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This boot dryer can save your feet

Ever had trench foot? It's probably one of the most painful -- and most easily prevented -- conditions an outdoorsman or field soldier can suffer.

Also known as immersion foot or "jungle rot," it usually sets in when your feet are wet for extended periods.

Symptoms include itching, pain, cold and blotchy skin, numbness and swelling, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Blisters may form, and skin and tissue may dry up and fall off. Even walking can be extremely painful.

Yup -- it's nasty. But it's also easily avoided if you have a spare pair of boots or time to dry the pair you've got.

But what do you do when your all-leather personnel carriers are soaked through and there's no time to let them dry overnight?

A good boot dryer can speed things up. After testing the DryGuy Sweet 16, we found it to be a solid option.

The forced-air dryer features "heat" and "no-heat" settings and can handle four garments (gloves, boots, hats, etc.). Two 14-inch drying tubes attach to the drying pillars to accommodate taller items.

After soaking a pair of mil-spec desert boots, we found that the Sweet 16 performed as advertised, drying the boots in about two hours on the "heat" setting (the dryer's packaging advertises a one-hour drying time, but the paperwork inside says it's more like one to two hours, so our test run came in just under the wire).

The forced air doesn't reach a high temperature even on the "heat" setting, but those concerned about shrinkage might want to go with the "no-heat" setting instead. In that case, though, you should expect that the item won't dry as quickly.

The drying unit is a bit too bulky to be ideal for individual field use -- it's about the size of a small shoebox and weighs in at 4½ pounds. With no battery option, it requires a 120-volt AC outlet.

DryGuy and other companies offer cheaper boot dryers, including thermal-convection options featuring multiple power sources, that might be better choices for individual use.

But as shared equipment -- two or three dryers per squad would probably be enough to dry everyone's boots overnight -- the Sweet 16 could be a good investment. It retails for $94.95.

To learn more, check out www.dryguy.net.