Drying out the inside of your boots

[Rob Goes Walking]

JerryW you can accuse me of being many things but being a weedy softie is not one of them. Your opinion is noted, now stick it up your posterior. I'll be buying my silica gel balls as I'm not a sissy who lets other people make decisions for them they'd prefer to make themselves 

[JerryW]

JerryW you can accuse me of being many things but being a weedy softie is not one of them. Your opinion is noted, now stick it up your posterior. I'll be buying my silica gel balls as I'm not a sissy who lets other people make decisions for them they'd prefer to make themselves 

I didn't mean to accuse anyone of anything, even if they do have silica gel balls.. I hope they serve you well :-)

[kinkyboots]

Personally I wouldn't bother spending any money to "cure" what is hopefully a one off or very infrequent problem. I would stick to using a few sheets of newspaper/kitchen roll for the initial soak up (changed a couple of times) followed by hanging them upside down from an open window where there is a through draft from a window on the opposite side of the house. The more airflow you can create flowing in and over the boots the faster they will dry.

In dry breezy weather I suppose you could even hang them upside down on the washing line outside to achieve the same thing.

From personal experience even in perfect weather conditions for drying it could still take a minimum of 3 days to fully dry the inside of the boots.

If you really do need to dry them faster than this look at the boot dryers I posted a link to earlier in the thread but be aware that if you use any artificial heat source you really need to look after the leather to prevent it from drying out too fast and ending up cracking.

[ninthace]

I agree.  I have only had to dry a boot out 3 times in the past eight years.  Each time it was only one boot as a result of an incautious step.  The last time was a good one - nearly thigh deep in a Dartmoor bog after the edge I was walking on gave way.  By the time I had hiked out the boot was merely damp and my trousers had pretty much dried off.  When I got home, I put some kitchen towel in it overnight and 48 hrs later it was good to go.  No need for expensive stuff IMHO - provided you have good boots that don't leak in the first place that is.
I can't put newspaper in my boots - my paper is delivered to my iPad and that will not fit into my boot 

[Rob Goes Walking]

Thanks kinkyboots. I can see this happening again so I'm going to be prepared next time.

JerryW indeed. Silica balls. You could say I've got some minerals  Just as well really as I've got small hands and small feet...

Ninthace, that sounds very reasonable. I'd keep using the newspaper in future if I wasn't gadget-prone but alas I am. I slipped in nearly every stream the other day, although I've successfully crossed water in the past it's shaken my confidence to do so again without getting wet.

At the very least, should (when) I get them soaked again I can tell you all how silica gel balls stack up against newspaper (but maybe jimbob already knows).

[JerryW]

Whereabouts are you walking, Rob? I suppose taking them off before wading is out of the question?

[Rob Goes Walking]

Lake District, North Pennines and Howgills so far up North. I'm fairly new to this sort of walking have only been at it 10 months. I've spoken to people who take their boots off, it's a possibility if I was careful but I like the protection a boot affords so will probably just stick gaiters on and hope that helps next time. If it fails badly with gaiters perhaps I'll wade the following time.

[Mel]

There's also the option of looking around / further up/down stream to see if there is a more suitable (drier!) crossing place for rivers and boggy areas

[ninthace]

Rob, gaiters will help in the N Pennines - especially during or just after a wet spell.  I wore them more often than not in that area.  I once had my foot break through the vegetation crust of a bog on the side of Cross Fell.  I went in almost to the top of my gaiter but I pulled it out so quickly that the water never made it past the gaiter into my boot.  Certainly with local knowledge and looking at your pictures, i would not have attempted that walk without gaiters.
As to slipping - were you using trekking poles?   They are really useful in maintaining balance when crossing streams and for testing the ground if you think it is suspect, for example finding rocks that might shift under foot.  Mrs N sometimes struggles with fords - they make her nervous so she tends to rush them.  This results in poor route choice and sometimes she slips as a result  (she will not listen to me - says my legs are longer).  I go more slowly as a rule, testing the ground.  If you have good boots you can let the water come a fair way up if you are sure of your footing.  You can also use both poles together to lengthen your stride or hop over small water obstacles - a double mini pole vault if you like.

[Rob Goes Walking]

Nope I wasn't using the poles, I only like them for steep descents though perhaps having them for streams is good too but I'm not sure I'd want them with me the rest of the time.

The only stream I successfully crossed was the last one which I did take more time with. From memory, taking my time wouldn't have helped with some of the previous ones as I tested the step before attempting it yet slid off the rock as soon as I put my full weight on it. It may have helped with the rocks that moved underfoot though like the first time I got dumped in the water.

I also jumped some small water obstacles... But without the benefit of trekking pole vaulting gymnastics.

[Bigfoot_Mike]

I’ve never had problems with drying leather boots. I just loosened the laces and opened out tongue and let them air naturally. If they were a bit damp the next morning, I just walked in them. For many years I had leather boots with no waterproof lining and never got leaks, maybe due to regular waxing (of the boots not me  ). I have often got my boots full of water from bogs, streams, etc., but never really worried about it. Skin is waterproof after all. Damp boots have never given me problems with blisters, only badly fitting boots.


I am not convinced by waterproof linings for leather boots and would happily do without them, although that is not always an option nowadays.

[Rob Goes Walking]

Thats interesting Mike I thought damp boots would cause blisters, my thinking being the reason I was warned off cotton socks is they get damp then cause blisters.

Walking in wet boots wasn't that bad although I prefer them dry.

Newspaper proved very effective at drying them out once I removed the insoles.

[Bigfoot_Mike]

Rob, it might depend on the individual. Just because I don’t get blisters, it doesn’t mean it will be the same for everyone.