What gaiters do you use?

“Have OR low gaitors for summer/scree/etc and some EMS gaitors for winter/mountaineering.”

“Spirit, do me a favor if you come the the NE to hike, actually two favors don't wear your Tevas and bring you gaiters.”

“I have tall gaitors for winter conditions and heavy bushwacking, REI I think. I love my short gaitors for summer just keeping the stuff out of my shoes and trail running, OR. Both goretex”

“The Bradley Pond Trail, Adirondacks, where gaiters come to die.




After over a mile of this muck, the mud soaked through my old gaiters. I retired them when I got back from the trip and bought my current EMS pair. May my old gaiters RIP.”

“LZ that trail would be a great test for any gaiters.”

“My EMS gaiters worked great on that trail. Too bad my boots failed miserably. I'm going to move to full leather boots.
last edited: 2/02/05 7:29:33 AM”

“I have a pair of OR GoreTex crocs for the winter. They work pretty good, but are too hot to use in milder weather. The OR Rocky Mountain short gaiters work well for keeping ticks and trail gunk out of your boots and pants so I use those most of the time.”

“bbw - I still wish you'd come to camp so everyone could meet.”

“I have the same 2 pair RichB mentioned. The Crocs are great in cool-to-cold weather, and have kept my feet dry many times on snowy trails. The RM short gaiters are my favorites for late spring thru early fall, especially when I spray permithrin (sp?) on them to repel insects.”

“I never understood the Venta-Gaitors thing. You were something to keep things out and then put a zipper with mesh behind it to let these things in. It's like making a rain jacket with a mesh hood. ???”

“Thinkbubelz & I have these gaiters:



http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?productId=47822022&storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&langId=-1&color=&img=/media/712868_321Lrg.jpg&view=large&vcat=REI_SEARCH


They seem to work well. I like them!

But don't stand too close to a fire, or they'll melt... (spoken from experience on the NCT/MRT hike from last October...) :-D”

“Thinkbubelz & I have these gaiters:



http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?productId=47822022&storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&langId=-1&color=&img=/media/712868_321Lrg.jpg&view=large&vcat=REI_SEARCH


They seem to work well. I like them!

But don't stand too close to a fire, or they'll melt... (spoken from experience on the NCT/MRT hike from last October...) :-D”

“MH Ventigators - me likey.”

“I have had OR Rocky Mtn Low gaiters for a long time. They're not waterproof, only water resistant, but they do breathe.
Their prmary function is to keep stuff out of my boots.
They worked well when I wore leather hiking boots. They still work great now that I've switched to trail runners.
I wore tham last weekend in a snowshow race with my oldest pair of running shoes.

Like a lot of the others said, I didn't think them necessary until I'd used them for a while.

Someone had an even smaller pair made out of something stretchable, might have been shoeller dryskin? Made for trail runners. I'd like to find some of those.
last edited: 2/02/05 11:09:43 AM”

“le Subtil -
In my book "Fixing Your Feet" it suggests making gaitors out of old nylons. They'd breathe and keep the debris out of your shoes, but wouldn't be waterproof. Interesting lightweight idea for summer tho.”

“I use these from Binks:
http://www.backpackingdeals.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=W&Product_Code=LWNG&Category_Code=G1
I like them ok, esp.when muddy.”

“If I dont wear the gaiters, within the first hour Ive soaked my entire boot/sock and Im up to my knee in a muck hole. If I where them, after the first four hours my boots are boiling my socks in perspiration(muck doesnt breathe) which usually results in a miserable wet pair of boots for the rest of the trip. In the spring/Fall its not as bad.
DOES ANY ONE USE HALF or QUARTER GAITERS. I figure the drawback with these is a mucky sleeping bag if you dont wash and rinse.”

“Looks like people use gaiters for different reason. I'd like some for when the brush is wet. Dicentra and I were on a trail last spring. The dew hiking out soaked my feet. I literally could pour water out of my boots when we got to the car. It was miserable. She was dry as could be, due to her gaiters.”

“

http://www.rei.com/product/47786658.htm?vcat=REI_SSHP_MENS_CLOTHING_TOC

This was one of my first gear purchaces ever before a backpacking trip. Boy was I glad I bought them. Ankle deep mud and slush!

Nothing got through and into my boots. A bit pricey, but well worth the money I spent. I still have them and will be using them them weekend for a dayhike.”

“Sometimes I'll use cute little ankle gaiters if I'll be cranking down scree-filled steep slopes, such as descending off-trail ridges and peaks. I prefer them in hot-pink. It makes me feel sexy. When I really take the time to fix myself up with matching hiking attire, I'm hot. I'm not afraid to admit it. Another helpful tidbit - wear highly breathable underwear or you will be prone to aggravated genital ringworm. And that's just the beginning. After a severe eye-watering itchy-crotch scratch session, you may inadvertenly grab a Powerbar and let's face it, who wants to try and explain genital originated oral ringworm fungus (tinea cruris erectus). Anyway, back on topic, yes, sometimes I use ankle gaiters to keep scree out of my boots.”

“But this "(tinea cruris erectus)" really cracked me up! LMAO! Holy crap!”

“When I ditched heavy-weight hiking boots for trail runners many years ago I started wearing gaiters religiously. I used them some before that, but not all the time. Something about the way I walk kicks alot of crud into low-top shoes. I really dig gaiters now and generally don't hike w/o them.

I use OR Rocky Mtn High in tough conditions. They're a fairly lightweight high gaiter, less beefy than say the crocodile. They have goretex upper but they still don't breathe great in warm weather. They're old, though, and new gore technology breathes alot better.

Rei Mistrel Gaiters in warmer weather. Small, light, breathes great. Not much protection but keeps crap out of my shoes.

One problem I have had is having the string that runs under the shoe get eaten away and breaking. My shoe-of-choice on the AT became the Montrail Vitesse and it has a flat sole with no instep space, that is to say not a boot-type heel with a space between the heel and forefoot. this means that the cord that wraps under the foot gets abraided faily quickly. A big pain on very rocky trails like Penn and the Whites.”

“lol@buck!”

“i used a pair of these on last summer's sierrapalooza and i was pleased with their performance....worked great with running shoes in the loose dirt and scree....

http://www.argear.com/gear/grmontbellstretchgaiters.html”

“Just bought Lowe waterproof gaiters from Sierra Trading Post. Woo Hoo! $23”

“I've used the Mountain Hardwear for years, I like that they have a vent off the back of the calf.”