Drying out clothes & boots on remote hunts?

[Leverwalker]

Don't have experience with this. On a remote hunt, picking up and packing every day, how do you guys dry out your clothes overnight, especially in cold weather, particularly socks and boots?

 

[*zap*]

You can put socks inside your sleep top to dry. Crumpled up newspaper inside the boots.

 

[Leverwalker]

You can put socks inside your sleep top to dry. Crumpled up newspaper inside the boots.

Thanks Zap. Sorry, sleep top? You mean our bag?

 

[isItFallYet]

If no stove, I wear my socks in my bag and they usually dry. But without a stove boots usually don’t dry.

 

[Leverwalker]

If no stove, I wear my socks in my bag and they usually dry. But without a stove boots usually don’t dry.

Thanks. Raises an unrelated question, and I've read some solutions here (Mr. Buddy), but backcountry what do you guys do to heat up a tent (not a wall tent, a remote tent w/o stovepipe jack)?

 

[EdP]

This is what I do to heat up my tent.

 

[*zap*]

Thanks Zap. Sorry, sleep top? You mean our bag?

Inside the clothing top you wear to sleep

 

[Cactus kid]

Few things that have helped me:

I wear them dry.

I change into my driest of three pairs of socks every night, other pairs get shoved in the bottom of the sleeping bag.

I wear my hunting clothes to bed. I have found the kuiu peleton zip-off bottoms and a merino blend shirt have been great, these items never feel wet and provide a barrier to damp midlayers.

You can tip boots on their side to help dry, but honestly wet boots are only cold until you start hiking.

On really cold hunts like to heat up a thermos of water every night before bed that is near me; this encouages you to drink fluids at night and helps keep me warm.

 

[Leverwalker]

This is what I do to heat up my tent.

View attachment 617911

Well, it looks awesome!, though I can't quite make it out. Is that your fire in the vestibule of your tent? If so, how do you protect the tent itself? And do you do this on cold-weather hunts?

I ask because to be honest I am thinking of just building a Whelen or similar, and do what you appear to be doing - either a natural reflective surface and a long fire, or a rock wall like you've done, with the fire. That one's for me....my son would like a bit more creature comfort out back.

 

[Leverwalker]

Few things that have helped me:

I wear them dry.

I change into my driest of three pairs of socks every night, other pairs get shoved in the bottom of the sleeping bag.

I wear my hunting clothes to bed. I have found the kuiu peleton zip-off bottoms and a merino blend shirt have been great, these items never feel wet and provide a barrier to damp midlayers.

You can tip boots on their side to help dry, but honestly wet boots are only cold until you start hiking.

On really cold hunts like to heat up a thermos of water every night before bed that is near me; this encouages you to drink fluids at night and helps keep me warm.

Awesome. Thanks.

 

[Leverwalker]

Inside the clothing top you wear to sleep

Gotcha. OK, thanks.

 

[Clarktar]

I take off socks and stick them inside my shirt or in my pants before I bed down for the night. Never take off my hunting clothes anymore unless I have a reliable external heat source.

"Wearing it dry" or "cooking it dry with your body" is really the only way I operate now and it has worked every time.

For the boots, I just hike in them wet. Mine never really dry out but they get warm fairly fast. 20 minutes of frozen toes sucks but that's the price for playing the game!

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[shwacker]

You can also remove the insoles of the boots and bring them in your sleeping bag to help dry them. If you use a down bag, be aware of how much moisture you are putting in the bag if you have a longer trip without ability to dry it out in the sun (use synthetic bags for this). If you are doing trip in winter/below freezing the whole time conditions that is multiple days, double boots become critical. Also consider leather vs synthetic, as many leather boots will not dry as easily.

 

[Poser]

Have you seen these? I haven’t used them but it’s interesting:

Backcountry Bootdryer | grakksaw

Bootdryers are USB-C as of June, 2024. This is a pair of bootdryers. One for each boot! Included is a USB-C adapter that allows you to use any USB-C charging cable. Lightweight: Tips the scales at under 6 ounces. Durable: We took the original design and totally revamped it. The fans are now...

www.grakksaw.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[EdP]

Well, it looks awesome!, though I can't quite make it out. Is that your fire in the vestibule of your tent? If so, how do you protect the tent itself? And do you do this on cold-weather hunts?

I ask because to be honest I am thinking of just building a Whelen or similar, and do what you appear to be doing - either a natural reflective surface and a long fire, or a rock wall like you've done, with the fire. That one's for me....my son would like a bit more creature comfort out back.

It is a Seek Outside DST tarp pitched over a Kuiu Summit Star. The Summit Star pole serves as the center prop for the DST. The vestibule on the tent is closed in the earlier pic. There is a lot more room under cover when it is open. The fire is under the very front peak of the DST which is 6' overhead. I have used the tarp that way numerous times with no damage from the fire. It is my cold weather camp which in this climate during deer season means high teens to low twenties as lows.

 

[Leverwalker]

I take off socks and stick them inside my shirt or in my pants before I bed down for the night. Never take off my hunting clothes anymore unless I have a reliable external heat source.

"Wearing it dry" or "cooking it dry with your body" is really the only way I operate now and it has worked every time.

For the boots, I just hike in them wet. Mine never really dry out but they get warm fairly fast. 20 minutes of frozen toes sucks but that's the price for playing the game!

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

Great, thanks.

 

[Leverwalker]

You can also remove the insoles of the boots and bring them in your sleeping bag to help dry them. If you use a down bag, be aware of how much moisture you are putting in the bag if you have a longer trip without ability to dry it out in the sun (use synthetic bags for this). If you are doing trip in winter/below freezing the whole time conditions that is multiple days, double boots become critical. Also consider leather vs synthetic, as many leather boots will not dry as easily.

Thanks. By double boots, you mean, an extra pair for alternating, right?

 

[Leverwalker]

Have you seen these? I haven’t used them but it’s interesting:

Backcountry Bootdryer | grakksaw

Bootdryers are USB-C as of June, 2024. This is a pair of bootdryers. One for each boot! Included is a USB-C adapter that allows you to use any USB-C charging cable. Lightweight: Tips the scales at under 6 ounces. Durable: We took the original design and totally revamped it. The fans are now...

www.grakksaw.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No, I haven't. Thanks. Look interesting.

 

[Leverwalker]

It is a Seek Outside DST tarp pitched over a Kuiu Summit Star. The Summit Star pole serves as the center prop for the DST. The vestibule on the tent is closed in the earlier pic. There is a lot more room under cover when it is open. The fire is under the very front peak of the DST which is 6' overhead. I have used the tarp that way numerous times with no damage from the fire. It is my cold weather camp which in this climate during deer season means high teens to low twenties as lows.

View attachment 617997

View attachment 618001

Man, that is a fantastic setup and a picture is worth 1000 words. Just awesome. Very much appreciated Ed.

 

[yfarm]

Thanks. By double boots, you mean, an extra pair for alternating, right?

I believe he is referring to plastic mountaineering boots with a removable insulated liner you remove and sleep with. The double plastic boots absorb zero moisture in the outer boot.