Opinion on Silicia Packs, Mine-Bad for Your Shoes

[green rhino123]

The stories of crumbling older retros and ogs never stop multipling. It is inevitable. Nontheless,
I feel that shoe care plays its part. Darwin or somebody once said "Genetics loads the gun,
enviornment pulls the trigger." (if you follow)

I think silicia packs or whatever they are called or how they are spelled - are straight up bad for your shoes
longevity. Years back on NikeTalk - these drying agent packets were at the top of the "how to take care
of your sneakers" list along with vacuum sealing, temp. control, wearing them, etc. (and you do have to
wear them, at least minimally with care 10-20 times spread out - but that is another topic.)

Constantly these crumling stories, and how the effect is caused, in part, to the drying out of the glue, foam,
plastic, etc. I never thought sucking the moisture out of your shoes was good for them. The 5, 6, 11
are all gonna yellow, don't feal bad, it is also inevitable. It is not worth the risk of damaging the shoe.

I don't know if this practice even remains.

 

[njstress03]

i totally agree. u took the thoughts right out of my head dude. thas why i dunt mess with none of that stuff and i wear my kicks from time to time. and u cantcry over the yellowing. its gonna happen. that sealin ina air tight bag stuff is def no good. thats how the midsoles crack from being dried up. unfortunatelyalot of ppl still practice these methods. im not one of them tho.

 

[ballinb]

Yup, using silica packets and sealing your kicks in a air tight back is not a good idea. I need to start wearing my DS kicks around the house at least so Idon't become part of the shoe crumbling club.

 

[milestailsprowe]

lol damn atleast my fav shoes the 1 and XX3 will never crumble or yellow on me but the rest have to be worn repeastly though out. Why would anyone do that toshoes anyway? Why not just wear what you payed 1-5 hundred and up for

 

[mh602]

Yeah they need to be compressed at least a little bit to help avoid crumbling and the soles coming unglued. But silica dry rots your shoes over time

 

[Mactastic4167]

interesting info, i was thinking about putting silica packing in my shoe box's because im planning on storing them while im deployed. guess not anymore

 

[green rhino123]

even if you choose to not wear them, or almost never wear them - it still applies
don't accelerate the process-i can all but guarantee the correlation

even if one keeps them ds, in some cases, in the back of your head, you would like
to have the option to wear them down the line, though i am really stressing the
subject of the post

 

[mjsaver]

this is always a hot topic....

i wish sum1 would do a type of science experiment,

so we could come to a type of standard fact.

 

[ryza272]

very interesting. shoe care is really key. we need the answers.

 

[ryza272]

very interesting. shoe care is really key. we need the answers.

 

[brooklynnyc3000]

I use silica packets. I wear all of my sneakers.
If it happens it happens.

 

[bombbiggidyphil]

not being a mod, but the care/maintenance thread talks about this. it's good to bring it up once in a while to spread the knowledge.....I still see peoplesealing their shoes in ziplock bags stuffed with silica. I simply put a small silica pack (maybe two for clear soles) under the paper in the box and change itevery couple of months, which is alright since I wear my shoes relatively regularly. As far as opinion goes....I don't think this is a matter of opinion.shoes are made of pliable material...they need to breath and if you seal them away or bombard them with silica packs, thus sucking the mositure/air from theshoes, they will dry up. Silica isn't bad when used in moderation...just wear your kicks.

 

[pimpjobu]

i do use silica packs for my shoes but not all of them. i only put 1 pack in the box but i do wear my shoes at least every month or two. i do agree that youshould never put the shoes in plastic bags and then leave the silica packs inside of the bag. that's just plain stupid. there's always going to be somesort of arguement about this topic. so it's really up to the individuals whether they want to store their shoes this way or not. but i think you alwaysneed to factor in the conditions of the area you live in on how you store everything.

