Drying boots: liners out or in?

[asolo]

Is there a FAQ for the boot forum? Sounds like this would be one of those questions.

Do I take the liners out to dry or not? Getting liners out is easy, getting in not so much (I end up forcing a fold in the heel area, probably not healthy). Plus, liners have some bootfitters foam on them and keeping it glued while inserting is a challenge.

So, do I dry the boots with liners in or out?

 

[zircon]

This doesn’t fully answer your question, but I find it much easier to put the liner back with my foot in the liner.

In or out for me depends on how wet what part of the boot is and how it got that way.

 

[scott43]

I always take them out..but for whatever reason, they're generally pretty wet when I'm done for the day... And..well..foot stank...

 

[focker]

I dry mine with the liner in it, as I also don't feel taking the liners out after every time skiing is good for the life of the liner.

 

[Ken_R]

Liners in, most times. Liners out on my At boots, some of the time since they are MUCH easier to get back in.

 

[hbear]

Liners in but on a boot dryer, find no issue with moisture being trapped or similar.

 

[Jilly]

Out. Mine seem to be wet on the outside. Shell is not leaking either. I have huge pads glued to mine and a heater cable running up the back/side of the liner. I'm just careful putting them in.

 

[Dave Marshak]

On a cold air dryer with the liners out whenever I see water between the shell and liner. Pulling the liners doesn’t do any damage but moisture will ruin them.

dm

 

[Noodler]

Everyone gets moisture between the liner and the shell. Whether you care enough to go through the hassle of pulling them to dry is up to you, but any padding added to the outside of the liner can be problematic. IMHO, if you need added padding on the outside of the liner, you're either in the wrong shell or the wrong liner. I view those padding fixes as short-term only.

 

[Tom K.]

I dry mine with the liner in it, as I also don't feel taking the liners out after every time skiing is good for the life of the liner.

I'm in this camp. LIners in.

FWIW, I also give my boot "assemblies" a good, sunny baking in the driveway for a few hours before off season storage. Not too hot, or too long of course.

Finally, if you have the option, I leave my boots on a floor space that has gentle in-floor heating. Best drying system I know of!

 

[Sibhusky]

I leave the liners in because I think constantly yanking them in and out wears them out, along with wearing me out. But they don't get wet except in spring. I put boot sticks in them everyday. In fact, at the end of the season, they might be on them for a week before I take them out. They are also sitting on radiant floors.

I still have the original liners in boots that have over 400 days on them.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Leave them in. They usually dry out fine.

 

[Alexzn]

Liner in, forced heated air drier for 4-6 hours after every ski day.

 

[Near Nyquist]

^^^^^^ this !!!

 

[NE1]

In unless very obviously wet.

 

[James]

Well do an experiment. After a heavy ski day do your usual drying with the liner in. Then take it out and look for moisture. On the outside of it.

Feet sweat. And boots can leak snow. If you have no impingement to blood flow in your boots and your feet are cold in an hour on a not that cold powderish day, they may leak snow. You pull the liner and can see it.

 

[hbear]

Or we have done that test and it’s bone dry with forced air drying.
No sense pulling the liners when that is the case.

 

[Sibhusky]

I have boots from a brand that doesn't leak. Plus they are see-through, so I can tell if there's moisture of any significance. If my socks are dry, then the liner's not too bad. This time of year when it's in the fifties, then I could have issues, but generally 18 hours with the dryers in them is just fine. If I skip a day, then it's 42 hours. They're dry. After 400 days I'd be seeing mildew otherwise.

 

[EricG]

I leave them in, but use a forced air boot drier.

 

[James]

but generally 18 hours with the dryers in them is just fine.

18 hrs with Montana heated dry air should be more than enough. Most people aredoing nowhere near that.