Gear Not Drying in Garage in the Cold

[seagoal]

So now that it's regularly cold outside and, here in the Northwest, the moisture in the air has increased, my gear is not drying to my liking as it was during the summer.

We've been in this new house since the spring and I have a ton of space in our garage for my gear on these really nice, open-bottom racks.  I've always been super vigilant about unpacking my bag, setting my gear out, and using a fan for drying.  I played 2-3 times per week over the summer and my gear dried perfectly.

Now with the cold and the moisture, it's just not happening, even with the racks and a fan.  I think the temperature in my garage just stays too cold and it's not insulated like the house is for moisture.  I went to play tonight and noticed some white spots on my navy blue pant shells, which I am assuming is some type of mold.  That means there's probably mold on other pieces of gear as well, just not as visible or obvious.

How do you guys deal with the challenges of drying gear and keeping it mold-free in the colder months?  Any tips or tricks for garage storage?  Take gear inside the house instead?

I do have some open space in our laundry area in our finished basement, but that is very near my partner's office (who works from home) and I would expect a strong veto due to smell should I try to move my stuff in the house. I might just try it though and I would move my garage fan inside with it...and buy lots of incense or candles or something for the smell, haha.

Thanks everyone.  

[Hockey School Dropout]

You'll need heat in addition to airflow to dry it.  Rocket sport dryer would do it.  Or you can build an enclosure and use a space heater and fan to dry it.

I put my gear in a room in the basement and use the Rocket to dry my and my kids' gear.

[aircanuck]

I bought the rocket sport stall for my garage as well. My initial idea was to dry the gear in my garage, then bring it in to the basement the night before to keep it warm, but a quick warm up in the stall before I leave does the trick nicely. Definitely recommend it!

[Znowleopard]

Dehumidifier, should help with the humidity

[dualshowman]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CNGJFX1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I recently purchased this ^^^. Having owned a Rocket Sport Dryer for years, I can say that it was worth what I paid for it. It is rather flimsy and the limited space inside restricts your options for organizing how and where to hang your equipment. It has, however, worked every time I have used it, and by now that is probably close to 800 or 900 times. If you go the Rocket Sport Dryer route, be prepared for pretty bad fit-and-finish and the "I paid this much for something that was clearly made in a sweatshop?!?" vibe.

That said, with the proliferation of cheap crap from China and elsewhere being delivered to your door in about 48 hours, it was very hard to pass up on this portable clothes dryer. It is much, much larger, surprisingly sturdy once assembled, and far less expensive than the Rocket. As a result of the 'shelves' on the inside, you are afforded more options regarding the orientation of your gear relative to the drying unit. I am able to fit every piece of equipment, minus the leg pads, I wore that skate with room to spare. You certainly could fit leg pads in with everything else, but I suspect there will be some air-flow restrictions as a result. Once dry, this dryer functions equally well as a storage system for the gear, something the Rocket cannot do nearly as well. The single demerit is that the timer caps out at 3 hours... which is often not enough to dry my catcher. I sweat a very clean sweat, but I do so profusely. This is the closest thing to a super-power I may have. 

EDIT: 

P.S. - I purchased this unit for about $85, and I see that it's gone up in price. Still worth a look, IMO

[wox33]

Has anyone here tried out one of these: https://goalie.purehockey.com/product/odor-crusher-ozone-flex-equipment-closet/itm/36606-1/

Currently I just have all my stuff strewn around our laundry room and while it's okay in the warmer months when I can open the window right now it's not great and the old lady is starting to get a bit annoyed smelling it every time she goes to do laundry.

[MTH]

Is your garage attached to the house? Maybe leave the door open to the house to let the heated air in.

With all due respect, the lack of insulation hurts both in the summer and winter. You could try adding insulation to the doors (or replace them). Keeping the garage air dry isn't just for your goalie gear... but everything in there. Tools will rust, soft items will get mildew and mold.

Easiest thing to start with is a dehumidifier first. It will need to be emptied though, so you may want to look into using the drain hose to someplace water can go out. Maybe under the garage door or into a sink. Also grab a box fan to help circulate the air.

Not sure what else you keep in the garage, but air moisture is killer to most things.

[seagoal]

Hey guys,

thanks for the feedback and suggestions. Very much apprciated.

I've been doing some research since you guys have chipped in and the Rocket Dryer definitely intrigues me and your positive reviews help, for sure.  It is a bit pricey and if I am going to spend that money I think I'd rather build something larger and more permanent. 

I do have a close friend who is a carpenter and I think my #1 choice would be for him to build me an enclosed closet in our garage with a heat source and dehumidifier inside. We have a 2 car garage and only 1 car, so we have tons of space.  @MTH our garage is not attached.  It is somewhat insulated, but not sealed tight like a house for holding heat.  There are gaps here and there for air flow up in the rafters and the garage door is huge with some small spaces around the perimeter.  

