Saturday, February 6, 2010

Moisture and Odor Begone! Stuffitts to the Rescue!

The other day, I got an email from a sales rep about a new product great for athletes. Emily, the manager at our local running store (Off'n Running Sports) had told her about the blog and suggested that I might like to know about their product—Stuffitts Shoe Savers. The email was brief, but basically it said they wanted to send me a pair of Stuffitts to try out. Basically, Stuffitts help keep your shoes moisture and odor free. Well, if you've been reading the blog for a while, then you know that I'm a regular waterworks when I run and I'm usually drenched afterward, especially during the summer months. So, I quickly responded, "Yes! Send them on!"

When I received the package and opened it, I was greeted with the pleasant aroma of cedar. Yep, basically stuffitts are foot-shaped sacks filled with cedar chips. It's a simple principle, but man do they work! The sacks are constructed of a technical fabric that allows the moisture from the shoes to pass through and be absorbed by the red cedar chips.

It's February and I wanted to test the Stuffitts at their max, but I knew I wasn't going to get them as wet as I would have during a summer run....until I remembered the snow and slush outside. So, I got in a run and got my feet good and wet. After my run, I rinsed off the dirt (which got my shoes even wetter). Now typically when my shoes get wet like that, I take the laces out, pull the tongue back and set them turned over atop a heat vent and know they won't be ready to wear for at least a day.

This time, instead of pulling my shoes apart and using the heat-vent method, I slipped in the Stuffitts. The research on the Stuffitts' website says that about 60% of the moisture will be absorbed in about an hour. So, I checked after an hour and while I can't be scientifically positive that 60% of the moisture was gone, I can report that I was amazed at how dry they were! My run was about 7:00AM and they were already pretty dry by 9:00AM! By the time I went to bed, they were dry! Plus they smelled good!

Wondering what to do when the cedar looses it absorbency? I was too. You can order replacement bags of the cedar chips. The chips are nicely enclosed in sacks that you slip into the zippered technical fabric enclosures. So, there's never any messy cedar chip debris to deal with. If you use the Stuffitts on a regular basis, it's recommended that you replace the cedar bags every 6 months.

How much does all of this cost? The initial purchase of a pair of Stuffitts is $24.95. About what you'd pay for a pair of athletic shoe insoles. A pair of replacement bags is $9.95. Not too bad, especially if it'll extend the life of your shoes!
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To find out even more about how Stuffitts work, check out this video clip below from Daily Grommet.



Note: Although, Stuffitts contacted me and sent me a free pair of Stuffitts to try out, I was not paid to do a review nor was I encouraged to write a positive review. My review is strictly a report on my experience using Stuffitts Shoe Savers.


18 comments:

Claire said...

What a cool...yet simple idea! Thanks for the review!

RunnerDude said...

Hey C.E.E.! Welcome to the blog!If you give Stuffitts a try, let me know what you think!

Claire said...

I'm a closet reader....always good stuff...no pun intended:)

RunnerDude said...

Thanks for the closet reading C.E.E.!!!

Molly said...

smart idea, althought they look a bit Smurf like : )

RunnerDude said...

Hey Molly! You're right! The also come in red, black, light blue, and pink! I hear Papa Smurf had stinky smelly feet. LOL!

Anonymous said...

Hey RunnerDude,

Glad the Stuffitts man got to you. We gave two away at a Thursday night run to see what people thought and I have not heard back from them yet. Glad you liked them. I am pretty sure we will get a few for the store.

Emily

RunnerDude said...

Hey Emily! Cool! They really are pretty cool things to have.

Concord Carpenter said...

Interesting product, thanks for sharing and enjoy them!

I use a foot dryer but that usees electricity ~ I like this method better. More greener!

runrgrl2007 said...

Why is it that one of us didn't invent something like that? I assume the good review will get this product at ONR soon! Hint hint Emily!

Janice {Run Far} said...

thanks for the review.... my shoes dont stink to much, its all my clothes... ugh

RunnerDude said...

Hey runrgrl2007! Sounds like they may get in a few.

RunnerDude said...

Hey Janice!! I have that same prob. WIN is a detergent that's great for getting out sport odors. It really does work. I get my at Dick's Sporting Goods. But you can order it online too. Here's a post I did about WIN a while back. http://ncrunnerdude.blogspot.com/2009/03/dryer-sheets-are-no-no.html

Chad said...

I have never really had a problem with drying my shoes.
What about a runner's sized taser for the COUGAR in the area? Any good ideas for dealing with them on trail?

http://runningfool-ootaynee.blogspot.com/

RunnerDude said...

Hi Chad! No much need for Cougar repelent around these parts, but a bear did wander into town one time.

Kevin Leathers said...

I received a pair of Stuffitt's last season as an "age-group" award. I was not too fired up about my prize until i started using them. The "Stuffits" work. Not only do they help dry the shoes but they do help keep the "smell of death" under control...

RunnerDude said...

Hey Kevin! I love that..."Smell of Death" LOL! Yep, that really do the trick!

The Boring Runner said...

The interesting thing would be if these things can FIX shoes. Every so often my shoes will get wet and bad smelling.

Either way, if something smells like cedar, it can't be all bad!