Nahaufnahme: zwei Füße stehen in Wildling Schuhen auf laubbedeckem Untergrund.

Keeping our feet dry

There is a hint of coolness in the air, the leaves are turning warm shades of yellow and red, and the days are getting shorter. The cooler season is slowly settling in. It often brings with it damper weather and the all-too-familiar challenge: How do we keep our feet warm and, above all, dry?

All those looking for the right wildlings for wild weather are well advised to choose water-repellent Wildlings. They are designed to keep moisture out.

Close-up: a child's foot in a yellow Wildling barefoot shoe.

Vigor golden yellow. Image: @salam_tabea

The right footwear can contribute a lot to getting through the cold season with dry feet. But what if we nevertheless step into a puddle that is too deep or have happily walked through deep snow that has found its way through the water-repellent material?

Wet feet? Dry shoes quickly

Whether in the forest, in the field, in the mountains or crossing a stream: During our adventures it can happen, especially in autumn and winter, that our shoes and feet get wet. Fortunately, experienced Wildling wearers within the Wildling community have already compiled a few ideas and tips for quickly drying their shoes out.

Tip 1: Dry shoes and insoles well from the outside

The first step to dry our wet shoes can be to simply dry them with an absorbent towel from the outside. For wildlings with insoles, it is best to remove them and dry them separately.

While this still won't help with the moisture inside the shoe, it will allow us to speed up the drying process and reduce the risk of mold and odor development.

Tip 2: Stuffing shoes

Once we have dried our shoes as thoroughly as possible with a towel, we can stuff them with newspaper or highly absorbent cloth towels. Experience shows that this is a great way to absorb excess water and speed up the drying process. It can help to occasionally check how much the newspaper or cloths have already soaked up and to replace the stuffing material as necessary.

Tip 3: Fresh air

Just like for ourselves, it is good for our wildlings to come out into the air. If possible, we should not keep them in a closed container, such as a closet, shoe box or backpack. Especially if they ever get wet, wildlings like it airy so the moisture can escape easily when they dry.

Close-up of one pair of children's feet and one pair of adult feet. The children's feet are wearing Tejo blue, the adult feet are wearing Tejo caramel.

Tejo blue and Tejo caramel. Image: @sarahboll.de und @annadammpunktcom

The creativity of the Wildling community is continually evident in a variety of facets. This is most obvious in design and decoration, but also in wet shoes.

Other tips and ideas include blow drying the Wildlings on a low setting, putting them on a shoe dryer and, thinking especially ahead, always having a spare pair with us, or even waterproofing the shoes an extra time before a walk in the rain

Drying shoes in the dryer?

Another seemingly obvious idea might be to simply use the dryer. However, throwing shoes in the clothes dryer is usually not a good idea. For Wildlings, putting them in the dryer or washing machine is discouraged.

What about the oven or microwave?

This also applies to the oven, microwave or even heaters. This can not only damage the shoes, but can also quickly and unintentionally become a dangerous source of fire. Wildlings prefer us to let them dry in a material-friendly way, i.e. slowly or indirectly.

The Wildling community is always happy to receive more tips and home remedies for drying shoes quickly and easily. Ideas can be shared on Instagram or in the Wildling Community on Facebook. So we can all quickly go on adventures together again in the field, forest and meadow, without fear of wet feet even in rain and snow.

Cover image: Tejo caramel. Image: @sarahboll.de and @annadammpunktcom