Your Boot Dryer Take Too Long? Build the DIY turbo model!

by Lou Dawson
written by Lou Dawson
DIY backcountry skiing boot dryer does the job in a tenth the time as commercial models.

DIY backcountry skiing boot dryer does the job in a tenth the time as commercial models. Uses a couple of inexpensive 80mm computer fans.

“Hey dad,” my son said back when he was still in the nest and a regular at WildSnow HQ, “I want to build a boot dryer that works, you got any computer fans in that pile of junk?”

“Sure,” I said, “check out my hardware hacking stash, I’ve even got computer fan grills, reducers and whatnot.”

“What would work best for tubes?” Louie said, “I don’t want to buy anything for this project.”


Answer: “Check out the famous WildSnow workshop, you never know what you might find in there!”

Sure enough, the guy finds Rancho shock absorber boots that fit perfectly in the ends of the fan reducers. End result, the WildSnow Turbo Boot Dryer. Be careful, it might blow your boots right out the door!

The fans run on 12 volts, Louie rigged the WildSnow Turbo Boot Dryer so it will work in the car with a cigarette lighter plug, and also rigged a 12 volt wall-wart power supply for use indoors. Unless they're USB powered at 5 volts, most computer fans will run of standard 12 volts. At home with either, use wall adapters you've got a drawer full of.

The fans run on 12 volts, Louie rigged the WildSnow Turbo Boot Dryer so it will work in the car with a cigarette lighter plug, and also rigged a 12 volt wall-wart power supply for use indoors. Unless they’re USB powered at 5 volts, most computer fans will run of standard 12 volts. At home with either, use wall adapters you’ve got a drawer full of.

Another view. Note the fan size reducers. Mounting plate was constructed from a hunk of plastic cut out of a plastic box we had in the junk pile. We bought nothing specifically for this project, does that indicate packrat syndrome or just a well stocked shop?

Another view. Note the fan size reducers. Mounting plate was constructed from a hunk of plastic cut out of a plastic box we had in the junk pile. We bought nothing specifically for this project, does that indicate packrat syndrome or just a well stocked shop?

Link below is for a variety of dual 80mm fans you could do this build with:


Coolerguys Dual 80mm USB Powered Cabinet Cooler for Cabinet & Home Theaters

If you want to go totally low cost, build your own fan mount plate like we did, and mount a couple of the least cost 80 mm fans you can find. Link below is for a fan from Amazon that looks perfect in terms of cost vs performance.

Antec TriCool 80mm Cooling Fan with 3-Speed Switch


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