 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, I am a product designer at Bournemouth University, UK.
I am am currently undertaking a project to develop a ski boot dryer so they can dry the boot quicker and more efficiently for the energy used to power them.
Any feedback, thoughts or anything you think would help me to develop this product would be greatly recieved!
I have a very short survey that will take less than 2 mins, which would be great if you could spare the time.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JY55VG2
Thank you in advance
Lee Jones
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Any ideas on how you would want the product to work or features to include would be great?
I have already thought of using cold air to dry the boot as hot air may deform the custom liners in the boot........any thoughts?
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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?
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ok I'll play.
1: It has to be light and small enough to not interfere with taking them on holiday with you - so ideally small enough to fit inside the boot itself for travelling.
2: The fetid reek of warm skiboots is not an aroma you want greeting you in your room. I'd look for would be a way of sanitising the boot at the same time.
3: There is the problem of being able to use it - seeing as most of us would be using a hotel which probably has a boot room where you have to leave kit like boots in a locker, how will you power the dryer unattended?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Therm-ic have beaten you to it.
They do both hot-block type (which just consist of two heated block that you insert into each boot/glove as appropriate) and air-blown (hair-dryer with two flexible tubes which blow air into the boot/glove).
I've got both styles (although neither are therm-ic), and prefer the hot blocks as the smell gets distributed less!
Neither have caused me problems with moulded liners: the temperatures is just too low.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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leedjones8, I have just completed your survey. We have a warm air system in our chalet and used that for about 11 years - haven't been aware that any deformation of custom liners.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ive started just using a sock filled with cat litter in each boot overnight
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Interesting kevindonkleywood, Do you have to replenish with new cat litterafter every use or just reuse again as is..?
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| kevindonkleywood wrote: |
| Ive started just using a sock filled with cat litter in each boot overnight, ... |
How many cat do you have and what do you feed them to get enough litter?
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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.
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Ive started just using a sock filled with cat litter in each boot overnight,
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that is what I used to use years ago when we just skied for a couple of weeks and the boots then got stored in the loft. Used to fill the foot part of old tights and it worked brilliantly.
leedjones8, good luck with the project and keep us in touch with how you get on.
My OH uses the bootheater that he has in the car also in the summer and puts it into his sailing boots after racing.
kevindonkleywood,
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ts not just boots, gloves are a royal pain for me to
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Agree with this too - we stick ours on the boot heaters too - if there is space.
What we have done in the chalet is put slatted shelves (from bathroom dept of Ikea) above all the convector heaters - at a good H&S height before anyone asks - so that you can stand gloves upright on the shelves to use the heat. Used to drive my OH mad when he found people sticking their gloves directly onto the heaters.
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Tatty, Dont have any cats (not my favorite animal-if im allowed to say such a thing).
I get several weeks out of each 'sock' but then i pop the damp ones on the radiator during the day
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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kevindonkleywood, Right - off to the pet shop for me!
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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.
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Done.
We use the Dry-Zone bean bag things and they work a treat.
leedjones8, there are three potential markets for this product:
- ski centres - like Hemel or MK
- rental shops / chalet owners
- holidaymakers
Ski centres will care about both speed and efficiency. A pair of boots might be on three pairs of feet in a day.
Shops will probably care about energy efficiency, but not speed. A pair of boots is probably only on one pair of feet a day.
Most holidaymakers probably won't care about either speed or energy efficiency - they finish skiing at 16:00 and as long as their boots are dry by 8:00 then they don't care how long it takes. Similarly, who worries about energy efficiency (or will pay a premium for it) if they're on holiday. It's someone else's electricity! (I know it's bad for me to say that, but what ho...)
Personally, I'd go for the following characteristics if you're going for holidaymakers:
- compact and easy to pack
- silent
- odor free
- works in any country (doesn't care about voltage or clever electricity socket adaptor).
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Done the survey. We have a built-in cold air blower in our apartment - with four nozzles, so can dry two pairs of boots at a time. Presumably uses very little energy, seems to do the job OK. They're good for walking boots too.
like pamski we have rigged up things for gloves, neck bands etc. I bought a couple of quite pretty green metal baskets - they were designed for pot plans I think - and they hook above the convectors. One of our French neighbours liked them so much I bought her a couple.
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You know it makes sense.
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Survey completed. I currently use Thermic warm air blowers and find they work really well and dry a pair of boots easily in under an hour. But they are voltage specific so a bit of a pain when using in Europe and North America. Other than that I can't see how you could make much improvement on these, except make them for half the price.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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As an alternative to a device for drying boots, just take your liners out at night and dry them and the shells separately. Works fine for me.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thats some excellent feedback and I've learnt a lot from what I need to focus on and what is generally not too important. I will update you with my first concept in a couple weeks so you guys can let me know what you think.
Thanks
Lee Jones
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| ccl wrote: |
| As an alternative to a device for drying boots, just take your liners out at night and dry them and the shells separately. Works fine for me. |
Don't like the sound of that, my liners are a very tight fit in the shells and I'd be worried about damaging them removing and fitting every day.
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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?
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I bought a couple of quite pretty green metal baskets - they were designed for pot plans I think - and they hook above the convectors. One of our French neighbours liked them so much I bought her a couple.
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One nice thing about older French apartments is the slatted sleeping/seating area with convection radiators beneath; since the actual matress only takes half the width, the sides offer excellent drying areas. We chuck all gloves, hats socks into a basket each at the end of the day. They are easliy found the next morning and are perfectly dry. Boots normally dry fine on their own.
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FAQ
that was a remarkably quick and straightforward questionaire compared to some 
