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Boot heater/warmer (zipfits)

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Just after something as cheap and light as possible to stick inside zipfits (already inside shells - doesn't seem at all easy to get liners into shells once feet in them; feet into liners as normal is easier) to warm them up a bit for first getting on (still a tad of a struggle). Need car or mains power source.

Would these (or something similar) do?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Therm-ic-Warmer-Gloves-Shoes-T48-0300-007/dp/B07VR8MVLC/ref=pd_aw_sim_86_1/260-2044720-7493513?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07VR8MVLC&pd_rd_r=2b45da0e-9e4d-4633-990d-438b543c2971&pd_rd_w=Lwiqr&pd_rd_wg=h4qRi&pf_rd_p=e849a59d-12a9-403f-976a-4505ed7dc05e&pf_rd_r=JV59Y2MDR9A9EPCE3EPY&psc=1&refRID=JV59Y2MDR9A9EPCE3EPY&tag=amz07b-21

Bags seem quite expensive.

Ta.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Not directly answering your question but have you checked whether there are any rough bits from the injection moulding process on the inside of your shells ?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
In reply to the OP - I remove mine from the shells and warm them with the car air vents first - but really its the shells that need the warmth so they are more flexible to accept foot & zipfit. shells are warmed in car before inserting foot Madeye-Smiley

If there was any rough bits inside the shells, I would have thought it would show on the outside of the liner
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@rjs, no, but I will, thanks.

@Bones, really for use in accommodation/house. (But might use from car if in UK and I'm driving and skiing alone, when I'll not have a nice strong man to help me struggle into them Laughing .)

Put them on in the lounge last night, and although they had been sitting in a nice warm room for hours, they were still very difficult to get on. Does seem to be the actual liner, not shell. Once had them on my feet for hour or so, they slipped on and off very nicely (and ditto when were fitted, when shells and liners still nicely warm). Wouldn't have thought there was much shell temperature change there.
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@Grizzler, you’d be surprised.

Also, are you using the approved technique?
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@Grizzler, I use heaters like that -- but put the boots into a thermal cool bag first. 30 mins later toasty and warm Very Happy
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There is a lot of these devices. This video shows a whole load:


http://youtube.com/v/heywgQuUzjU.

I have the Hotronic Snapdry.

One thing to watch with these is that the ones which contain fans (like mine does) make a noise and you won't be able to sleep in the same room.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I know the heated boot bags are expensive, but in the long run I think they are worthwhile investing in. The are great for drying and warming boots, as well as gloves, hats, etc. Work well from home and from the car, as well as fairly straightforward to fly with (you can use them as hand luggage providing you don't stuff it full) so you can use it no matter where you travel to.
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@Peter Stevens, thanks. Was hoping for something that'd give a pretty quick warm up rather than a longer term dryer.

@rob@rar, how long do they take to warm stuff up? I don't think that I need a lot of warming, if they're do-able once warmed by feet alone (inside at least) - just enough to get things softer (in a colder room or without decent radiators to stick 'em on etc).

@under a new name, if this is what you mean, I am aware that you can do the liner on foot into boot technique, or the foot into liner already in boot one. My fitter suggested the latter, given my boots' design and known weak spots in this regard. It is also easier (I spent a good while, and much whiskey, turning the air blue last night proving this! wink )
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Grizzler wrote:
@rob@rar, how long do they take to warm stuff up? I don't think that I need a lot of warming, if they're do-able once warmed by feet alone (inside at least) - just enough to get things softer (in a colder room or without decent radiators to stick 'em on etc).
If you just want a quick warm-up to make the boots a little easier to get in to the heated bags are probably overkill. They have three heating levels and the hottest will gently warm the boot shells so they are fairly pliable in less than an hour. But the heated bags are much more useful in terms of drying things as well as warming boots. Would sticking your boots in front of a radiator make them easy enough to get on?
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There is a danger in any product that does a rapid warm-up. It itself could fail and catch fire. And if the outlet temp control fails, it could damage something.

