Best boot dryers
The best boot dryers
Six dryers on drying power, capacity and noise - and the case that this is the best value purchase in hunting footwear.
Boot dryers and the care that keeps a boot working
Convection against forced air, what reaches up a knee boot, and the odor and leather routine that decides whether a $250 boot lasts two seasons or ten.
By Mike M.Last updated
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Top picks in dryers & boot care
Ranked on the specifications below. Prices are live and dated; where no live price resolves, the cell reads Check price.
| # | Product | Type | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank 1 | PEET Original 2-shoe dryer Silent overnight drying | Convection, fanless | 8.3 | $49.99Amazon |
| Rank 2 |  DryGuy Force Dry DX Two pairs of anything, fast | Forced air with heat | 8.2 | $78.75Amazon |
| Rank 3 |  PEET Advantage Plus 2-pair Two pairs, faster | Forced air with heat | 8.0 | $119.99Amazon |
| Rank 4 |  PEET Wader dryer with 12-inch extensions Waders and knee boots | Convection with extension tubes | 8.2 | $79.99Amazon |
| Rank 5 |  MaxxDry boot dryer Tall boots and waders on a budget | Forced air | 7.5 | $49.95Amazon |
#ad Prices come from Amazon and change. How this site is funded. Scores are our published editorial rubric — see our methodology.
A boot that is still damp in the morning starts you cold, and a boot stored damp grows the smell that never comes out. Both problems have the same cheap solution, and it is the piece of gear hunters buy last: a dryer that moves air through the inside of the boot, not a radiator that cooks the outside.
Do not put boots on a radiator, in front of a wood stove, or in a clothes dryer. Heat above roughly 120F shrinks and cracks leather, delaminates glue lines and can damage a waterproof membrane permanently. The whole point of a purpose-built dryer is that it works at a temperature that cannot do that.
Convection or forced air
| Convection (fanless) | Forced air (fan and heater) | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Warm air rises through the boot | A fan pushes warm air in |
| Typical dry time | 4 to 8 hours (manufacturer) | 1 to 3 hours (manufacturer) |
| Noise | Silent | Clearly audible |
| Power | Nightlight-level | Higher, but only for a few hours |
| Things that break | Essentially nothing | The fan, eventually |
| Buy it if | You take boots off at dark and hunt in the morning | You need two pairs turned around fast, or you dry gloves too |
For most hunters the silent convection dryer is correct: it runs all night in a mudroom for almost nothing, it will never cook a boot, and PEET's units genuinely last decades. Forced air earns its noise when you hunt back-to-back sessions or dry gloves and a hat as well. The full comparison and PEET against DryGuy work through the specifics.
The knee-boot problem
Almost every dryer puts air into the foot of the boot and stops there. In an 18-inch rubber pull-on or a pair of waders, the part that stays wet is the shaft, and that is where the smell comes from. Extension tubes are the only real answer - PEET sells a 12-inch wader version and MaxxDry builds tall tubes in. If you hunt in knee boots, this is not an upgrade, it is the requirement: dryers for waders and knee boots.
Odor is a moisture problem wearing a disguise
- Dry the boot every time. Bacteria need moisture. Remove the moisture and most of the smell never starts.
- Pull the insole out to dry separately. It holds more water than the boot does and dries slowly in place.
- Use an absorbent, not a fragrance, if you need more. Absorbent sachets pull moisture and odor; scented balls only cover it - and a scented boot is a problem of its own for a deer hunter.
- Store them somewhere that breathes. A sealed tote in a hot garage is how good boots die. Boot care and storage.
The detail, including what to do with a boot that already smells, is in the boot odor guide.
Leather care, matched to the upper
The most common mistake here is using the wrong product, confidently. Match the treatment to what the boot is actually made of:
- Full-grain leather: a beeswax paste such as Sno-Seal or Obenauf's, worked into warm leather. The most durable water protection there is, and it reduces breathability - so not on a membrane boot you walk hard in.
- Nubuck and suede: a water-based spray proofer. It maintains breathability and will not clog a Gore-Tex membrane the way a silicone spray can.
- Synthetic panels and gaiters: a DWR spray. Wax does nothing useful on nylon.
- Rubber and neoprene: nothing. Clean it and dry it; there is nothing to feed.
- Everything, first: clean it. Proofing over caked mud seals the mud in, which is the step almost everyone skips.
Everything in dryers & boot care
8 pages in this section. Roundup tiles carry the live price and a buy link for their top pick.
Best for waders
Best boot dryers for waders and knee boots
The shaft is the part that never dries, and most dryers stop at the ankle. Extension tubes are the answer.
Best deodorizers
Best boot deodorizers and drying-plus-odor options
Odor is a moisture problem in disguise - and for deer hunters, fragrance is not an available solution.
Comparison
PEET or DryGuy boot dryers
Silent and slow with nothing to break, against fast and loud with more capacity. Two different physics.
Comparison
Forced air or convection boot dryers
One uses a fan, one uses rising air - and that single difference drives speed, noise, power and reliability.
Guide
How to dry hunting boots
The method, the safe fast version, and the five heat sources that ruin boots. Water does not kill footwear - heat does.
Guide
How to get the smell out of hunting boots
Odor is bacteria metabolizing sweat, so it is a moisture problem. Remove the water, and skip the fragrance entirely.
Guide
Hunting boot care and off-season storage
Most boots die in storage, not in the field. UV, fuel fumes and damp do more damage than a season of hunting.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best boot dryer?
For most hunters, the PEET Original: silent convection, nothing to break, and gentle enough that it cannot damage a membrane or a glue line. If you need speed or capacity, the DryGuy Force Dry DX dries two pairs plus gloves in one to two hours by the manufacturer's figures. For knee boots and waders, you need extension tubes.
How long does a boot dryer take?
Convection dryers take 4 to 8 hours by their makers' figures, which is why they are designed to run overnight. Forced-air dryers claim 1 to 3 hours. Soaked knee boots take longer than damp leather ones in either case, and the shaft is always the slowest part.
How do you dry hunting boots fast?
A forced-air dryer is the fast legitimate answer. Short of that: pull the insoles and liners out to dry separately, stuff the boot loosely with newspaper and change it every few hours, and get air moving across them with a fan. Never use a radiator, a wood stove, a hair dryer on high, or a clothes dryer.
Can you put hunting boots in the dryer?
No. A clothes dryer tumbles and heats far beyond what leather, adhesives and waterproof membranes tolerate, and it will shorten the boot's life or ruin it outright. A boot dryer works at a much lower temperature for exactly this reason.
How do I get the smell out of my hunting boots?
Dry them completely first - the smell is bacteria, and bacteria need moisture. Pull the insoles out and dry them separately, since they hold the most water. Then use an absorbent sachet rather than a scented deodorizer, especially if you hunt deer, because adding fragrance solves the wrong problem.
Do boot dryers use a lot of electricity?
Convection dryers draw about as much as a nightlight, which is why they are designed to be left on. Forced-air models with a heating element draw considerably more, but only for the hour or two they run.