College Dorm - Drying Gear Fast

[WartedEmperor]

I am a student in college and want to take my scuba gear with me but can not figure out a way to dry it in my dorm room. Also another problem is how to keep the scuba gear smell down till it is done drying. I was thinking about taking my drysuit so it would dry faster but I don't know what to do about my BCD. I need some suggestion on ways to dry gear really fast.

 

[soltari675]

Are you in any sports that have an exclusive locker room? That might be an option. I tend to set my gear in front of a big fan on high and it dries in just 2-3 hours. And if you aim the fan out the window, it will shove most of the smell outside. I fold down my boots so the air can get inside real easy and I take everything apart, like weights out of the pouches and out of the BC. I set the weights on a window seal to try. If you live up a couple floors, can also hang your wetsuit in the window to air dry. The fan works best though.

 

[PfcAJ]

Get yourself a big fan. Air circulation is the key. Hang everything you can, inflate your BC, and put it all in front of the fan to dry.

 

[aquaregia]

Stuff the wetsuit with towels, change them often as they get damp. Hang the neoprene up in your room when you have friend(s) over for private events (if you get my drift). Body heat goes a long way to drying neoprene. I towel dry my regulators and backplate, remove the wing and keep it fully inflated to dry. I know some people will get a sweater rack and put their stuff on it in a dryer set to air only, but a public dryer might not be great for that in terms of security or the number of quarters you'll go through. Tanks go under my bed, lead gets a sealed box. Keep your dive knife hidden; some colleges will go ballistic about any knifes that don't look like they're from a kitchen (or worse, look like modified kitchen blades).

 

[j.doe]

you can buy cheap boot driers at most northern sporting good stores or Canadian tire.

It blows warm not hot air which helps, especially with boots.

I agree 100% with the fan, but found that hung to drip dry, along with a good rub by dry towels will speed up the process.

A post dive snack had out at the shore while your bc hangs in the sun can expedite things as well.

But why worry so much about smell? Really back when I was in school (10+ years ago) rotting food and other smells were by far more powerful. But if you are concerned about smell a car air freshener helps a little.

 

[TSandM]

A 20" fan will dry stuff very quickly, particularly if you are careful to get as much water off it as possible before hanging it up.

 

[djtimmy77]

Build a "drying closet" into your bed loft, with a big fan blowing air into the closet and then an exhaust hose or two heading out the window. Fresh air goes into the the "closet" and then gets blown out the window, so the funk smell doesn't permeate the room.

Other options include if you have access to laundry machines, wash the wetsuit/gloves/boots on "delicate" with a splash of detergent and maybe a cup of baking soda. The detergent and baking soda will go a long way in reducing the stink, and the spin cycle will get rid of a lot of water. I don't live in a dorm and can hang my stuff outside, but employ this method.

 

[Farback]

Check with your local fire hall. Depending on how well they get along with the campus, they might let you hang some gear to dry with there's.

 

[knotical]

Regarding smell, rinse the stuff sooner and more thoroughly.

 

[Abaco24]

Wouldn't the fan just blow the funk all around the dorm? I'd suggest talking to the local LDS and see if they have a rack you could use, but you probably have some of those in the dorm already Good luck!