Gear to keep your hands and feet warm: DryGuy, ThermaCell, Dakine, and Yaktrax

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Cold hands, warm heart is how the saying goes. But when you live in town that sees harsh winter conditions and you want to get out and enjoy the mountains, no matter the temperature, cold hands can turn the most enjoyable experience into a not so fun one.  Here are a few tips and products to keep your hands and feet warm so you continue to enjoy the outdoors.

DryGuy Force Dry DX Boot and Glove Dryer $80

A wet, cold ski boot is just about the last thing you want to put on before a full day on the slopes. Fortunately, the DryGuy Force Dry DX Boot and Glove Dryer eliminates this problem in a matter of hours. The DryGuy Force Dry DX is the most used item that I’ve reviewed this season. In a week, I average 4-6 days on my skis and with a 9-5 job this requires some early morning and after work ski tours. Fortunately, even when doing a morning ascent after an evening tour, the boots are dry and ready for my use thanks to the DryGuy Force Dry DX Boot and Glove Dryer.

Features and Performance

The DryGuy Force Dry DX features 4 different ports that can be used for drying. The machine tested came with two extension tubes or boot extenders, which are 16″ tall and ideal for ski and snowboard boots. The extenders also feature a removable attachment that helps propel the air towards the mid-foot and toe box. Without the extenders, you really don’t get the mid-foot or toe box dry in a larger boot. Therefore, if you are drying ski or snowboard boots, 1 boot at a time is required unless you have 4 boot extenders. This was not a big deal for us, as you can use the other 2 ports to dry out your mittens or gloves. DryGuy also sells a wader adapter and extension and helmet holder.

The boot and glove dryer features an 80,000 hour rated rotary blower. DryGuy states that the boot dryer is whisper quiet. I would say it sounds more like our bathroom fan; noticeable but not overly annoying. Most people would place this in an entryway or mudroom, so the sound sound will not likely be an issue. The dryer reaches a maximum temperature of 105F/40.5C and has not caused any melting, shrinking, or other damage to the fabrics in gloves and/or boots. You can also switch the heat off, but I am unclear of the indications for this.

The DryGuy Force Dry DX dries my wet ski boots in an average of 2 hours. My husbands’ boots (featured above) are quite a bit larger, he wears a size 12.5, and therefore his take about 2.5 hours to dry completely. The unit remains stable even with heavy boots on the rack. DryGuy makes it easy to maximize efficiency and avoid wasting energy with a timer that can be turned up to 180 minutes multiple boots without wasting extra energy thanks to a dial timer that can be turned up to 180 minutes, or 3 hours.

Specs

The DryGuy Force Dry DX Boot and Glove Dryer utilizes a standard 120V AC household outlet and comes with a 6 foot cord. The cord length is ideal as it gives you enough room without creating a tripping hazard. The unit itself measures 12″ x 7.5″ x 15″ with the height increased with the addition of the boot extenders. The overall footprint is similar to two boots placed side by side on the ground to dry and therefore doesn’t require extra space. We used the boot dryer on-top of one of our boot mats and I highly recommend this to catch snow and other debris from the bottom of your boots that may drip when the boot is drying.

Overall, the DryGuy Force Dry DX Boot and Glove Dryer is a product I didn’t know I needed and now I don’t know how I lived without it. When mud season rolls around here I will continue to turn to the DryGuy DX Forced Air Boot Dryer to quickly dry my trail running shoes. The DryGuy Force Dry DX Boot and Glove Dryer will be in use for about 8 months out of the year, making it well worth the $80 price tag. www.amazon.com/dryguy

Boot warmers are a key part of my typical resort ski day.  A few years back, I tested the Therm-ic Smartpack IC 950, full review available here. But what I didn’t have was insoles for when you aren’t skiing, that can be used in a variety of boots and easily added or removed depending on the activity. Thankfully, ThermaCell offers a new product for this winter with the ProFlex Heavy Duty Heated Insoles that can easily slip into multiple boots to keep feet warm whether I’m hiking, watching a ski competition, hockey game, ice fishing, or just sledding in the neighborhood on a frigid day.

The ThermaCell ProFlex Heavy Duty Heated Insole is an update and upgrade from their previous offering, the ProFlex Heated insole. The main differences with the ProFlex Heavy Duty Insole are: extended battery life, extra supportive footbed that is constructed of more durable material, and Bluetooth operation for adjusting the heat via your smartphone. Here is a more detailed look at each feature.

ThermaCell ProFlex Heavy Duty Insole with Extended Life Battery

The ThermaCell ProFlex Heavy Duty Insoles feature two cushioned removable and rechargeable lithium ion polymer batteries. Each battery can last up to 8.5 hours or 30% longer than the standard ProFlex batteries when used at the low temperature setting. The average run time for the battery on medium is 7 hours and high is 5 hours. After a few uses, I feel that these battery times might be slightly over estimated, even with a new battery. On high, the battery seemed to run for close to 4 hours and approximately 5-7 hours while on medium. I did not test them on low as my feet get quite cold and the low setting was not enough to keep my feet comfortable.

