TECHNOLOGY TESTING
The only method of drying I tested was circulating different temperatures of air in the boot.
My research showed a clear winner when looking at potential energy in the weights of fuel required to dry the 260ml of water absorbed by each fully saturated size 13 hiking boot. Propane would only require 14g, whilst silica gel would require 650g, and a lithium-ion battery 900g.
I made some crude testing rigs to test the drying time of various set-ups, some with heat, some without. E.g. removing the heating element from a hair dryer and attaching a vacuum cleaner hosing to funnel the air into a boot.
I tested various sizes of fans, at various different wattages, measuring the weight of the boots every 20 minutes (one being dried, and one as a control to measure the natural air-drying speed), until the boot reached its dry weight.
Ultimately, I decided to gently circulate air of 15°C within the boots. This provided the best balance of drying performance versus weight, whilst also not being at risk of damaging the boots.
