It used to be an ongoing battle all season long to keep my fly fishing gear dry and odor free.
There’s nothing worse than having to slide into a pair of stinky, sweaty waders that are still damp from the day before, struggle to slide your feet into a frozen solid pair of wading boots during the winter, or head out fishing on a rainy day with a rain jacket that’s already soaked to the bone. A couple years ago, I finally got smart and bought a dehumidifier, and now all I have to do is drop my gear on the floor next to the dehumidifier in the evening, and it’s waiting for me the next morning 100% dry and odor free. I’m telling you, it’s like heaven on earth, and I guarantee, you’ll find a whole new appreciation and respect for dehumidifiers when you take the leap of faith and put one to work.
Dehumidifiers are also great for fighting the spread of invasive species for traveling anglers because they can suck the moisture out of every crack and crevice of your gear in a very short period of time. So keep that in mind next time you walk by one of them in your local hardware store. Splurging the couple hundred dollars will benefit you…, your fly fishing gear and your trout streams.
Keep it Reel,
Come fish with us in the Bahamas!
Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
That is bloody brilliant! I used to be pretty bad about not drying out my waders properly until I giot a staph infection in my foot from them! I am now pretty diligent to say the least. You guys just gave me something else to put on my “to buy list”. Reading this blog is going to get expensive:)
Brian,
Sorry for adding to your buying list, but if you had that infection before it means you may be able to get it again, and it is a hell of a lot easier to dry your gear out with one of these, believe me. I don’t think I could live without it now. Thanks for the comment.
Kent
Sound advise..learned this one one year by accident.
Or you could just move to Wyoming. This entire state is a giant dehumidifier. Nothing retains moisture here…
Wait, on second thought, don’t move here. Thanks.
Dean,
I was visiting a buddy in Montana one year and we went fly fishing on the Depuy’s. When I got there I had left my wading boots so I ended up having to wear my Justin Cowboy boots with my waders. They froze solid that night, but it only took the following evening for the boots to dry out 100%. I remembering thinking, no wonder you have to drink so much water out here. I agree with you though, for the most part, WY is a natural humidifier.
Kent
My basement get cool in the winter. Temperatures in the low 50’s. That is too cool for my dehumidifier to work properly. Most dehumidifiers work best at temps in the mid 60’s.
Philip,
I have not had a problem using it in the winter time by me in my garage that’s insulated but doesn’t have heating. I’m sure it keeps the humidifier from working at its full capability but I have still been able to use it effectively during the colder months. Depending on where you live, it may only be feasible for you to use a humidifier during the warmer months.
Kent
Be careful running a dehumidifier in low temps. The condensing coils will ice-up and cause the entire system to overheat. Bad news for your dehumidifier and maybe your house. Check the owners booklet, it should give you a tempreture range to use it.
Kent, I see you have your items IN FRONT of the unit getting the MOVING air. Maybe a house fan will work just as well—cheaper—safer.
Pete,
Thanks for the heads up. I had no idea it would overheat the unit. Ha, and your also saying I should put the gear behind the humidifier as well, huh? Man, I’m all screwed up I guess. Again, I’ve been doing this year round for about 4 years with no issues. I will keep that in mind when it gets colder. I do have a wall propane heater that has a thermostat that I could cut on when it gets really cold to keep me in the proper temperature range for the machine. It will cost me more money but it’s better than having a fire hazard. Thanks for the advice Pete. This is why I love our G&G community, we all help each other out.
Kent
Add a fan blowing on the gear with a dehumidifier running to speed up the process of drying out.