Best home boot warmer solution?

[Basilherb]

I used a velco strap to fasten an electric heating pad that I had to the instep of the boot. After about an hour I had him A/B Test them and he said it was easier to get into the heated one. May just use that low tech solution for now!

 

[Tom K.]

I have the Sidas Drywarmer boot drying system. They're just "drop in" heating pods that you toss in each boot. The problem is that they just run way too hot. I accidentally melted a pair of footbeds using them on a trip a few years ago.

Anyone have any ideas on how I could either reduce their heat output or maybe wrap them in something to calm them down? I was wondering if I could use a rheostat type control with it to be able to manage the heat output?

Been there, done that with a too hot element. The Dry Guys get hot, but have a plastic exoskeleton to keep the actual element from contacting anything.

Been using them for at least a decade without a hitch. Kind of surprised they still work.

 

[LiquidFeet]

The Therm-ic one looks nice if it heats well.

The one I have looks very similar to the one @surfsnowgirl posted, but mine doesn't seem to heat very well, though it's effective in drying. I use it mostly for hats/mittens when kids are playing out in the snow, honestly.

Has anyone used this one? It's more of a heater, less of a blower, not sure if that would be more or less effective?

You don't need heat at all to dry your boots out. A fan will work just fine, and you don't even have to remove the liners. Just blow air in there overnight. I've been doing this for years and I know it works, both on boots and on my mittens.

To soften the flaps over the ankle to get feet in and out, you do need heat. I'll repeat what I've posted upthread. A small hairdryer pointed directly at the flaps of plastic over the ankle will do the job in minutes. You can get one for almost no money and a small compact one that folds in half won't take up much room.

 

[lone pine]

After an overnight with my Happy Feet cylindrical heaters, I employ this simple system to warm and soften the boots.

PVC parts from a big box store. Magic marker explanation for TSA folks.

 

[LiquidFeet]

After an overnight with my Happy Feet cylindrical heaters, I employ this simple system to warm and soften the boots.

PVC parts from a big box store. Magic marker explanation for TSA folks.


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View attachment 228643

BRILLIANT

 

[Nomax]

Since he is in adult sizes, Nordica HF boots might be a good alternative.

 

[Doublegreen]

After an overnight with my Happy Feet cylindrical heaters, I employ this simple system to warm and soften the boots.

PVC parts from a big box store. Magic marker explanation for TSA folks.


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View attachment 228643

how long? Burn out a hair dryer yet?

 

[lone pine]

how long? Burn out a hair dryer yet?

I run it perhaps five minutes, on low speed, high heat.. No issues with hair dryers burning out.

 

[raytseng]

The Therm-ic one looks nice if it heats well.

The one I have looks very similar to the one @surfsnowgirl posted, but mine doesn't seem to heat very well, though it's effective in drying. I use it mostly for hats/mittens when kids are playing out in the snow, honestly.

Has anyone used this one? It's more of a heater, less of a blower, not sure if that would be more or less effective?

DryGuy Dry Rack


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This is not going to work. All the dryguys that don't use a fan are extremely low powered heat, since they rely on convection move the air. Without powered air they can't get overly hot otherwise they may burn, so barely raise the temp over ambient.
If you look at the specs, it is 7.5watts per boot. This is an overnight dryer.

The thermic iirc is 50w /2= 25w per boot, so about 3x more powerful, I also appreciated the timer and that it was temp controlled heat when I had it.
When in doubt try to look up the wattage and it will be analog for the heat.

 

[LiquidFeet]

After an overnight with my Happy Feet cylindrical heaters, I employ this simple system to warm and soften the boots.

PVC parts from a big box store. Magic marker explanation for TSA folks.


View attachment 228644
View attachment 228643

This is clever for warming the whole interior. Since I use a hairdryer to soften the flaps outside at the ankle so I can get my feet in and out, I'm already pre-disposed to using a hair-dryer. But I only use it on those plastic flaps with the hairdryer in my hand. I'm guessing you don't leave that hairdryer on for very long?

I once, when over enthusiastic about using a hairdryer, over-heated my custom footbed down in the boot - and turned it to jelly. Now I only use a fan to dry the boots out. It works just fine when blows into the boots, with the moist liners in the boots, overnight.

 

[Jerez]

I have a kid who can’t get his boots on. He’s about to be 13, but we have been having this problem with all shoes since he was 2 and buying toddler shoes. I think it’s some combination of a high instep and an inflexible ankle. We have similar problems with all shoes, but ski boots are by far the worst.

Getting ski boots on this year was a 3 person job, and started becoming an unpleasant way to start the morning. We tried a plastic ski boot horn from amazon and some sort of sliding spray lubricant which helped but did not solve the problem. There was yelling, cursing, and tears at some points (usually me).

We are lucky enough to have a townhouse about 5 min from the base lodge, so usually we will boot up at home and a nonskier will ”Uber” us in, or one lucky soul will drive and boot up in the parking lot (usually me).

I read the thread about the heated boot bags and that looks great….but I don’t need a bag since we dont need to travel with warm boots. I have a boot dryer but it doesn’t really warm the boots that much.

Is there anything I can buy to plug in and warm his boots in order to help get them on? I’d love if it were cheaper than the heated boot bags. It doesn’t have to keep them warm or work in a car or carry anything at all. But I will pay some money to avoid some miserable mornings with my teen

I too have high instep and cannot get cold boots on. For your particular need you want to warm the shell not the interior of the boot.

11 dollar heating pad from Amazon.

Be sure to get a large one without an automatic shut-off.

Put it on top of the boot where the buckles are, wrapped around the sides. I set mine on low in a boot bag so the whole boot gets warm but if you leave them out you can experiment with medium. It warms up the part of the boot that you need to be pliable to open enough to get them on.