I have a great pair of Carharts I really like for construction work. They hold up well and after breaking them in feel pretty good. With wet trench work though they take three days to dry out and annoys me. So I pulled out my old jungle boots from the service and love the crap out of them. Couple problems though I dont like. Sole on them are very thin which means I kick shovels in the ground and do the one legged chicken dance atleast once a day:beatsme. Also they dont have steel toes which also gets me in trouble because I'm used to using my toes as shims quite abit. Anyways I'm betting they've made boots for this very application and I'd like to keep a 2nd pair around for wet jobs, thanks for any input!
Get a deet drier boot . It circulates warm air and is safe for leather as well as rubber. You can also get an adapter for doing gloves although I just slip gloves over the way it comes.
I have a simple boot dryer that i picked up at a local boot store. It was very inexpensive. Its a Thermal Dri brand and it works by lightly warming the boot from the inside (it dosent warm up over 100 degrees so it wont damage the leather). It will definately dry out a soggy boot over night. I picked up a pair of Chippewa waterproof loggers and i've been very happy with them. They were a little pricey at $200 but they are completely waterproof right out of the box and they still breath nicely and have just the right level of insulation.
Yes they have made boots for wet jobs, they are called gumboots around here and I have a pair with steel caps in the truck, for when things get real wet and muddy. Far as drying boots out, stick some crumpled up newspaper in them to help by drying them from the inside and then place them near a heater, so they are warm but not hot. If they are real wet you may have to change the newspaper a coupe of times.
Are gumboots what we call rubber boots? Are they waterproof or quick drying? I bought some military issue jungle boot type boots at a surplus store that had steel toes and steel shanks.
Mixed up a couple words supposed to be deet boot drier.
I wear desert boots (the new jungle) every day. Free and easy to dry.
Get a pair of Muck Boots. Muck is the brand name, You can find them at Tractor Supply and Cabelas. They make several different types depending on what your needs are
http://www.labonville.com/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=82 Viking Bushwacker boots- steel toe, waterproof and reasonably warm (for rubber boots). We swear by them winter and summer.
I have used for years two cheeeep hair driers. You want low heat and high fan speed works very well, needed another drier the other month was $18.00 or so. Back before the removed the wax ( its not environmentally friendly ) WAAAH! now I use a lot more of stuff that doesn't last as long or work as well. Loggers Wax was very good . Viberg's boots made in Victoria were and are the only way to go for summer.
Redwing makes some of their boots with a waterproof leather. I have been wearing them for years and love them, they look the same, they are not hotter and breathe well and you can get steel toes. I put them on a boot dryer every night to clear out the internal sweat moisture and dry as a bone next day. They look and feel like soft leather but it is rugged, lasts as long as it should, and they are waterproof up to the tongue. I have waded in water up to 7-8" and stood for hours in 5-6", no water penetration.