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....