Traipsing through a wet woods made me jealous of the folks who wore gaiters to bridge the boot-ankle-pantleg gap. Blousing my pantlegs to my boots proved not entirely bulletproof as apparently brush or something outdoors likes to eat blousing garters [yes, the garters were up inside the bell of folded over pantlegs].

An upcoming snowshoe venture makes the topic of enhanced interest.

So, what are the better / best features to look for in gaiters?

Thanks.

Good gaiters are priceless in the snow. I've used mine for snowshoeing and just traipsing around in the snow. The gaiters kept me dry and warm although the snow was much higher than my Lowe hiking boots.

Make sure they're Gore-Tex or otherwise waterproofed. Not all are. REI has a bunch, I have their brand and Outdoor Research.

http://www.rei.com/search?cat=8000&cat=40004991&page_size=109&hist=cat%2C40004991%3AGaiters&pageSizeRedirect

I've used Outdoor research brand knee-high GoreTex gaiters in muddy conditions and was quite happy with them.

I looked increadibly dorky, but the gaiters kept me dry and comfortable.

Gaiters don't really need to be water proof, reasonably water repellent is quite OK unless you really want to use them for wading in the river. Relaxing just a bit on the water proofness vastly expands your options and price range. That being said, I'm not at all oposed to water proof gear... just bear in mind that actuall water proofness is overkill for many applications. Your money, your choice. My gaiters are made of thick canvas, not water proof but reasonable water repellent and I've never been wet because of that.

The most critical part is how the qaiter is attatched to the shoe. The ones I've tried all use a hook in front which goes onto the lowest shoe lace, and a loop that goes under the foot just in front of the shoe heel. This works well, but that loop under the foot is the weakest part of the system! The loop is worn on the sharp edge of the shoe and on rocks, sticks and the like. The more solid loop the better - and the loop should be replacable. Some use metal wire for this loop...

Mine has a loop made out of some elastic string which is worn out once or twice every season or so - a minor nuisance. I really like to have an elastic loop because an elastic loop is always just perfectly thight - and I just can't think out an elastic / steel wire combination that would be as easy to use. The simplicity of two elastic loops that meet on the top of the shoe with a small hook on one of them is just so elegant.

An important choice is if you should be able to put on the gaithers with your shoe on. I highly recommend that - removing the shoe to put on gaiters is so much of a morale killer. For most gaiters and shoes that means you need a zipper. That means higher price and complexity, but it is worth it.


I use my gaiters all the time in the snow, wether skiing, walking, making camp, playing with the kids, whatever. (I've only done snow shoes 3 times, so that doesn't count, but I did use gaiters then and will use 'em for future trips).

Except for the purpose of having an extra layer of protection against wet branches, I actually think gaither could be made obsolete by a minor modification of your pants - that's assuming you're happy with the water resistance of your pants. It wouldn't be that hard to modify the design of your pants so they would fasten to the shoes and do the job of gaiters. Some ski clothing is actually made with this in mind, with various designs. Most of these will work well when skiing or snow shoeing (when you just need to prevent loose snow from sticking just on top of your shoe). Some of these designs will fail miserably when walking (wading) through snow because they don't close thight enough around the shoe, so when you push your foot down snow will force its way in between the shoe and the pants. I've yet to see a gaither that wouldn't hold up to the job, though...


Along the same lines, consider the water robustness of your pants when deciding what length the gaiters should be. Wading through snow it is sometimes very nice to have that extra layer up to your knee, even if it is not really nescessary. I really appreciate that extra layer when I'm wearing my canvas pants. With my goretex pants, I don't really need to cover everything up to my knee, but it is warmer which sometimes is nice, sometimes not needed.



If you don't have gaiters a quick emergency solution is sticking your foot in a plastic bag, put on your shoe and wrap duct tape around your leg, fastening the top of the bag to your pants. With low shoes, you probably also should cover the gap between your trousers and your shoes, which is a really cold spot in the snow. Wrap some cloth, that'll do the trick. If you have solid boots, put them on, wrap plastic around your leg and fasten it with duct tape (or a knot, if you can figure out how to make it stick). Or you could just use lost of duct tape....

After trying on all the gaiters at the local REI, I found only one set that fit well, so that is what I got. They are GoreTex, open in front with velcro, hook into boot laces infront, and have a hard rubber strap that buckles under the foot. I have reinforced the loop with a few turns of duct tape but am looking for a better solution.

My first use will be to cover the pant-boot gap in wet hiking and dogbane harvesting tomorrow. In a week I will be spending 2 1/2 days in the rain practicing primitive skills, awareness, etcetera.

I expect to learn a lot about gaiters soon.

Gaiters are great to have but I don't necessarily think mandatory gear. I have ankle gaiters and knee high gaiters. I rarely use them but like I said, they can be VERY handy to have especially if your wearing low tops and get into so deep sand.

Slip a bit of thin walled plastic tubing over it.
Or that expanding finger-trap nylon mesh stuff you get as packaging around shafts.

Snow, stickery weeds, tall wet vegetation - anything that considers your socks fair game.

My gaiters came with a leather heel strap w/buckle that took ~9 seasons to begin to wear out. I replaced it last summer with some nylon webbing with holes burned into it for the buckle, it still snugs up tight to my foot and should last another 9 seasons.

I have two kinds of gaiters, knee high, and low cut. The knee high are great in wet brush or snow, while the low cuts work to bridge the gap between pants and the light hiking boots I prefer nowadays for most situations.

Some knee highs are virtual over boots, with a rubber rand that covers all of the hiking boot except for the sole and greatly increase warmth and dryness of the overall system. These are a little more tricky to use than the more normal type that hooks onto the front laces. I often don't worry about the strap running underneath the heel, unless I am going to be in fairly deep snow.

The low cuts are superb for keeping grass seeds and twigs out of your socks. These should not be coated - that will only serve to contain condensation inside your socks. Depending on how your boot and gaiter interface, you may or may not need to worry about an accessory strap to keep the gaiter anchored.

It is much better if you can put them on without taking off your boots.

OR makes some very nice, commonly available, relatively cheap units.

You can improvise to an amazing degree with duct tape, plastic bags, and the like.