If you’re an avid hiker, chances are you’ve been caught in the rain or have had to cross a creek or stream and have experienced the problem of having wet boots. Knowing how to dry hiking boots quickly is a great skill to have whether you’re at home or outdoors,
Here are some great methods to use to dry out hiking boots fast and get back on the trail.
How To Dry Hiking Boots
Step 1: Clean Your Hiking Boots
Begin by getting all the mud and dirt off your boots.
Leaving mud or dirt on your boots can stain them and slow down the drying process, so clean them as well as you can before moving on to the next step.
Step 2: Remove The Insoles From Your Hiking Boots
Most quality hiking boots have removable insoles, and if yours does, you should remove the insoles from your boots.
Not only will this help to dry the insole faster, but it allows air to get to the portion of your boot normally covered by the insole which speeds up your drying time.
Step 3: Take The Laces Out Of Your Boots
If your hiking boots are soaking wet, take the laces out as well.
Removing your laces allows the boots to dry faster and also dries the laces out as well.
Step 4: Don’t Put Your Boots Over Direct Heat
Try to avoid the temptation of putting your boots over direct heat like a fire, radiator, or using a blow dryer.
Direct heat can damage the exterior of your boots and also weaken glue or other materials that help hold your hiking boots together.
Obviously, in some cases you simply need to get your boots dry as quick as possible and you’ll have to utilize direct heat.
A good example would be if you were camping in winter and your boots were soaked – obviously in this case, having dry boots to keep yourself safe and dry is going to outweigh the potential of hurting your boots a little bit!
Just consider the benefits of having dry boots versus potentially damaging them when deciding which route to go.
Step 5: Keep Your Boots Dry During The Process
This may seem obvious, but you’ll want to make sure your boots are in a place where they’ll not only keep drying, but that they’ll be protected from getting additional moisture on them!
Make sure to place them under the overhang of a tent if outdoors or in a well-ventilated room at home.
How To Dry Out Hiking Boots Overnight At Home
Hopefully if you’ve got soaked boots, you can deal with drying them in the convenience of your home or a hotel room.
Here are some ways to dry out hiking boots indoors.
Stuff Your Hiking Boots With A Towel
Stuffing a towel into your boots will help soak up the moisture from the inside out.
Start by showing two corners of a towel into the insides of each boot, then wrap the towel around your boots to make sure they’re fully covered.
Leave this sit for a few minutes to soak up as much excess moisture as possible, then remove the towel.
Repeat this process if you have additional dry towels.
Cram Newspaper In Your Boots
Similar to the towel method, using newspaper on the inside of the boots will draw out water.
Roll the newspaper into small, loose balls – if it’s wrapped too tightly it won’t be as effective.
Repeat as necessary to get extra moisture out of your boots.
Stick Your Boots In Front Of A Fan
Fans are great for drying boots because they circulate cool air quickly around the boots.
Place your boots at an angle where the fan is hitting both the interior and exterior of your hiking boots and leave them there until dry (or as long as possible).
Use Rice Or Cat Litter To Dry Your Boots
You can start this method by filling a container (likely a plastic tub or bucket) with one inch of dry rice or cat litter, then place your boots on top.
Cover the container and let it sit overnight – the rice or litter will draw out the moisture from your boots in the enclosed space.
Go The Easy Route By Using A Boot Dryer
Although this is the most obvious choice, using a boot dryer is a safe, easy, and effective way to dry your boots.
Follow the boot dryer instructions and let it run – you’ll have dry boots in no time!
How To Dry Hiking Boots Out Outdoors
Sometimes your boots will be dripping wet while you’re on a multi-day hiking, backpacking, or camping trip, and you need to get them dry as fast as possible.
Check out these great options on how to dry out hiking boots when you’re in the field.
Dry Your Hiking Boots Using A Campfire
Using a campfire to dry out hiking boots requires more than sticking them right by the fire – like we discussed earlier, direct heat can damage your boots.
Start far enough away from the fire where you can’t feel any heat, slowly moving toward the fire until you can feel just a bit of warmth.
Place your boots in that spot so they can benefit from the drying elements of heat without risking damage.
Stuff Those Hiking Boots With What You Can Find
If you have some extra pairs of socks, stuff those in your boots overnight so they can soak up any excess moisture. Socks are much easier to dry than boots!
If you don’t have any spare socks, you can use leaves as a last resort. Leaves aren’t very absorbent and can leave dirt and debris behind in your boot, but they’re better than nothing.
Use Hand Warmers To Your Advantage
If you or anyone in your group has some spare hand warmers, these are great for helping to dry out boots because the low heat they produce won’t damage your boots, and the heat they provide will help dry your boots near the toe area quickly.
Slip them as far in you can and let them sit for as long as you can (or until they run out of heat).
Just Wear Your Hiking Boots Anyway
Assuming you pay attention to changing out your socks when needed to keep your feet dry, wearing your wet hiking boots until they dry is fine.
In fact, one of the most tried-and-true methods on how to break in hiking boots involves fully soaking the boots and then hiking in them until they’re dry!
The materials will better conform to the shape of your feet as they dry while you hike, leaving you with a better-fitting boot.
This is a great way to turn a negative situation into a positive one!
Dry Your Hiking Boots Out Using Hot Rocks
This method should really only be used for extreme situations, as it is not particularly convenient.
Find some dry, non-porous rocks (wet or porous rocks can explode!), and heat them up by boiling them over a campfire.
Pull a rock out occasionally, testing it to see if it’s hot enough to evaporate the surface moisture on the rock – once the rocks are at this stage, they’re ready.
Place the hot rocks into a sock and slide the sock in your boot, or fill your boot with hot rocks if necessary.
Be careful not to burn yourself while handling the hot rocks, and understand the damage risk of placing hot rocks directly into your boots.
Again, this is a last-resort method due to the time and hassle of this option, but could keep your feet from developing frostbite if it’s an extreme weather situation.
Tips To Consider When Drying Out Hiking Boots
Avoid direct heat
As we reviewed earlier, direct heat sources can damage many common materials found in hiking boots like leather, nylon, and glues or other fastening materials.
If you must use direct heat, try to keep your boots as far from the heat source as manageable.
Bring Waterproof Socks
If you are hiking in snow, will be crossing a body of water, or the forecast calls for heavy rain, there’s a good chance you know in advance that your hiking boots are going to get wet.
In these cases, it’s best to be prepared by bringing along a pair of waterproof socks which will help keep your feet dry and warm, and they also dry quickly.
We recommend the DexShell Waterproof socks.
Check out our guide on neoprene socks for hiking for some additional options.
FAQs On How To Dry Hiking Boots
Hiking boots are constructed with multiple thick and rugged layers of materials in order to provide protection and support for your feet.
The layers and thickness of your boots can hold a lot more water than a standard tennis shoe, making them take much longer to dry.
Most boots can go from moderately wet to acceptably dry (but probably not 100% dry) overnight using any of the methods we outlined above on how to dry hiking boots.