Quick-Drying Secrets: How Fast Do Wading Boots Dry?

Anglers love to be in their gear when fly fishing because they understand their purpose.

The sport is like any other and requires the right footwear for comfort and performance, otherwise, wearing something different from the norm could easily shift your day from what was to be fruitful to nasty in a split second.

And, wading boots are part of footwear you’ll never miss in a serious angler’s stash.

You could have had a fun-filled day and have another session soon – how fast do wading boots dry if you’d need to use them again?

Drying wading boots can take anything between 40 minutes and 2 or 3 days depending on the method you are using.

A clothes dryer can dry wading boots in minutes while air drying can take the longest time if the weather is gloomy with little to no sun.

However, there are other boot-drying methods you can use to speed up the time and have your pair as soon as possible.

The good old newspaper hack has never died and anglers in desperate moments use it.

Surprisingly, rice is also moisture-absorbing and can work but you’ll have to set aside a jar for ‘Drying rice’ so that you can use and keep reusing only this to avoid appearing as wasteful or unmindful.

How Fast Do Wading Boots Dry?

Technological advancements have seen manufacturers saving the day, especially in bad weather and when you need your fly fishing gear urgently.

DIY lovers on the other hand have invented interesting ways of doing the same and anglers have proven that most if not all of them work well.

Let’s learn how you can dry your wading boots and how long each method takes.

Wading Boot Dryers

Sounds unimaginable, but such machines exit – blame it on anglers and inventors amongst them!

Wading boot dryers come with extension cords for closer reach to your gear and work by blowing and circulating warm air in and around your boots.

The action subsequently warms the cold air and draws moisture out of your footwear allowing them to dry quickly.

Wading boot dryers take as little as 40 minutes to completely dry your gear.

If set properly and positioned at the right distance, you can use it for waders and other fly fishing gear.

Air Drying

The cost of electricity has skyrocketed and everyone is looking for ways of reducing their consumption.

As an angler in the same category, air-drying wading boots is the easiest method that comes to mind.

The method will work effectively in the summer.

The heat from the sun penetrates the boot material and insole, drying them and killing bacteria at the same time.

It is a free way of drying boots, gear, equipment, and fishing apparel, but can take the longest time if temperatures are extremely low.

On a good sunny day, your boots should be bone dry within 6-12 hours, with some taking longer depending on the level of wetness.

Situations can go past 3 days in winter and cold days.

Clothes Dryer

Clothes dryers are an option, however, you need to be keen when using them to avoid damaging your gear and the machine.

The secret to acing this is tying the boots together using the laces and using the same laces to hang the boots from the dryer’s door.

The boots should be in the dryer but won’t touch the machine’s drum.

Set the dryer to run on the ‘standard drying’ option, which could be 40-90 minutes depending on your machine.

Here is the caveat: You might need to use a different method to dry your insole because this doesn’t work for them.

A Fan

DIY lovers got me here because this sounded unbelievable.

However, anglers on online forums have attested to successfully using tabletop and ceiling fans to dry their wading boots.

The difficult task will be finding a good way to position your boots under the fan so that air can enter and circulate the inner section of your gear.

It takes 8-14 hours, which is long but a great option if you don’t have a wader or clothes dryer and the weather isn’t promising.

How Fast Do Wading Boots Dry? – FAQs

Check out a few questions and answers to help you know how fast to dry wading boots and methods you didn’t know could work.

Q) Should I Clean My Boots Every Time Before Drying Them?

A) Yes, it is advisable to clean your boots before drying them to get rid of dirt and stains that could stick to them once dried.

Scrub your boots to get rid of river gunk and disinfect them before drying.

Q) Why Do We Need To Dry Wading Boots?

A) Besides it being common knowledge, drying wading boots disinfects them by doing away with humid conditions which microorganisms love.

It also helps to deal with invasive species you might have carried from your previous location and prevents transfer to your next fishing area.

Q) Is It Easy to Dry the Inside of Wading Boots?

A) It is easy to dry the inner sections of wading boots if you have a boot dryer.

These come with longer extensions and tubes to go inside your footwear to get rid of moisture in the insole and inner padding and lining.

DIY lovers stuff theirs with old newspapers and it works without a doubt.

Conclusion

How fast do wading boots dry?

Wading boots can dry within minutes if you use advanced technologies like wading boots or clothes dryers.

While a boot dryer is straightforward to use, you might have to be cautious when putting your boots in a clothes dryer.

You don’t want your gear to be in contact with the drum because doing this is brewing disaster.

Air drying can be a fantastic option if the weather is sunny and you don’t need your gear urgently.

But if you are crafty and love experimenting, try the newspaper and rice hack.

The latter poses mannerism issues among some people, but we love to share as many workable options as we can get.

For the newspapers, it is ideal to wrap them in plain color to prevent ink from leaking onto the boot’s inner padding and lining.