By: Blonde Two
‘I’m seriously not impressed, they’re all white and wrinkly!’ Was the cry of the, admittedly rather soggy, DofE participant. After checking that she had dry socks for bed and reassuring her that her feet were not about to drop off, I pondered, whilst checking the guy ropes of the other tents, the best way to dry socks when you are at camp. And hence a rather stinky Tuesday’s Ten was born!
1. Drying isn’t always possible, always pack a dry pair of socks.
2. Either remove your dry socks or insert them and your feet into plastic bags before you put your wet boots back on to leave the tent.
3. Hang your wet socks out of the minibus window on a windy day or whilst driving along (such a good look alongside the school logo).
4. Invite your wet socks into your sleeping bag for the night (they will at least be warm in the morning and will probably make friends with your bra).
5. Wear your wet socks and hold your feet up towards the sunshine (this one could take a while).
6. Twist the socks to extract as much moisture as possible then tie them to the back of your rucksack.
7. Wear your wet socks attached to either side of your hat (great for keeping you awake as they flap in your ears).
8. Hang your wet socks on sticks over the campfire (smoked socks are a delicacy in some cultures).
9. Have a wet sock war with friends (this probably won’t dry the socks but it will make your feet warmer).
10. Fill your wet socks with newspaper and see what happens next (I have no idea either but I am willing to have a go if you will!)
Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to stand in the loo for ages trying to dry your socks under the hand dryer. It won’t work and you really would be happier outside in the sunshine (if you can find some!) You should also avoid getting footprints on your minibus windscreen!
If you are in a b and b or better still, hotel: get a towel – lay socks out flat – roll up towel tightly into a sausage – trap one end between thighs and twist sausage from other end as hard as you can. Your socks will be just about dry enough to wear.
Within my circle of backpacking friends there is a legend of one guy in a hotel who removed all the pictures from the walls in his room then draped his tent round on the hooks to dry.
I remember washing 3,000,000 midges (mainly dead) off my tent in a huge hotel bath and drying the tent by the electric bar fire in my room all night – rather like sleeping in a sauna. I only had one hotel night.
Once your feet are wet, the easiest thing is to wear your dry pair of socks only in the tent and put wet socks and boots on when you go out. Number 6 is a favourite, too – when you pass other walkers, the first question will be “Do I still have TWO red socks attached to the back of my rucksack?” I travelled round Ireland with socks (and sometimes underwear) drying on the dashboard of my van. It gets quite warm even when the heater isn’t on. Perhaps you could have hooks on the underside of the vehicle’s bonnet?