Dealing with moisture in hearing aids

[DAN-Y]

What are some of the methods used to deal with keeping aids dry while hiking?

[Richard Nisley]

Dan,

From theory only, your aids could be best protected, during the day, by wearing a stiff wide brim hat. At night, your aids could be moisture purged by sealing them in a pill-sized Zip-loc along with a vial of camera desiccant. The vial will gradually change color from blue to pink as it absorbs water. You could regenerate the desiccant vial (s) in the field by placing one or more in the sun on a hot black rock during your mid-day meal break.

[Nick Gatel]

This is something I never thought about. I need hearing aids, but they’re really expensive, and I would hate to spend the money and lose my currently acceptable excuse to ignore the things I don’t want to hear when talking to my wife.

I was thinking that when she makes me buy them I would just leave them at home when backpacking. Is this acceptable or is there something I am missing?

 

[Don A.]

I’ve worn hear aids for years and have never thought much about keeping them dry.  Then again it depends on the type you have and what kind of “wet” your talking about. I use in the ear canaI aids (in both ears). I don’t do a lot of slogging through rain storms though I have.  Sweat is more of a constant when I hike. In the ear aids are somewhat protected by my big ears. Never have I had a problem of the moisture causing a problem though the life of the hearing aids are probably diminished by repeated moisture exposure.  Occasionally they accompany me in the shower at home.  A blow dryer treatment gets them up and running when this happens. I’ll take them out occasionally while I hike just because things get itchy. At night I open the battery holder and put them in one of my shoes.  It’s just a habit I’ve formed to remember exactly where they are.

If you have behind the ear aids all bets are off in my opinion.  I tried a pair of BTE’s once and they blew out after one hike because of sweat apparently into the electronics.  Easy enough to happen with sweat running directly onto and over the aids-no ear protection.  Your mileage may vary.

Nick.  Sure you can leave them at home when backpacking.  I don’t because of the severity of my hearing loss and when I cross paths with someone I like to know what they’re saying rather than just seeing their lips move.  And of course it’s nice to be able to hear a rattlesnake warning me to watch where I step.  Regarding ignoring the wife, you’ll have to work out something yourself to deal with that.  I have my own method.

 

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