Ultraviolet Your Way To Dry Shoes

Sidas' new product uses UV light to dry your shoes

If you’re doing multiple days on the hills, then drying footwear can be a real problem. You don’t want to put them on a direct heat source, stuffing them with newspaper just results in soggy newspaper and, even if they get wet again in seconds of heading out, there’s nothing more demoralising than starting out in sodden shoes.

There are quite a few products available, from cedar wood blocks to bean bag style pouches that you put in the microwave. This latest idea from Sidas uses UV light to do the job. Obviously that means you’ve got to have power but, if you’ve got that luxury, the idea of dry and toasty footwear is blissful.

Anyway, here’s what Sidas have to say and there’s a set of Drywarmers on their way to me as we speak. They’ll have the unenviable job of doing battle with my daily soaked fell shoes and, if they can cope with those, they’ll cope with anything. Watch this space...

“The Drywarmer from Sidas (RRP: £25) is a clever little gadget that you insert into wet outdoor footwear. It uses UV light and heats to around 50 degrees Celsius, gently drying boots from the inside out. UV light has natural anti-microbial properties and kills any bacteria that may form; and drying from the inside out means that water vapour is not trapped by the membrane, as can often happen when drying boots using an external heat source (airing cupboards, radiators etc.).

This is also pertinent as 'forced drying' techniques commonly used to dry wet boots can cause damage to the upper materials, particularly leather, if the proper precautions are not taken. Using a device such as the Drywarmer is an easy way to overcome these potential problems.”