Hence all the boot dryers I have seen work on the principle of very low power so little can go wrong even if the fan fails.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Hotgear Bag is the way to go, warm gently from shell inwards. Always found it easier to put on and lace up ZipFit liner first and then slide foot and liner into warm shell.
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We warm our boots with zipfit liners in an altogether lower tech manner - two pairs of boots go into an insulated Aldi food shopping bag, along with a hot water bottle, complete with fluffy cover. Does the job fine.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
But it’s the principle of how ZipFit work i.e. heat the shell first that matters, your low tech version does exactly that!
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@RobinS, that's the kind of solution which I like Toofy Grin
Where does the hot water bottle go relative to the boots? Underneath, on top..?
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Grizzler,
Quote:

Where does the hot water bottle go relative to the boots? Underneath, on top..?


If I remember to put it in first it goes in the bottom, if not on top, both work. This has served us well for car journeys to the lifts and booting up in temps down to -20c (at which temperature if I just slung the boots in the back of the car I would be physically unable to put them on.)
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@RobinS, thanks. Bar a heated bag (probably the way to go, but got to find a cheaper one) that looks like a go-er from home or car at least. Will have to hope that other accommodations have hot enough radiators (not always the case IMO; and boot rooms often freezing. Finland apartments with their own saunas, of course... Very Happy ). Presume that microwaved wheat bags will do the job just as well, if microwave is available. At least in the UK you usually get a kettle in your hotel room.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@Grizzler, We did think of wheatbags, but thought that kettles or stove and saucepan are more common than microwaves, and we already had the hot water bottle
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@Grizzler, You can find 12v versions of electric boot heaters --- they work well with an insulated bag too.
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ski wrote:
You can find 12v versions of electric boot heaters --- they work well with an insulated bag too.


Which ones do you recommend? Preferably quick warm up, rather than needing to be on all night.
And, forgive electrical ignorance, how do you run those off mains? (Presume cars are 12v? My bike is...)
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I have Therm-ic ones. One set is 240v, used at home, with the 12v set used in the car. The boots go in a cool bag I got from the charity shop. Warm flexible boots whenever I get to where I'm going.
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Thanks @ski, any chance you could find a picture /set on the net so that I know which ones you mean?
Do you put them in your boots or just in the bag?
This cheapy insulated food bag idea definitely seems the way to go Very Happy
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
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@Grizzler, https://www.thepisteoffice.com/index.php/the-piste-office-store/lenz-boot-glove-warmers.html
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Ooh, thanks @spyderjon. Do they only come in either 240v or 12v, though, therefore not useable in either/both, as needed? Or is there a cunning adaptation?
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@Grizzler, They go inside the boots. Spyderjon has 12 and 240v versions.
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I have been converted to Zipfits over the last 6 ski days.
Fitted by CEM at Solutions4Feet into existing shells.

Day 1 shells usually undone, ankle bones sore by end of day (sore...not agony).
Day 2 shells done up for skiing, quickly undone for lifts. Feet a bit sore by end of day.
...
Day 6, super comfortable, loads (LOADS) more stiffness and control. Boots now tightened down and left done up.

One big change...a really Big Change...was simply spraying a bit of furniture polish into the boot shell and onto the rear outside of the Zipfits....the liners slip into the shells with feet in them so easily. A little pressure and POP...they are in.
Makes no difference at all once skiing.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@rungsp good news, and a good idea re the polish.
@ski yes, but are they a version which does both options, or would I have to buy 1 set for 240v and 1 separate set for 12v? Many similar ones which I've seen online for sale say that they do both 12 and 240 in 1 set.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Grizzler, the Lenz and Thermic bootwarmers are excellent quality but you'd need both a 240V set and a 12V set. You can get warmers that do both 240V and 12V. I've evaluated all of them and thought their quality was poor and I wasn't prepared to put my name to them and offer them to my customers. The last thing I want is one of my customers to fry their custom boots/liners etc due to dodgy circuitry. And the dual voltage ones cost the same as buying two seperate ones.

