Tips for Drying Waders in Car?

Jacob Watrous

Jacob Watrous

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I must be getting older because clammy waders didn’t bother me even a year ago. Now, though, I’m looking for tips and ideas on how to dry waders out in the car.

Currently I’m cycling through three pairs with two in various states of drying in the back bathroom, but I’d love a way to either get them dry in the car for multi-day trips, or even just get a jump start on the way home so I can dry a pair (preferably inside and out) in under a day.

I’ve got a DC boot dryer for the boots, and hanging the raincoat off the headrest of a heated seat dries out the raincoat just fine, but staring down the barrel at another winter of wet/damp/frozen solid waders I can’t figure out how to dry them in the car and figured maybe some of you folks had thoughts or methods.
 
Turn 'em inside-out and wipe down with a towel or suitable absorbent pad, then do the same to the outside. The legs need to be separated and not lying flat to dry, and if the inside is semi-clammy they need to be hung vertically with the feet down so the evaporate doesn't re-condense in the feet...you can often fold down the torso section to accomplish this.
Less than ideal for yer average passenger vehicle, but it beats draping them over the dash in front of every available duct while crankin' the defroster.
 
Air circulation always seems to be the challenge with wet waders…assuming you have heat. I have used the Grakksaw boot dryers when hunting the backcountry. I get the teepee hot, hang my boots at the top with the boot dryers in the boots and they dry out fairly quick.

I don’t know if the Grakksaw would push enough air for waders….
 
Hmmm, this is a new one on me. I've never tried to dry my waders in the car. Seems like I can always find a place to hang them to dry. I turn them inside out to get the inside dry. Hang 'em in a garage, carport, over the shower rod in a motel, always find a place somewhere. I've hung them on a tree when camping; obviously that ain't gonna' work if it's raining however.
 
G_Smolt said:
Turn 'em inside-out and wipe down with a towel or suitable absorbent pad, then do the same to the outside. The legs need to be separated and not lying flat to dry, and if the inside is semi-clammy they need to be hung vertically with the feet down so the evaporate doesn't re-condense in the feet...you can often fold down the torso section to accomplish this.
Less than ideal for yer average passenger vehicle, but it beats draping them over the dash in front of every available duct while crankin' the defroster.
Click to expand...
My buddy frequently wheels his Jeep in the fall in the Sierras with his doors off…they had bought these jackets that had a tunnel that attached to the jeeps heater duct…they worked pretty well
 
Salmo_g said:
Hmmm, this is a new one on me. I've never tried to dry my waders in the car. Seems like I can always find a place to hang them to dry. I turn them inside out to get the inside dry. Hang 'em in a garage, carport, over the shower rod in a motel, always find a place somewhere. I've hung them on a tree when camping; obviously that ain't gonna' work if it's raining however.
Click to expand...
I tend to sleep in my car or tent camp on extended trips.
 
J Watrous said:
And yet you missed the chance to say I was wetting myself. Come on man, enough excuses— up your game!
Click to expand...
Nobody is more disappointed in me than me.....
 
I don't know how people get the waders so wet inside. Is there actually a leak? Having the right layers for starters that wick moisture away from you like fleece. That allows water to vapor and then leave. Waders are breathable and that moisture should leave just fine. If it isn't my first thought is leak.

In the old days people would stick newspaper loosely in their waders to suck up water and provide an air space for moisture to escape.
 
In racecars we use a light tube to bring outside air or forced air into our helmets. If I wanted to dry waders I would use the same flex tubing and instead cap the end and perforate the tubing all along the wader length. Then a simple 12V 3" bilge fan to drive air into the tube. You can probably get the tubing at home depot or ebay. could be be smaller 1-4" your pick.

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fatbillybob said:
In racecars we use a light tube to bring outside air or forced air into our helmets. If I wanted to dry waders I would use the same flex tubing and instead cap the end and perforate the tubing all along the wader length. Then a simple 12V 3" bilge fan to drive air into the tube. You can probably get the tubing at home depot or ebay. could be be smaller 1-4" your pick.

www.ebay.com

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Click to expand...
Interesting idea. Thanks!
 
fatbillybob said:
I don't know how people get the waders so wet inside. Is there actually a leak? Having the right layers for starters that wick moisture away from you like fleece. That allows water to vapor and then leave. Waders are breathable and that moisture should leave just fine. If it isn't my first thought is leak.

In the old days people would stick newspaper loosely in their waders to suck up water and provide an air space for moisture to escape.
Click to expand...
Only time I’ve ever been “dry” when I came out of waders was a few years ago when I fished the Cheakamus on a 0*F day with 20mph sustained winds (effectively quite a bit below zero). Wore shorts inside my waders because I forgot the legs to my zip offs.

Otherwise, especially if I wear the “wicking” layers I’m supposed to, I sweat.
 
Here's an idea; can't say I've tried it because I don't sweat enough to get waders wet inside, but it seems reasonable:

Get a 10' x 3" perforated pvc pipe, cut in half. Make sure to sand ends so there are no sharp edges.(~$20)

Pre-dry by laying waders on a big beach towel & rolling them up together, then stand or sit on the roll to transfer moisture to the towel. Turn inside out and repeat.
(This works really well for drying almost any textiles quickly and causes less damage than wringing!)

Stick a pipe down each leg, place free ends on dash near the defrost blowers, prop feet on the passenger seat back rest. You can loop your wading belt around the "ankles" and head rest to keep in place. Drive to next destination with defrost on. Or stick the upper ends angling forward out the window if it's dry out. Even without the airflow through the tubes, they should keep everything mostly uniformly open and exposed to the air to dry - like hanging up, but horizontal.

Plus, the pipes can be used to protect rods in the car when not in use 😉
 
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