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I am not as hardcore as this guy, but I am close. I agree with everything said above. Wearing an underlayer wicking shirt and drying equipment after each skate is crucial.
I use a rocket dryer after every skate. https://www.amazon.com/Panda-Portable-Ventless-Folding-Machine/dp/B01AVGCPN2/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=rocket+dryer&qid=1610314546&s=home-garden&sr=1-1
Similiar to that ^^
Skip buying that overpriced item for $200 and get the no name version for $70.
And before you ask, it's the same thing.
Check out the Panda dryer on Amazon. It is literally exactly the same as Rocket and 1/3 the price.
I've had one for 4 years and it's been the best hockey purchase I've made in that time.
I luckily had a separate laundry room in my apartment when I lived there. I always washed my gear after playing and for the stuff that wouldn't fit in the wash, I would air outside in the summer or use this in the bathroom with the fan running. Worked well as a dryer and as a stand for the gear after washing.
A rocket dryer is probably your best bet. There's a much cheaper version available as well (link). Barring that, /u/O-Shay-Jackson basically has it right. First and foremost is getting it hung up right away. No matter how late the game, you don't leave your gear in your bag overnight. As soon as you get home, you hang it up.
I am fortunate to not be a particularly sweaty/stinky guy, so I just dry mine overnight in a tucked-away corner of my living room and put it away the following night, and you don't smell anything in the house (anything wet like base layer goes straight to the laundry). I don't use an anti-bacterial spray, but that would definitely help if your gear does smell more—the smell comes from bacteria, so killing the bacteria or preventing it from growing in the first place would help.
If your gear already smells now, you can wash almost everything, just add some vinegar to the detergent and it will get rid of the smell without making your gear smell like vinegar.
My husband and I both play, we have 2 portable stand up dryers that we use after every game. Spray the gear down with some kind of disinfectant/deodorizer, hang it in the dryer, then let it run. No issues with smells. We put our gear away when it's dry. It's been working well for us!
This is what we have.
Dry Shampoo and a collapsible dryer have made my pants, shin pads, and elbow guards last over a decade with minimal stank. When I get home I hang everything-skates included with the insoles removed in the dryer for 2 hours then hit the ahi pad liners, inside of the pants and elbows with a spray of dry shampoo and it’s good for next weeks game. Here’s the exact dryer I’ve used for a few years. Works great!
Panda Portable Ventless Cloths Dryer Folding Drying Machine with Heater https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AVGCPN2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_4F8C6FRKYEXNTG4SY90C
I have this copycat and it's been flawless for 4 years.
Aside from the helmet, it fits all equipment including skates and takes about an 18"x18" footprint. I put everything in there post-game, crank timer up for 60 mins and it's ready to go. I just leave equipment in it between games but it's dry after the 60 mins.
I wash most stuff once or twice a year just because, but nothing smells badly since it's all getting dried.
This is a generic version of the Rocket Dryer and about half the price. Works well to completely dry gear in an hour or so. Also keeps my gear neatly contained until i repack it for my next skate (previously I'd been spreading everything out all over the basement floor and blowing a fan on it, not the best use of my basement space). Best $65 i've spent on this sport ...
I have one of these and it is the best $60 I have ever spent on hockey equipment. All of my gear except helmet fits in this, and it drys it out in an hour or so. Because the gear is getting dried, it no longer has the hockey funk.
The footprint is small enough that you could leave all your gear in it except when being used, and it would take up a small corner of your balcony. It can also be taken apart so that if needed, you can dry your shit and then put the equipment in your car's trunk and then take the dryer apart and hide it under a bed or something.
Panda is the poor man's Rocket Dryer. It is exactly the same except it does not come with S hooks but you can buy those for $8 on amazon.
Prior to buying one, I just laid all my equipment out on floor and put a box fan in front. Got the panda because the footprint is smaller and it has a timer.
I too am in the wash everything but helmet and skates in the washer or the dishwasher for shoulder pads (not kidding)
>Panda Portable Ventless Cloths Dryer Folding Drying Machine with Heater https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AVGCPN2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kxfaybEWSKZ5V
Holy shit. That's literally the exact same dryer unit and frame that I have. They just rebranded the bag that goes around it and are charging twice the price.
Now I'm fully on board with "fuck these guys". At those prices, it would still be cheaper to buy the EasyGo wardrobe dryer just for the drying unit and a better rack to hang the gear from.
Bonus: I love all the people in the Panda dryer comments saying it's too small to dry clothes. If I can dry goalie gear in it, you can damn well dry clothes.
This was the best purchase I've ever made for apartment living: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AVGCPN2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_RyFcRIr1BPfkO
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P7QTF59?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
https://www.amazon.ca/Panda-Portable-Ventless-Folding-Machine/dp/B01AVGCPN2/
Get this, it's the best thing I ever did for both my gear and my relationships. It was about 80 dollar less than that price when I got it so check around on not amazon maybe. Definitly don't pay 300 bucks for a Rocket dryer because this is literally the same thing, I compared piece by piece with someone at a tournament once, the blue bag is the only difference.
Get some of the spray (I use this stuff https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/captodor-odour-destroyer-spray-500-ml-0830328p.html).
Spray your gear when you take it off, when you get hope set the dryer up (I use the bathroom or outside if it's nice) and turn the dryer on. Put your shit away and take down the dryer and put it with your gear.
https://www.amazon.com/Panda-Portable-Ventless-Folding-Machine/dp/B01AVGCPN2
Takes up less space and works better.
This works and contains the smell pretty well.
Check this dryer available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Panda-Portable-Ventless-Folding-Machine/dp/B01AVGCPN2?th=1&psc=1
I'm a big fan of the Panda sports dryer. A couple of hours and your gear is dry. Money well spent, in my opinion.
Nice DIY solution, but as a heads up, the rocket driers are under $70 for the non-branded version.
I’ll still stick to my $10 repurposed shoe rack. I could always point a fan on it, but never have issues with gear not drying out overnight
Yo. Don't buy the rocket dryer.
Buy the Panda Dryer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AVGCPN2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And these hooks: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P7QTF59/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's literally the same dryer just way cheaper. I put my wet stuff in here after a game. It dries, I put it back in my bag, zip it up, and you can't smell a damn thing. My girlfriend doesn't notice any smell.
I have one of these
It is identical to the Rocket Dryer at half the cost. YOu will need to buy "S" shaped hangers to hang your stuff but you can fit everything but your helmet in this and it will be dry within an hour. My skates stank before I bought it so it hasn't helped in that department, but I haven't washed any equipment in a long time and none of it has gotten funky (before I had this I was washing my gloves, shin liners, and elbows every few months).
This other model is less expensive still and appears to be identical but only have personal experience with the Panda
You can get a dryer similar to a Rocket on Amazon for a decent price:
Panda Portable Ventless Cloths Dryer Folding Drying Machine with Heater https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AVGCPN2/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_2MgfxbB0TBXYY
This is the exact same thing and cheaper then the rocket dryer . Not sure if it comes with the hooks