Proper storage of skates

[Feebee]

I've been tossing my skates into a gym bag, and then the trunk of my car, through all seasons. I know this is bad for my skates but my schedule is so unpredictable, and it feels like as it is, I leave the house each day with so much stuff to carry (laptop bag and gym bag (with actual gym stuff), I hate the idea of adding my skate bag into that mix. I also worry about forgetting my skate bag at home. All in all its just way easier to keep them in my car.

So my question is, as we get into summer months...is there any way to keep them in my car (with ice? In a cooler bag?) so that they air out properly between sessions, and so the heat doesn't break down the leather?

[riley876]

Mesh bag?

I've found rubbing down the blades with vegetable oil after use is a pretty effective way to stop rust forming, even when I have to leave my skates in the car for the rest of the day.    (And if you were wondering it doesn't make them slippery on the next usage).

As for the leather, I know leather doesn't like either low or high humidity.   What are you fighting here in your climate?  Low or high humidity?  Maybe invest in a little cheap temp/humidity display device,  leave it in the car and check it a few times just to see what exactly you're dealing with.

As for heat, those silvered folded windscreen shields do help significantly to keep the heat out.

[FigureSpins]

I kept my skates outside in the car the summer we moved.  (90-110°F)  I kept them in an insulated cooler with the soakers on and tucked a frozen blue ice pack in every morning with a piece of cardboard to keep it from touching the skates directly..  Didn't have any problems with rust but ymmv.

[skategeek]

I also tend to leave my skates in the car if I know I'm skating again the next day, but I'm less likely to do it when it gets hotter out so I haven't thought about using a cooler or anything like that.  Bad habit, though, and I suspect I'll regret it in the long run.  My skate bag is a Transpak backpack with mesh sides over the skate compartments.  That lets the skates air out just fine, so far as I can tell. 

[Query]

While the cooler idea is interesting, the moisture might cause the boots to rot and mildew, unless you have a low humidity climate, if left long-term. Perhaps you could use lots of frozen "blue ice" (colder than real ice, and only condenses water from the air, doesn't create its own vapor) in an uncovered bag while driving? Perhaps it's not a big problem for an hour or two at a time. (Caution: I've not tried it!)

It will help to keep your car cooler by putting a sun-shield behind your windshield, crack your windows, or open the sunroof (if you have one) a little. Also  - you should have bought a white car with tinted windows - it will be about 15 degrees cooler on hot summer days than dark colors, though that is for our climate. I know one person who had his car painted white, just to keep it cooler - very expensive, if done right.

But: My car is white. I have tinted windows, a sunroof, and sometimes leave it and the windows cracked open, and sometimes use a sun-shield. Near DC (which is fairly hot), it STILL gets hot enough to re-heat-mold skate boots, so they no longer fit right.

Actually, though, my current boots (high end Graf) were meant to heat mold at 260 deg F, rather than the 185 or so that most boots are designed for, and they heat-molded pretty slowly at hair drier temperatures - so I might well be able to leave them in the car... I haven't tried it yet.

Is it a big deal to bring the boots into work with you? It's the obvious solution. I admit you can't do that while shopping. Perhaps you could keep blue ice in a good cooler, and bring it out to put in an open bag with your skates while shopping.

[riley876]

Also  - you should have bought a white car with tinted windows - it will be about 15 degrees cooler on hot summer days than dark colors, though that is for our climate. I know one person who had his car painted white, just to keep it cooler - very expensive, if done right.

Or one could wrap one's roof and boot lid (or the whole car!) in chrome vinyl!   

Cheap as dirt:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/30-152cm-Stretchable-Chrome-Mirror-Silver-Car-Vinyl-Wrapping-Waterproof-Silver-Vinyl-Wrap-Sheet-Roll-Film/32551255535.html?spm=2114.30010308.3.9.qyplXB&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_7,searchweb201602_1_10017_10034_10021_507_10022_10020_10018_10019,searchweb201603_9&btsid=d79be787-eb5a-4f0e-88da-9ecfa5ecbe74

DIY it.  Piece of cake:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcoPzi-0Ing

[Query]

Wow!

I'd really hate to drive into the sun near sunrise and sunset with that mirror finish.

[nicklaszlo]

I sent my broken down skates by container ship from the United States to Australia via Suez and Singapore.  They are no worse now than they were before the journey.

[FigureSpins]

Random, off-topic: one of my students asked why I don't zip up my skate bag.  I thought it was interesting that a 6-year old would even notice but she seemed to accept my "air 'em out so they rust or get stinky" response.

[Feebee]

Thanks for all the responses!

Unrelated, but related: my car was broken into on the weekend, luckily my skate bag wasn't stolen (they didn't bother with the trunk, likely some teenagers looking for cash). Lesson learned I guess?

[fsk8r]

Thanks for all the responses!

Unrelated, but related: my car was broken into on the weekend, luckily my skate bag wasn't stolen (they didn't bother with the trunk, likely some teenagers looking for cash). Lesson learned I guess?

Sorry to hear that. Hope the insurance is able to cover the damage.

But you've just confirmed the reason why I'll never leave skates in the car unless I really have to.
I've added up the cost of skates when I've driven others to the sharpener. It gets to be a lot of money very quickly.

[Query]

How awful!

Maybe this time it was a good thing that the skates were in the trunk.

Was there anything that made the car easy to break into? (E.g., unlocked, windows open, etc.) Was it in a well-lit, often travelled area? Did they break any windows, etc.?

[Feebee]

@query - nope! I got lucky - no broken windows; I still have no idea how they got in, my car locks automatically after 30 seconds. Thankfully I had nothing of value in the car, and they didn't bother with the trunk.

[Loops]

@query - nope! I got lucky - no broken windows; I still have no idea how they got in, my car locks automatically after 30 seconds. Thankfully I had nothing of value in the car, and they didn't bother with the trunk.

I have a friend in CA whose car was broken into like that...apparently they have little devices that can mimic the keyfob signal, especially if you have one of those new fangled systems where the car unlocks automatically when the keyfob is within a certain radius.  I'm not much of an engineer and I can't remember the specifics of the situation, but some of the engineer/physics-inclined folk on here might have more info.  Google can probably also help you if you're curious. 

[Query]

It is self evident that key fob signals can be recorded and replicated. In no possible way can such devices be a good idea from a security point of view. Not for your car, your garage door, for anything.

However, my driver's side door lock cylinder wore out, and can't be opened anymore with a key - so I use the key fob anyway.

[riley876]

This is exactly what rolling code systems are supposed to stop.  i.e. the system won't re-accept any transmission it has seen before.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_code

Though from that article it looks like there are ways around it.