I am friends with a married couple who both play hockey and they built a closet like this in their garage and it is amazing.  I might have them help me with designs. 

I think in the mean time, I am just going to move my stuff inside to our finished basement with my fan and see how far that gets me with my partner.

Wish me luck.

[Punisher Goalie]

I have one of these and I’m a huge fan (get it): 

MaxxDry Heavy Duty Boot Dryer, Shoe Dryer, and Glove Dryer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014SB2X0G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_fRY6Bb16DBPGA

I immediately put my skates and gloves on it as soon as I get home. 3 hours with the heat running and everything is bone dry. Obviously that does not help with pants, C/A, etc., but I find the skates and gloves get by far the most sweat anyway. I hang everything else on hooks to air dry and hope for the best.

[jeff da goalie]

53 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Hey guys,

thanks for the feedback and suggestions. Very much apprciated.

I've been doing some research since you guys have chipped in and the Rocket Dryer definitely intrigues me and your positive reviews help, for sure.  It is a bit pricey and if I am going to spend that money I think I'd rather build something larger and more permanent. 

I do have a close friend who is a carpenter and I think my #1 choice would be for him to build me an enclosed closet in our garage with a heat source and dehumidifier inside. We have a 2 car garage and only 1 car, so we have tons of space.  @MTH our garage is not attached.  It is somewhat insulated, but not sealed tight like a house for holding heat.  There are gaps here and there for air flow up in the rafters and the garage door is huge with some small spaces around the perimeter.  

I am friends with a married couple who both play hockey and they built a closet like this in their garage and it is amazing.  I might have them help me with designs. 

I think in the mean time, I am just going to move my stuff inside to our finished basement with my fan and see how far that gets me with my partner.

Wish me luck.

when I clicked on the Amazon link for that drying closet, it had "You might also like . . ." and had Rocket Sport Dryer like devices for about $90, so quite a bit less than the real deal.  

[seagoal]

15 minutes ago, Punisher Goalie said:

I have one of these and I’m a huge fan (get it): 

MaxxDry Heavy Duty Boot Dryer, Shoe Dryer, and Glove Dryer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014SB2X0G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_fRY6Bb16DBPGA

I immediately put my skates and gloves on it as soon as I get home. 3 hours with the heat running and everything is bone dry. Obviously that does not help with pants, C/A, etc., but I find the skates and gloves get by far the most sweat anyway. I hang everything else on hooks to air dry and hope for the best.

Yeah, the worst ones for me are gloves and knee pads, which I guess makes sense with those being directly on skin.

I'm a very heavy sweater, too.

Thanks for that link, I'll check it out when I can.

[Vice]

I'm in the northwest too. It's fine to have air blowing, but you sort of need a heat source or drying time is much longer. When we first arrived here and were living in some temporary accommodations, I'd set up a fan in the attached/insulated garage to dry my stuff, but I found it was always still damp after several hours. I now have the Rocket Dryer set up in my garage (also attached and insulated). Even in cold and damp weather, my stuff is usually dry within 2 hours. 

[MikeTheGoalie]

@seagoal I'm just north of you in BC, and I have this in my garage:

https://www.costco.ca/Allsport-Hot-Locker.product.100158336.html

I just use 1 adjustable shelf at the top for mask/gloves, pads in the large bottom section (3/4 of the locker), skates on the skate hook, and C/A I hang from the shelf with my own hooks I installed.  Everything except my pants fits in there, and I hang my pants, bag, and mask bag on the hooks on the side.  Everything dries in 1 hour (or an hour and 20), and I also pre-warm the gear before the game for 20 mins, then pack the bag and put in the truck.

My pants don't get all that wet, so they are just fine whenever I play.  If your pants get super wet while playing, quit doing snow angels all game 

[Chester]

Some heat and air movement are critical to proper drying. Even a cheap plastic folding greenhouse is useful.

https://atlurbanfarms.com/product/spring-house-portable-greenhouse/?v=3e8d115eb4b3

Dualshowman's drying locker is neat idea. 

Do you NEED to have your equipment in the garage? Unfinished part of the basement works well. 

Somewhere near the furnace or water heater. They give off heat and its a space for air movement. 

[Hockey School Dropout]

9 hours ago, dualshowman said:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CNGJFX1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I recently purchased this ^^^. Having owned a Rocket Sport Dryer for years, I can say that it was worth what I paid for it. It is rather flimsy and the limited space inside restricts your options for organizing how and where to hang your equipment. It has, however, worked every time I have used it, and by now that is probably close to 800 or 900 times. If you go the Rocket Sport Dryer route, be prepared for pretty bad fit-and-finish and the "I paid this much for something that was clearly made in a sweatshop?!?" vibe.

