 Poster: A snowHead
|
Can anyone help with some gen on boot heaters? Both for drying out, après ski and warming up first thing in the morning.
I've never used one, and I needed a bunch for our ski room next season.
My only Google search brought up an elaborate bit of gear with low-speed fan, but 110v which would be a pain.
Any sources in the UK or Switzerland?
Flash bit of kit or waste of time?
Thanks guys.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
I've got a Thermic warm air blower and think its great. It does a good job of drying out boots, liners and gloves at the end of the day, and if it's going to be a cold start I'll often put the fan on for an hour or so first thing in the morning just to give my toes a bit of a warm start. It comes in 220 and 110 volt versions, so make sure you get the right one for where you'll ski.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Do any of our resident boot fitters have any views on these and/or the ones in chalets you put your boots on? Can they overheat your liner/footbed and cause issues?
Cheers,
Greg
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| kitenski wrote: |
Do any of our resident boot fitters have any views on these and/or the ones in chalets you put your boots on? Can they overheat your liner/footbed and cause issues?
Cheers,
Greg |
No the portable Thermic type ones don't harm heat moulded liners or footbeds. Nor do the heated metal 'hoop' racks in chalets.
However I personally don't use the chalet racks as I'm concerned that the weight of my boot could cause the metal hoop to dent my liner. I must point out that this has never happened to me & I've never heard of this happening to others but it's just a concern I have.
I always leave a towel in the boot room to dry off the outer shells of my boots & then take them back to my room & use the Thermic Bootwarmer. Also this way the shells are a lot warmer in the morning than if left in a cold boot room overnight which makes them easier to put on/flex to get my heels fully back for a proper fit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Boswell, have no idea who makes them nor where you'd get one but if this is for "permanent" installation at home, you can buy (in various sizes) boot drying machines that bolt to the wall. The smallest that I've seen taked about 8 pairs. Set the timer and the machine blows warm air only into those pipes that have boots on them. Used in many good ski shops and a chum has one in his chalet.
I would expect a pro device like this would be much more effective than any of the portable ones. That said, we use the little heated stick things, leave them on overnight, boots warm, dry and easy to put on in the morning.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Boswell, here you go, something like these... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
| David Murdoch wrote: |
| That said, we use the little heated stick things |
Known colloquially in France as bite chaud (n.f - pronc: beet show'd) The good think is they often will plug into the car 12V thoroughly overloading the electrics in winter!
The first poster must be using a different sort of Google to the one I use, you know, the one people use on Snowheads where they can never find what they are looking for. I typed in "heated boot dryers" and was overloaded with shops selling all types of kit, after that I might take a trade mark of a product that interested me and look within UK or French or German results to find someone locally who could sell it to me. It is not rocket salad.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Would the Thermic heated insole be capable of drying out boots?
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| Tomsk wrote: |
| Would the Thermic heated insole be capable of drying out boots? |
No, I doubt it very much. Those heated insoles don't get very warm at all - just enough to stop your toes freezing - and only cover a relatively small patch of your sole.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
portable ones are fine, the industrial rental style ones are not the best thing to put your boots on as:
1 they can damage the footbed
2 they can take any thermo forming out of the liner
3 if the shells of your boots have been stretch [and the fitter did not get the plastic hot enough] the shell can retract to its original shape over a period of time
and if there is any damge to your boots who covered the cost???? eg. the footbed gets damaged and is uncomfortable why should the fitter that sold it cover the cost of fixing it...trust me it happens 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
rob@rar, Au contraire - they get really hot, or at least mine do. I have the ball of foot type and three heat settings, and even I can only use them on setting 1 without overheating my feet! Having said that, I wouldn't try to dry out the boots using them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
easiski, they might feel hot on level 3 if you have your tootsies directly on top of the heating element (mine did feel quite warm, although I have to confess that level 1 didn't seem to make much of a difference to my toe temperature). But I can't imagine there's enough heat being generated to dry out my sweaty boots 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
rob@rar, re Thermic heated insoles. According to Thermic the insoles can reach a temperature of between 33C to 70C depending on powerpack. 33C should be enough to dry boots out. Also 70C seems rather hot - hot enough to reform the boot liner. IIRC my boots didn't feel that hot when I had them fitted - I estimate ~40C.
Thermic warm air blower - wouldn't it be better to get the 12V version rather than a 230V or 110V, and power it using a multi-voltage trasnformer, or are the power requirements too great?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
rob@rar, I find level 1 about right. I switch them on as I leave the house in the mornings when it's cold and they just stay on all day. If it's -20 or worse, then I might have to have a short time on level 2, but have never had to use level 3. got a very sore foot one day and very hot, then discovered that instead of turning one off, I'd turned it up!  TBH I'd never considered using them to dry the boots out though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Boswell, I work for a fishing mag and have just been to a huge shooting and tackle trade show where I saw some clip-on heaters that fir on a welly boot with a thing that goes inside to warm the sole while wearing them. I suppose they'd be applicable for skiers too.
I'll get the info tomorrow for you when I'm in work - they may be a good option, although I've never tested them and don't know the price.
Spesh
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