The 3 heat settings release the following amount of heat:

• Low=100°
• Medium=110°
• High=115°

The ThermaCell Heavy Duty Extended Life Battery is removable and can be removed while leaving the insole within your boot. The battery is lightweight and compact and can charge fully in 2 hours using a wall charger or USB port. The charging station charges both batteries at the same time and utilizes a micro-USB port. ThermaCell states that each battery can be recharged “well over 500 times”. I have never kept track of charging times but would assume that these batteries should last a few seasons or more.

You can also purchase a second set of batteries for $49 to allow you to use your insoles all day or on multi-day trips that do not allow re-charging. When your insoles are not in use, ThermaCell recommends removing your batteries from the insoles to turn off the insole completely. If you want to turn off the temperature, but keep the battery in the insole, you need to turn the insole to “No Heat” in the application, which is discussed below. I used this feature throughout a weekend, but remove the battery from the insole if I am not using them for one day or more and store them in the charging station unplugged.

ThermaCell ProFlex Heavy Duty Insole

The ThermaCell ProFlex Heavy Duty Insole is thicker and more durable, as the name suggests, than the standard ProFlex insole. The material is firm on the bottom and the insole offers good arch support. The insole is rigid and can be slipped into boots easily after removing factory insoles and loosening the laces of the boot. It is important to avoid bending the insole as to not damage the heating elements.

The Heavy Duty Insole is available in a variety of sizes and can be trimmed to fit your boot for a custom fit. Fortunately, I did not need to trim or cut the insoles as they fit perfectly into 3 of my cold weather boots. I wear a size 9-9.5 and was able to use the size Large insole in Merrell, Sorel, and Keen boots. Here is a size guide courtesy of heat.ThermaCell.com

Heated Insoles Size	Fits Men’s Shoe Size	Fits Women’s Shoe Size
Small	3.5 to 5	4.5 to 6
Medium	5.5 to 7	6.5 to 8
Large	7.5 to 9	8.5 to 10
X-Large	9.5 to 11	10.5 to 12
XX-Large	11.5 to 13	12.5 to 14

The insole and the battery are water resistant, not waterproof. This is no surprise and not an issue as I wear these boots with waterproof snow boots and am using them for walking in the snow, not puddles. These insoles would also be ideal for those that fish, including fly fishing with the use of high quality waders, and hunting. These are two activities that I personally do not do, but standing in a stand for many hours in the cold or in a frigid stream are activities that cause reduced blood flow to the feet and ultimately cold feet.

ThermaCell App and Bluetooth

The ThermaCell ProFlex Heavy Duty Insole does not require a remote that may get misplaced. Rather, the Heavy Duty Insole can be controlled by your phone thanks to Bluetooth technology. To set up your new insoles, you only need about 5 minutes.

• Start by going to either Google Play if you have an Android or the App store if you have an iPhone. Type in ThermaCell to the search menu and download the application. It takes little space/memory.
• Once the app is downloaded you need to pair your phone with your heated insoles. Ensure that your insoles are fully charged and simply open the app and select the “+” or plus sign to search for My ThermaCell Heated Products. Your insoles should come up as an option and simply select the pairing button.
• From this point you enter a security code and can name your device, which is helpful if you have more than one ThermaCell product.
• After you have done the initial set up, you simply open the app and select your device and can adjust the temperature in a matter of seconds.

From the app you can adjust the head settings of an individual insole or both insoles at the same time. To adjust each insole individually, simply turn the “link” button in the center of the screen to the left and their will be an X under the word link, meaning that the temperature settings can be individualized and two columns of heat options will appear. If you prefer to have the same temperature for both insoles, keep the switch to “link” and only one set of temperature adjustments will appear, like the image above. The green bars under each insole shows the percentage of battery that remains, which is a helpful tool to know when your feet may start to get cold or that you may need to swap or charge the batteries. The app is easy to use and doesn’t decrease your battery life of your phone, even when running in the background.

There is also a “No Heat” setting. This can be used to put your battery insole into stand by mode. This is handy if you go inside, your feet get warm, or you plan to not use the battery for a few hours or days. ThermaCell states that closing the app does not turn off the battery. The only way to truly turn off the battery is to remove the battery from the insole.

Overall, the ThermaCell Heavy Duty Heated Insoles have been a must have for cold weather days when I’m not doing highly aerobic activities. These insoles do not make my feet hot, but rather keep them at a comfortable temperature and prevent them from freezing or going numb. For more information visit thermacell.com