How do you keep your feet dry outside while precipitation falls?

[ACagedTraveller]

I was walking through steady rainshowers today, and this prompted a thought for the mobile living community. Since mobile living often involves adapting with different climates and limited storage, what methods can a mobile dweller employ to keep socks and feet dry while they remain in the rain? How do you dry wet clothing while in a van during periods of heavy precipitation (snow, sleet, rain)?

 

[my_vantasy]

I'm not fulltime yet, but it almost always rains when I camp out, so I am investing in a pair of rain boots. The space they take will be worth it as I take a lot of walks with my little dog. I try to keep dry with my umbrella, but wet jackets and pants can be draped anywhere you can in a vehicle. (Somewhere out there, I'm sure some campers are still laughing about the granny panties stretched across my steering wheel!) If you get breaks in the rain, you can lay things out to dry. Last resort is to take wet clothes to a laundromat and use a dryer.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

How about those flexable bootie looking ones...I think they're called "rubbers". Seems like they would store easily.
I wear flips or sandals... I think there's a pair of tennies back there in a storage box.

Raining here at RTR and drying jackets inside sure adds to the moisture factor. Had to hook up an extra fan.

 

[BradKW]

I used to have one of these boot/shoe/sock dryers when I lived up north and it worked well... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4HQ76/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

Its rated at 36 watts. Not that someone would likely use van space for something like this, but I've been trying to get a better grasp of 12v electric and used this as practice...corrections appreciated:

Q: if I know watts for a device, how long can it run from battery?

If I want to run a 36w device for 10 hours, that = 360 watt hours. Or to run 24hrs a day = 864 watt-hours.

If I have a 100 amp-hour battery that is 12v, then it is also a 1200 watt-hour battery.

Since device needs 110v from alternator, then efficiency is lost... I came across 15% as a fair rule of thumb. So for 10hrs I'd really be looking at (360Wh / 0.85 efficiency) = 424Wh.

It would appear that I could easily run a 110v 36w device for 10 hours from a 100Ah battery and not deplete it to even 50%.

 

[rvpopeye]

Waterproof hiking boots and Columbia Rain Jacket and Pants.

 

[gcal]

Rain boots. Also have rain suits, somewhere, but never used them. They will probably be purged one of these days, just before we finally need them. We have a rod in back of the seats with a heavy curtain for temperature control. It works to hang damp clothes. I think that, if it is humid enough, nothing would really work in a van.

 

[gcal]

I'm not fulltime yet,  but it almost always rains when I camp out, so I am investing in a pair of rain boots.  The space they take will be worth it as I take a lot of walks with my little dog. I try to keep dry with my umbrella, but wet jackets and pants can be draped anywhere you can in a vehicle. (Somewhere out there, I'm sure some campers are still laughing about the granny panties stretched across my steering wheel!)  If you get breaks in the rain, you can lay things out to dry.  Last resort is to take wet clothes to a laundromat and use a dryer.

Our dog does not walk or do anything else in the rain if he can help it. He will hold it all day unless you shove him out. Then, he heads under the RV, does his business as fast as he can, and runs back inside.

 

[akrvbob]

This just hasn't been an issue for me. Your feet get wet and then you go inside and take off shoes and socks and put on dry socks. Wet clothes and umbrella hang up to dry. No big deal.

Life is good!!
Bob

 

[SternWake]

I frequently exit my Wetsuit after surfing, inside my van, but often right next to it if it is warm enough outside.

I have a thick door mat just inside my side doors, that can trap lots of liquid moisture:
http://www.amazon.com/Crown-MASR42-...06783691&sr=1-20&keywords=rubber+mat+flooring

This however took quite some time outside and several scrubbings before the toxic rubber stink dissipated enough to keep it inside the van, but now I love it for the entrapment of dust dirt and liquids and I can no longer smell it. I think nothing of letting wet shoes rest on this mat, or even my wet wetsuit in a pinch,

My land based wet gear is a pair of MeindL hiking Boots with Vibram soles which are waterproof to about 4 inches deep, and a Goretex Rainjacket both bought in NZ 15 years ago. I've nothing for protecting my legs though.

