GMT -8
The less welcome answer is to learn to live with wet boots. I try hard to avoid that, but a few times I've crossed rivers (named as such and worthy of the name) with boots on during long outings. I managed to keep one pair of socks mostly dry during the rest of those trips, but my boots didn't dry out for a couple days. It wasn't nearly as horrible as I expected. (It's worse putting on wet boots that have frozen overnight, which I've also done). FWIW, NOLS used to teach their trainees (and perhaps still does) to do all stream crossings with boots on.
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Post by 1camper on Aug 31, 2015 18:54:25 GMT -8
I'll carry extra insoles often. They're pretty light and dry quickly outside of boots. If my boots get wet just change the insoles and socks, not perfect but much better.
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franco
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Post by franco on Aug 31, 2015 23:55:53 GMT -8
Walking, in general, in wet boots is uncomfortable but not that bad.
The problem is at camp when you have cooled down and you still need to walk around in you wet boots.
For this I have very thin liner socks, over that I put a plastic bread bag and my wet socks over the bag.
Those bags are not good at all walking but if carefull at camp they are OK.
(you can have 3 pairs for an ounce or less)
Of course with those layers you walk around with your boots undone, so no good up on rocks and all of that.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Sept 1, 2015 10:11:06 GMT -8
I'll second the waterproof gaiters: they're a must, and so I'll get wet boots from stream crossings etc. but never from rain (I also routinely carry rainpants as my wind pant since I wear shorts all the time), other than that I switch out to dry socks and repeat as necessary: if I anticipate getting wet I'll carry an extra pair to two just to have dry backups.
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johnnyray
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Post by johnnyray on Sept 1, 2015 13:16:48 GMT -8
I mostly use low cut breathable type hikers in the warm months and they dry out exponentially faster than a heavy leather boot. Extra socks and air them at night the best you can, gaiters are a must.
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Post by swimswithtrout on Sept 1, 2015 18:45:54 GMT -8
The less welcome answer is to learn to live with wet boots. I try hard to avoid that, but a few times I've crossed rivers (named as such and worthy of the name) with boots on during long outings. I managed to keep one pair of socks mostly dry during the rest of those trips, but my boots didn't dry out for a couple days. It wasn't nearly as horrible as I expected. (It's worse putting on wet boots that have frozen overnight, which I've also done). FWIW, NOLS used to teach their trainees (and perhaps still does) to do all stream crossings with boots on. +1 and NOLS still teaches this. The best way to dry out wet boots is to hike in them. |
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wanderboth
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Post by wanderboth on Sept 2, 2015 7:47:12 GMT -8
This past winter I went up to the north shore of Lake Superior and got my boots drenched. I mean socks, linings, and boots were all drenched. Basically, I was knee deep in the lake (stuff happens) and was terrified that my feet would freeze. Even though it was below freezing outside, my feet were fine.
As some have mentioned already, the best way to dry your boots is to keep hiking in them. My soaking boots dried within two hours in winter.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Sept 2, 2015 10:30:13 GMT -8
As a note, using the camp fire to dry your boots may result in the glue holding your boots together to become undone. Yes these days that's more and more of a concern as sewing becomes less standard. Overheating material is never a good thing so using fire for drying would take a lot of vigilance: I'd suggest if it's hot to the touch it's too close. |
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Sept 2, 2015 10:40:28 GMT -8
As a note, using the camp fire to dry your boots may result in the glue holding your boots together to become undone. Yes these days that's more and more of a concern as sewing becomes less standard. Overheating material is never a good thing so using fire for drying would take a lot of vigilance: I'd suggest if it's hot to the touch it's too close. With a big temperature gradient, there is also the risk of large differential in drying rates, which puts stress on the boundaries between fast-drying and slower-drying regions. It also puts stress on boundaries between materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion (like soles and uppers), regardless of moisture. High heat is just plain bad for footwear. |
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toejam
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Post by toejam on Sept 2, 2015 11:02:36 GMT -8
You should only attempt to dry boots over a fire when hiking with a group. You will probably trash them, and it would be a shame not to share that much entertainment with friends.
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Post by WoodChuck on Sept 2, 2015 14:47:48 GMT -8
You should only attempt to dry boots over a fire when hiking with a group. You will probably trash them, and it would be a shame not to share that much entertainment with friends. Yeah, i knew that much. I guess my issue is that i just havent become accustomed to hiking in water filled boots. Now i asked all this because i am heading out on a trip this weekend and it is supposed to rain the whole time. So i am expecting to get soaked boots. Now i dont have gaiters but i do have a good pair of army issue gortex foul weather pants. so i guess i will keep those handy for when it rains.... i just really didnt want to bring them because they are fairly heavy.... yet, I really want to thank you guys for your advice!!! also dont worry about offending me BigLoad! I have some pretty tough skin. hell i guess if i do get wet, i will get used to it. I was just looking for ways to dry my boots out at camp in preparation for the next day. |
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