 

[jayzv]

Originally Posted by green rhino123


The stories of crumbling older retros and ogs never stop multipling. It is inevitable. Nontheless,
I feel that shoe care plays its part. Darwin or somebody once said "Genetics loads the gun,
enviornment pulls the trigger." (if you follow)

I think silicia packs or whatever they are called or how they are spelled - are straight up bad for your shoes
longevity. Years back on NikeTalk - these drying agent packets were at the top of the "how to take care
of your sneakers" list along with vacuum sealing, temp. control, wearing them, etc. (and you do have to
wear them, at least minimally with care 10-20 times spread out - but that is another topic.)

Constantly these crumling stories, and how the effect is caused, in part, to the drying out of the glue, foam,
plastic, etc. I never thought sucking the moisture out of your shoes was good for them. The 5, 6, 11
are all gonna yellow, don't feal bad, it is also inevitable. It is not worth the risk of damaging the shoe.

I don't know if this practice even remains.

oh i was never aware of this i heard vacum seals dry the shoe up never silica packs

 

[hypent500]

too many silica packs will absorb the oxygen needed for the glue and foam in midsoles to have moisture. but having no silica packs allows for other bacteriaand harmful agents in the air to damage the shoes. it all depends on the environment you live in. for example, if you live in a dry environment or use zip lockbags that reduce oxygen then yes it is bad to use silica packs. but if you live in a moist environment or you leave your j's in a cold garage during wintertime then using silica packs would help your shoes last longer......

 

[dendanskesimon]

I live in S Florida and dont use none of these, but I havent been in the game long enough to have a chance to see if it would make a change anyways

 

[retrourfeet]

Of course there havent been an "studies" but I go with natural cedar balls instead of silica

Those stories of shoes falling apart because silica, made me do it

HERE: Natural Cedar Balls
Cedar is an amazing wood. It contains natural aromatics that repel moths, mildew and other pests while absorbingmoisture and mustiness. Closed inside a sweater box, these cedar balls leave a forest fresh scent. The smell is really great!! Say goodbye to the chemicalsmell of moth balls and hello the safe and natural protection of cedar. 24 balls per pack

 

[brooklynnyc3000]

^

How much do they cost?

 

[stevedensmore]

Yeah, I heard that it over-dries them.

 

[dave919]

that has been my thought as well, i throw those packs out and just keep the box and paper

 

[biglefty23]

Putting the shoes in bags with silica packets is bad. Putting silica packets in the boxes is not bad. Humidity can ruin the glue much quicker than dry rotting,so I'll take my chances with silica packets. I've put silica packets in each of my boxes for the past 9-10 years. I remember original collectors allmostly store them in a cool dry place with some silica in or around the boxes to ensure the extra humidity in the air doesn't destroy the shoes.


Just my opinion/knowledge on the topic.

 

[architect]

Simple formula... if you live or the shoes are stored in extreme humidity, use (1) silica pack per box... but the shoes must, I repeat, must be stored in aziplock bag. Never put the silica pack in the ziplock bag.
If you live in a relatively dry environment, just store them in a ziplock bag, inside their box.
Room temperature or cooler is ideal.

 

[airthompson]

Yup I agree.

 

[fabogus]

Maybe I am wrong, but the only reason I think they put the packets in the shoe boxes to begin with are cause of the damp conditions coming from Asia.Personally I hate the things. I always have a Sinus Infection after I do shipment

 

[untitled]

Originally Posted by BigLefty23

Putting the shoes in bags with silica packets is bad. Putting silica packets in the boxes is not bad. Humidity can ruin the glue much quicker than dry rotting, so I'll take my chances with silica packets. I've put silica packets in each of my boxes for the past 9-10 years. I remember original collectors all mostly store them in a cool dry place with some silica in or around the boxes to ensure the extra humidity in the air doesn't destroy the shoes.


Just my opinion/knowledge on the topic.

word, you can't air seal shoes in a bag...you gotta let em breathe and then throw some silica packs to absorb exess moisture.