Sink the Stink - Get a bootie dryer

[Zef]

I have long had a boot dryer for my ski boots that has served double duty as dive booty dryer as well. I have wanted to pick up a 2nd one for awhile as we are family of skiers and divers, but unfortunately Hotronic discontinued the model we have, Snapdry boot and glove dryer, a few years ago:

A few weeks ago, as I was walking through an Aldi supermarket, the following item caught my eye and I decided to purchase one as it was only $20:

Its not dual voltage like the Snapdry, nor does it come completely apart for travel, but it was just as effective in creating and circulating warm air to dry boots and gloves. The arms fold down for storage and can extend upwards for taller boots.

I used this to dry my winter gloves after snowblowing and shoveling the sidewalks and driveways up and down my street to help my neighbors out. It worked exceptionally well, and I would not hesitate to use it on a pair of dive booties or dive gloves.

Dive booties tend to develop stink as they take so damn long to dry....by rinsing them well and then sticking them on a boot dryer they are conveniently dried much quicker than if just left to sit, are not degraded by UV like they would by leaving neoprene to dry in the sun, and remain stink free.

For those that don't have an Aldi near them, if you search Amazon for "Easy Home Boot, Shoe, and Glove Dryer" there are product pages for the same product just branded differently, unfortunately I could not find one listed as low as $20, but here is one for $30:

For the price, a boot/glove dryer is good investment, at least in my opinion.

-Z

 

[Pearlman]

That said, I am just about finishing purchase of a complete scuba gear/kit this week (have been renting to travel light all these years) and I am curious - is the 18-24h no-fly time sufficient to dry out a BP/Wing wetsuits and booties such that it will not stink if enclosed in a hard shell suitcase for 8 hours? Keeping in mind the typical humidity levels at dive destinations in APAC and that drying in the open sunlight is a no-no, I am not so sure and I think I will have to budget for one extra days hotel night stay … adding to the cost of owning gear.

 

[Searcaigh]

Neoprene dive boots for some reason take ages to dry whilst wetsuits can be hung up in a breeze and dry quicker.

In the past I've taken my oldest boots with me on trips and left them at my final destination either as a gift to one of the spotters or just as a donation to their dive gear.

 

[Zef]

I have had a good success using my snapdry boot dryer to dry out my wing…I remove the dump valve or inflator hose and insert one of the legs into the wing and I use a wine/champagne cork to plug the other leg to maximize the amount of air going into the wing. The air does not get warm enough to cause damage.

Booties dry in a about 2-3 hours, gloves a bit less.

The Easy Home dryer won’t work directly on the wing like the snapdry but you could probably rig something to the arms to get it to work. The air from the Easy Home dryer gets slightly warmer than the Snapdry but still not “hot”.

If you can find a snapdry, it is dual voltage…just need to change the setting before plugging it in to 220v outlet.

For wetsuit, I turn it inside out and try to lay it out / hang it out to dry as soon as possible and once the inside is dry I turn it right side out so the outside of it drys too. If you can borrow a fan from the hotel you can direct it at your wetsuit to help speed drying.

-Z

 

[GreggS]

I built my own boot dryer a few years ago. Works great.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I made some big stretcher springs that hold the opening of the boot open. I rinse them well with a hose then set them so they drain out well. Then install the opening springs and set them upright in the sun and let them dry out. Booties are a tough one to keep from stinking. A little Clorox solution once in a while helps. I like the boot dryer ideas, especially in the winter.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Not the bootie I was expecting. Very disappointed.

 

[kelemvor]

I've always just rinsed mine with freshwater (usually in my pool) and then hung them up on a standard scuba bootie/glove/hood hanger. I'm sure they dry slower than with a fan system like this but they never really get stinky as long as I don't let them sit.




I do use forced air to dry my drysuit booties since they're glued onto the legs of the drysuit. That involves a 6 foot piece of pvc, an elbow, and another 2 foot piece in each leg, then I set a box fan next to the pvc ends that stick out.

 

[admikar]

I've always just rinsed mine with freshwater (usually in my pool) and then hung them up on a standard scuba bootie/glove/hood hanger. I'm sure they dry slower than with a fan system like this but they never really get stinky as long as I don't let them sit.

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I do use forced air to dry my drysuit booties since they're glued onto the legs of the drysuit. That involves a 6 foot piece of pvc, an elbow, and another 2 foot piece in each leg, then I set a box fan next to the pvc ends that stick out.

I use similar system. PVC T-piece with cable conduits connected to hair dryer.

 

[ibj40]

I've always just rinsed mine with freshwater (usually in my pool) and then hung them up on a standard scuba bootie/glove/hood hanger. I'm sure they dry slower than with a fan system like this but they never really get stinky as long as I don't let them sit.

Instead of a hanger, after I rinse ours, I place an empty toilet paper roll in each one to keep them upright and dry them in the sun.

As mentioned, this takes a while longer, but for me, it used to be at least six months between dive trips so no problem.