For balance its been a few years since I handled any of the dual ones but judging from their websites none of them have changed.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
OK, @spyderjon, thanks. Fair point, would be happier buying something electrical that I know someone else trusts.

Going to wait and see how well I get on (or struggle, or give up and demand a valet!) whenever they get their first proper cold, in anger usage, and then decide what I need. Sometime, Gods willing, between a day and a couple of weeks.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I have one of the sidas usb boot heaters. Was impressed but after approx 7 weeks use one of heaters have failed.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Quote:

was simply spraying a bit of furniture polish into the boot shell and onto the rear outside of the Zipfits


Not a bad idea... Another tip is to put silicon sealant over the indentations/nuts of the clips and canting bolt on the inside of the shell. Helps to reduce wear and tear on the outside of the zip fits when you take em in and out of the boots.

I am on my 3rd or 4th pair of ZipFits and love em but if you have stiff boots having a heated boot bag is almost essential imv. (i use a heated boot bag to heat up shells + a thermic hot air dryer to dry out boots and liners as I get sweaty feet...
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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For our 15 minute drive to the slopes we use old 50cl plastic water bottles - fill with hot water (traditionally French hot tap water hits upto 50deg) - one in each boot. We’ve been using the same old Badoit bottles for years and not had a problem yet Very Happy
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
gvj, great idea Madeye-Smiley
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@gvj, hmmmm, yes, that's an idea for me too, for UK from home or Scotland overnight accommodation.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Grizzler wrote:
Just after something as cheap and light as possible to stick inside zipfits (already inside shells - doesn't seem at all easy to get liners into shells once feet in them; feet into liners as normal is easier) to warm them up a bit for first getting on (still a tad of a struggle). Need car or mains power source.

Would these (or something similar) do?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Therm-ic-Warmer-Gloves-Shoes-T48-0300-007/dp/B07VR8MVLC/ref=pd_aw_sim_86_1/260-2044720-7493513?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07VR8MVLC&pd_rd_r=2b45da0e-9e4d-4633-990d-438b543c2971&pd_rd_w=Lwiqr&pd_rd_wg=h4qRi&pf_rd_p=e849a59d-12a9-403f-976a-4505ed7dc05e&pf_rd_r=JV59Y2MDR9A9EPCE3EPY&psc=1&refRID=JV59Y2MDR9A9EPCE3EPY&tag=amz07b-21

Bags seem quite expensive.

Ta.


I was mocked for ten years as everyone stood around waiting for me to get my boots on after fitting ZIPFIT.
Great lining though. I’d put them on heater then put a pair of ski socks into the opening for travel in the car to the lift which kept the warmth in
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@Grizzler, if you are leaving them in the shells to put on, try removing the laces, then get a small piece of thin flat elastic and lace the bottom two eyelets as they are now but with the elastic and tie it off, this allows you to get in easier but prevents the tongue from twisting all the way out and getting caught in the overlap of the boot, if you are putting them on like this (regardless of laces) make sure you lift the heel of the liner out the boot by a couple of inches and then push your heel down whilst pulling up on the pull tab on the back, this seats your heel into the back of the liner and prevents the cork material from getting behind the heel and pushing you forward
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@CEM, Thanks. I think that makes sense!
Current testing (still at home - blinking wind & weather Evil or Very Mad ) reveals that the main issue is seeming to be getting the lacing wide enough to get the feet in when in shell, so that elastic idea has merit. Subject to laces being slack, foot slips in easily - but then got to furkle around under the overlap area trying to get the laces tight again. Boot shells are utterly vicious to hold open at the top forefoot area (the just about overlap)!
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I have been doing some ‘useful stuff’ around the house this afternoon in this really foul weather, and this included some filing and clearing out of paperwork.

I came across the receipt from CEM for my Salomon boots and zipfits, in 2009. I knew I had had them some time but didn’t realise it was quite so long. I very rarely take the zipfits out of the shells and can pull the laces up quite tight without a problem. They are used for at least seven weeks every winter nowadays. Used to be a bit more till two years ago.
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