Homemade Backcountry Boot Dryer

Joined
Apr 6, 2024
Messages
6
great idea to make your own for sure but by the time you do cad work, buy a 3d printer it’s probably worth it to just buy one. Just saw a deal on the gear deals page. Just my two cents. I have an old peet one but it’s about to die.
 
Joined
Apr 6, 2024
Messages
6
I’d like to find out , has to make a difference blowing air into the boots. Been thinking out a set of them for awhile now. Two years ago my schnees froze because they got wet and stayed damp the whole trip.
 
OP
C
Joined
Dec 4, 2023
Messages
23
I used them last week on my son's boots after he slipped and got some water over the ankle on an overnight backpack trip. I just turned them on when we went to bed and they were dry when I woke up, and my battery pack had plenty of life left. Nothing scientific, but it worked. I can weigh them sometime this week just for reference. The plastic I put around the fans just gives a little bigger size to hold the fans up around the ankles in the boot and a path for the air to flow out, but "fmyth" is right, just throwing the fans in would work fine too.
 

2STRO

FNG
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
20
Location
Fruitland Idaho
Boot dryer blowing air only (no heat), but runs at about 1.5W (.3A, 5V) on a USB so can run off a battery pack or other charging device. Added an optional online switch.

Saw similar online for $90 and figured I could make my own simply enough. About an hour in CAD, 3d printer, $15 buying some fans and a switch on Amazon and 10 minutes splicing wires. Fun project to play, not sure how useful.
Will wet boot be pretty dry by morning if you run it all night?
 

Nicaburns

WKR
Joined
Dec 16, 2022
Messages
339
The file linked for the 3D print is good to go... prints great and I have a set of fans on the way to try it out!
 
OP
C
Joined
Dec 4, 2023
Messages
23
Will wet boot be pretty dry by morning if you run it all night?
Lots of variables, but will help for sure. Moving air through it will certainly help versus just being stagnant. Heat would also help, and both would be best. I loosened laces a bunch and had it run overnight sitting in the tent. Son's boots weren't completely drenched, but socks were pretty wet after slipping crossing a creek and boots were dry in the AM.
 

Andouille

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 5, 2021
Messages
249
Location
AK
I bought these tiny fans and a battery pack on Amazon. I dropped them into a pair of damp boots and they dried them out in a couple of hours. I downloaded the file the OP provided and sent it to my son to have him print me a pair of fan covers.
Thank you, just ordered those fans to go with the covers my tech-savvy brother printed for me. Under $15 in total materials.
Lots of variables, but will help for sure. Moving air through it will certainly help versus just being stagnant. Heat would also help, and both would be best....
I think these dryers will work great with my hot tipi setup where I can hang my boots up high above the stove. Dry boots each morning for late fall hunting will be amazing.
 

fmyth

WKR
Joined
Mar 14, 2019
Messages
1,747
Location
Arizona
Thank you, just ordered those fans to go with the covers my tech-savvy brother printed for me. Under $15 in total materials.

I think these dryers will work great with my hot tipi setup where I can hang my boots up high above the stove. Dry boots each morning for late fall hunting will be amazing.
Let me know how they work. I'm still waiting on my son to print my covers.
 

CB1

FNG
Joined
Mar 31, 2021
Messages
96
Location
Colorado
Had to make a pair of these! Looking forward to trying them out. I printed them in petg just to eliminate concern of melting if I left them in the truck, or get a bit too close to the stove. Made one in glow in the dark pla filament first but figured that was a waste. Kids would have fun with them though.
 

Nicaburns

WKR
Joined
Dec 16, 2022
Messages
339
 

RiceTc

FNG
Joined
Apr 11, 2019
Messages
8
Boot dryer blowing air only (no heat), but runs at about 1.5W (.3A, 5V) on a USB so can run off a battery pack or other charging device. Added an optional online switch.

Saw similar online for $90 and figured I could make my own simply enough. About an hour in CAD, 3d printer, $15 buying some fans and a switch on Amazon and 10 minutes splicing wires. Fun project to play, not sure how useful.
Looks handy!!
 
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