That said, with the proliferation of cheap crap from China and elsewhere being delivered to your door in about 48 hours, it was very hard to pass up on this portable clothes dryer. It is much, much larger, surprisingly sturdy once assembled, and far less expensive than the Rocket. As a result of the 'shelves' on the inside, you are afforded more options regarding the orientation of your gear relative to the drying unit. I am able to fit every piece of equipment, minus the leg pads, I wore that skate with room to spare. You certainly could fit leg pads in with everything else, but I suspect there will be some air-flow restrictions as a result. Once dry, this dryer functions equally well as a storage system for the gear, something the Rocket cannot do nearly as well. The single demerit is that the timer caps out at 3 hours... which is often not enough to dry my catcher. I sweat a very clean sweat, but I do so profusely. This is the closest thing to a super-power I may have. 

EDIT: 

P.S. - I purchased this unit for about $85, and I see that it's gone up in price. Still worth a look, IMO

that'd work nicely at home.  The advantage of the Rocket is portability. 

[dualshowman]

14 hours ago, Hockey School Dropout said:

that'd work nicely at home.  The advantage of the Rocket is portability. 

This larger dryer actually folds up. The Rocket requires complete disassembly. Still, the Rocket is more portable. I have taken it on adult tournaments to Las Vegas and Scottsdale. I called it 'Divorce Fuel'... it worked well!

[MTH]

The obvious solution is to buy a second set of gear and rotate it so one is drying while the other is in use.

Duh.

[seagoal]

2 hours ago, MTH said:

The obvious solution is to buy a second set of gear and rotate it so one is drying while the other is in use.

Duh.

Ha, I have 2 sets of pads and mitts, which will come in handy for a mini-tournament coming up in a couple of weeks, for sure.

[MTH]

21 hours ago, seagoal said:

Ha, I have 2 sets of pads and mitts, which will come in handy for a mini-tournament coming up in a couple of weeks, for sure.

Good start... keep going.

[SaveByRichter35]

I have a few things to add to this.  I agree with everyone saying heat and a dehumidifier are a must in this situation.  If you don't buy one of the several drying closets that were posted, could you at least put your gear in the laundry area over night to dry?  Once dry just pack it all up and move it into another part of the basement or back to the garage.  Once its dry it should be fine.  Maybe keep one or two of those large silica packets in the bag to absorb any moisture while everything is packed away just to be safe.  Also, for your super sweaty gloves, try wearing a sweat band on your wrists while you play.  That'll help keep all of that sweat from running down your arms and into your gloves.

[Moose75]

Just build a big nest to put everything in and sit on it to keep the stuff warm. 

[aircanuck]

Has anyone modded a drying closet? I'm thinking on adding some insulated panels around the walls of my rocket dryer stall just for the winter. 

[seagoal]

46 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

I have a few things to add to this.  I agree with everyone saying heat and a dehumidifier are a must in this situation.  If you don't buy one of the several drying closets that were posted, could you at least put your gear in the laundry area over night to dry?  Once dry just pack it all up and move it into another part of the basement or back to the garage.  Once its dry it should be fine.  Maybe keep one or two of those large silica packets in the bag to absorb any moisture while everything is packed away just to be safe.  Also, for your super sweaty gloves, try wearing a sweat band on your wrists while you play.  That'll help keep all of that sweat from running down your arms and into your gloves.

This is what I've been doing since a week ago.

Moved all my stuff to the indoor laundry area in our finished basement and  brought my fan in.  There's a heater vent nearby so it stays warm with good air flow, now.  I played last night and tonight again so this will be my first test of this, but I suspect it is going to be great.

The one drawback so far: my partner had a shirt hanging about the area last night and I got home late and spread all my gear out.  This morning, the shirt "smelled like my hockey gear" so I'll have to pay for that one way or the other.  Only time will tell how, haha.

[SaveByRichter35]

58 minutes ago, seagoal said:

This is what I've been doing since a week ago.

Moved all my stuff to the indoor laundry area in our finished basement and  brought my fan in.  There's a heater vent nearby so it stays warm with good air flow, now.  I played last night and tonight again so this will be my first test of this, but I suspect it is going to be great.

The one drawback so far: my partner had a shirt hanging about the area last night and I got home late and spread all my gear out.  This morning, the shirt "smelled like my hockey gear" so I'll have to pay for that one way or the other.  Only time will tell how, haha.

Do you spray your gear down with anything?

[seagoal]

I do not. 

The stinkiest gear I have is pro return gloves that I used last night.  They smelled like death when I got them.