I hang my wetsuit folded in half over my front passenger side footwell on a special hanger I made for the task. The drips into a ~7 quart oil pan that I keep pretty sterile. I have an adjustable speed fan I can aim at the hanging wetsuit.

My ceiling also has lots of attachment points , in the form of rope cleats.

Sometimes I leave the laundromat before all my clothes are fully 100% dry, and then hang them all over my Van and keep the fans going until they are ready for folding and storage.

My roof vent does pretty good at keeping the windows from fogging up in my mild climate, but when I close it up for the cold spells, I need to use a squeegee on the window interiors the next morning.

The rinsed but still salty wetsuit hanging in the passenger footwell is hard on the nearby Dodge fuse block inside the glove box. I had serious oxidation impeding electron flow on the glass fuse 'claspers', that took significant effort to remove, so as to return function to brake lights and to prevent issues on all the other fused circuits too.

Today was all rainy and damp. When driving I had the heater on high and all my internal fans pushing the somewhat drier heat everywhere to help dry it out inside.

 

[sephson]

My work boots can handle 3 inches of standing water with my feet still dry.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I sized these to fit insulated booties or tennis shoes inside:

http://www.amazon.com/Neos-Womens-V...6?ie=UTF8&qid=1452094660&sr=8-6&keywords=neos

Backpacking rain jacket and pants, Seattle Sombrero rain hat.  Drying stuff in such a small space is always a problem.

-- Spiff

 

[Canine]

I like Goretex for my boots/shoes. Most boots and many shoes have it now, but it adds about $10 or so to the boot. When it is raining or you are trudging through wet snow, it really helps keep my "dogs" [feet] from getting cold.

I hate Goretex for my boots/shoes. When I'm walking through creeks and the water goes over my boots/shoes, the water doesn't flow out. It stays puddled inside and makes for a miserable hike. Goretex lasts about a year of good use then it will develop tiny holes where the boot flexes. They still work great for rain and dew-covered grass, but not for standing water.

When I'm hiking, I insist on non-waterproof footwear, but that is very, very hard to find. No matter where I hike in this area, my feet will get wet. When I was logging in the snow in 40 degree weather, I bought my first pair of Goretex boots; I was in heaven. One of the best purchases I ever made.

When I dry my boots, I don't leave them standing upright or upside down. Lying them on their side makes for faster drying times. And I don't lay them directly on the floor. I elevate them on a couple sticks or on a grill; this helps a lot, too. Having some air lightly circulating will shorten drying time. Using heat is overkill for me since I've always left them out to dry overnight. Maybe you could set up a muffin fan and a couple pieces of used Pex Pipe to lightly push or draw air all the way into or from the toe box. Refer to SternWake's various posts on muffin fans. He is the Muffin Fan Van-Man with a plan.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I keep a pair of gumboots or rubber boots in my van I find them useful for more then rainy days, they are easy to slip into at any time to go to the bathroom, or outside for whatever reason.. I also have a light weight back packing rain coat(Marmott) and pants, that I dry, on hooks behind my front seat which swings forward, I have a little more room then in a regular van so my cab area serves as a porch/closet, or I hang them next to my heater if I get stuff like my socks or jeans wet and need them dry in a hurry. I also use my awning to hang things under to dry if it happens to be up.

 

[MrNoodly]

I've gotten used to going sockless most of the time, so I rarely have to deal with wet socks. The shoes I wear almost every day are Keen semi-sandals made from waterproof materials, so it doesn't matter if they get wet. But mostly I just avoid going out in heavy rain.

 

[kitesurfer]

i wear flip flops if it's not raining. i wear Teva sandals if it is raining. If it's cold, i'll wear wool socks with either my flops or Tevas. I have leather boots that i wear on my motorcycle and steel toes shoes when mowing the lawn or doing something that needs protection.

 

[Roadtramp]

In case anyone wants love....

If you bring me coffee without having to ask, then I love you....

 

[mockturtle]

Of my two pairs of hiking shoes, one is Gore-Tex lined.  I'm wearing them here at the RTR. :-/

 

[USExplorer]

Goretex hiking boots, all the time. When I'm out in the rain long enough, my feet are the only part of me that's still dry.

 

[Roadtramp]

I think my thread has been hijacked...

Need more coffee....