Tuesday, April 11, 2017

DryGuy Shoe Dryers - Quick and Effective Drying at Home or On the Go

by Jeff Valliere

DryGuy Force Dry - $50
DryGuy Travel Dry DX - $40

Though the air is dry here in Colorado, I sometimes struggle to dry out my shoes, especially in the winter.  When the weather is nice, I'll set them out in the sun, but often forget my shoes outside, allowing them to freeze, get more wet or warp in the hot sun.  On winter evenings, I would previously bring my wet shoes inside and set them on the air vent or use a hair dryer if I am desperate and have not remembered to dry my shoes out in time.  The air vent in the house works OK, but it can be messy, unsightly, the kids trip over them and the wife is not so keen on the idea. To add to the fray, my 6 year old daughters love to play in the snow and puddles, so we often compete for vent space in order to have dry shoes/boots for the next day.

If you live in a damp climate, shoes can stay wet for many days at a time if not actively cared for and can get quite moldy and stinky.  DryGuy boot dryers solve this issue with a variety of products aimed at drying wet shoes, boots and gloves.

The DryGuy Force Dry is able to dry one pair of shoes at a time and has a timer which will allow it to run for up to 3 hours.  It runs on a standard 120v AC household outlet and folds compact for easy transport or storage.




Simply place the shoes over the vents and set the timer.  For sopping wet running shoes, I have found that an hour is plenty.  I initially worried that these might get hot, but they blow just enough warm air to effectively dry and not burn, deform or become a fire risk.  Insulated boots with more material, winter boot liners, ski boot liners take a bit longer, which validates the 3 hour timer option.

Parked next to my trusty floor vent (only for the photo, as the DryGuy Force Dry now resides on my work bench in the garage).  The noise is minimal, just a low steady hum.

The DryGuy Travel Dry DX, is like the name implies, made for travel.  It is light, compact and can either be powered by a 120v AC plug, or can plug into a 12v DC vehicle charger (cigarette lighter).

The Travel Dry DX is not nearly as quick and effective as the Force Dry.  The fan is small and the airflow is very subtle.  From the best I can tell, it produces no heat.


The plug is very easy to convert from wall to car.

Simply insert the fans into the shoes, plug in and walk away.  There is no timer, so be sure to remember, or set an alarm.  Unlike the Force Dry, the Travel DX will not dry shoes all that quickly, as it can take several hours to get a pair of shoes mostly dry.  At home, I would certainly favor the Force Dry and if drying multiple shoes, would just line them up in succession.

The Travel DX though is certainly worth bringing along on a car camping trip, or any trip where you might need dry shoes but have trouble drying them.

Overall, DryGuy dryers are great concept and a high quality product.  Even if you don't have a need to dry your shoes in a timely manner, these are great if only to keep your shoes from going funky when stored in a dark garage or closet and are especially handy if you have kids to keep up on wet boots and mittens.
I would highly recommend the Force Dry or the Force Dry DX (which can dry two pairs of shoes at a time) for home use, or the Travel DX for car camping/travel.

The DryGuy was provided at no charge. The opinions herein are entirely the author's. 
Photo Credit: Jeff Valliere

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7 comments:

Jeff Valliere said...

Following

Anonymous said...

These might help in the summer here in DC when shoes are often soaking wet with sweat when the run is over... quick rinse and dry? Hmmm.

Jeff Valliere said...

Absolutely. Even in the summer, I find leaving shoes outside to be not always reliable, with either a thunderstorm making matters worse, or I have truly ruined a few pairs of shoes leaving them in the intense sun/heat for too long, such that they warped and were never the same again.

Ben said...

I too use this product and I review a lot of shoes. It's fantastic and does exactly what it should.
Rinsing shoes post run and then drying them should help keep the bacteria build up to a minimum.

Attiq ur Rehman said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Erik Maurer said...

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Greg Lewis said...

Moisture also causes shoes to degrade. So rather than leaving your favorite pair of shoes to get ruined by moisture, you should invest in the best shoe dryer. Find the best shoe dryers for yourself.