Drying goretex lined boots

[Trig]

Long story short, its been a bit wet here, and certain puddle looked alot shallower than it actually was.

Now, i can dry my boxers, tshirt and hat no bother

But what about goretex lined boots? Its the first time ive gotten them wet inside, and im unsure whether drying them near a fire will damage the lining in someway?
Or is it best to just stuff them with newspaper and let them air dry

 

[bowji john]

I had to jump into the river after my dog yesterday - as I'm a swift water rescue instructor, I know it to be a no no - but I defy anyone not to do the same for yer mate

Boots - also lined with goretex - ended up as buckets of water

dried by using newspaper and placing them next to fire

Once dried will be liberally treated with dubbin

 

[Kerne]

Another vote for stuffing with newspaper - but be careful about trying to dry leather too quickly.

 

[Macaroon]

Don't dry leather near any heat source if you want it to last and perform; 20 degrees and lots of moving air is the way to go. Stuff them with newspaper or any other absorbent material like old cut up cotton, but only leave it in there 'till it gets wet then change it for dry stuff. Moving air is the main thing.

 

[kard133]

Remove the insoles if possible, as above stuff with news papers, or place a doubled plastic bag inside the boot, and fill with warm water, or a chemical hand warmer, and place in a warm room, make the membrane work as it was designed to.

 

[Robson Valley]

My SIL is a project supervisor with a top-end landscaping company in Vancouver BC.
Hard, cold, heavy rain through most of his winters and he'd come home soaked.

So, I built him a boot dryer: Wooden box with an older 8" computer fan in one side.
Out of the top, multiple plastic chimneys with lots of 1/4" holes in the top 3".
Dry by bedtime!, Gloves as well.

Somebody makes these things. Crescent Spur Heliski is a lodge for 8(?) clients at a time.
No kidding = they have a rack to do 8 pairs of ski boots and 8 pairs of gloves.

 

[Goatboy]

Yup remove laces so the tounge can be pulled forward to increase air circulation, remove footbeds and leave somewhere warm but away from direct heat; that includes popping them on top of a radiator. As to stuffing with newspaper/rags generally I'd say not too unless you are going to change it every half hour or so. If you don't it's just more wet mass and it stops air circulation. The air circulation helps drying and also stops it being a warm moist environment which acts as a incubator for bacteria which can cause foot problems and also makes your boots stinky.
You can get driers that are filled will moisture absorbing crystals or ones which are like mini low power hair driers that force the air circulation.
If your boots do.have a habit of getting stinky you can will them up with warm very salty water, leave them over night and it'll kill the bacteria. Rinse and dry as above. You can also use baking soda as a powder to do a dry version of it.
It's also a good idea to take the footbeds out at the end of the day as sweat builds up under there and again it helps the health of your feet. And if you can leave them exposed to sunlight the UV will also help keep them smelling sweet.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[barbourdurham]

absolutely do not dry them near any heat source. the leather will dry too quickly, shrink and crack.

best thing is as is written below. remove laces and foot beds. place tight rolled balls of newspaper inside. replace every half hour till bed time. Allow to dry slowly over night and check in the morning. Do not retreat with leather grease/polish/oil until the leather is completley dry.....

 

[British Red]

Next time by Goretex socks and unlined boots!

 

[tiger stacker]

The double bad hot water seems interesting will try next time.

 

[ged]

Agreed no heat source.

You can make the air move with a little fan.

 

[Trig]

Thanks for the replys, some interesting ones.

Keeping it simple, stuffed full of newspaper and will take it out before sleep to let the air in. With my luck id burst the bags of hot water and be back to the start

Next time by Goretex socks and unlined boots!

I tried wearing trail shoes along with Sealskinz waterproof socks for a while. I noticed damp feet after 10 miles or so if lucky, thought it was sweat. After about 30 miles combined from several trips, i decided to fill them with water, and they were like a sprinkler, lots of tiny little leaks all over.

I think it was just little bits of dirt on my feet and inside my shoes that damaged the first pair over time. How many times have you had a pine needle,or thorn etc jag you through a sock.
Im trying a diffrent make now, think its Dexshell, but not used enough to comment really.

But then,i had read that the lining can fail on boots also, so i did consider non lined boots before buying the goretex ones. Cant make up my mind what i prefer yet to be honest, everything has its plus and downsides.

 

[tiger stacker]

Trig try a pair of neoprene socks instead, i bought these years ago wear them now and again.
https://barndoorcycling.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/gator-socks-review/

 

[widu13]

You need to think how gortex performs...it's needs heat inside the boot to permeate vapour through the membrane. A damp environment caused by damp newspaper will stay there. Newspaper inside the boots for any initial mop up then remove and place in a warm room, nowhere near a heat source. The very best way to dry gortex lined boots? Wear them.

 

[Robson Valley]

Here's a novel idea = try changing the newspaper every few hours! Winter house air is notoriously dry so the newspaper can be used again and again.
As I explained in my Post#6, build a boot/glove dryer from junk and be done with it forever. Turn it on, go to bed.

 

[Tonyuk]

Stuff them with a nappy if you have kids, 10x better than newspaper.

Tonyuk

 

[tiger stacker]

If these work for cars, would they work for wet boots?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thomar-AirDry-604100-Car-Dehumidifier/dp/B00K690W9Y

 

[Robson Valley]

That link is broken.
Can you not find any junk computer fans to build a junk boot drier?
I have a dozen fans. As they might die, I will refit and move on.

 

[widu13]

If these work for cars, would they work for wet boots?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thomar-AirDry-604100-Car-Dehumidifier/dp/B00K690W9Y

Yep they would work, as would desiccant that comes with boots/shoes/electrical items.

 

[MikeLA]

You need to think how gortex performs...it's needs heat inside the boot to permeate vapour through the membrane. A damp environment caused by damp newspaper will stay there. Newspaper inside the boots for any initial mop up then remove and place in a warm room, nowhere near a heat source. The very best way to dry gortex lined boots? Wear them.

Got to argee with this, wear them then once dry load up with dubbin/polish