While puffing up an old mine road on the way out after a couple days of primitive skills learning, I was distracting myself by wondering how I could avoid the sock-loads of stickery things I seem to accumulate. Are there resistant socks? Should I try gaiters? Should I go commando and forgo socks [and expect a lot of blisters?!] ?

Thoughts?

Thanks.

Gaiters.

REI carries several kinds.

If you don't use socks, those stickery things will grab the next best thing. Wear gaiters, or rub Vasoline onto your leg hair. Hip boots would slow you down quite a bit.

Sue

I have faced the same situation. High top boots and long pants will provide reasonable protection. Better yet for my preferred hiking attire, low cut sneakers, are SHORT gaiters. I got mine from REI.

For hunting I've used Filson Tin Cloth chaps. They wouldn't be the best for hiking but for certain times of the year they work great.

A small response for this group. Few experience this as a problem, perhaps. The ritual, time-consuming sock-picking and the joy of finding unwanted sharp stickery stuff distributed through a load of clothes is perhaps the province of only a few of us. Still my mind seeks better ways to encounter these little nature's messengers ....

When you're dealing with thorns and thistles, it's like dealing with politicians: they're an ongoing nuisance -- remove the ones you can, and try not to make the mistake again. Prevention is a good idea, but not always possible because they're so pervasive.

Sue

Actually, it is just that gaiters are a straightforward solution to the problem. When I have not had gaiters available, wrapping duct tape around the exposed portions of socks has provided good protection.

As others have suggested, gaiters are really the only effective method of keeping burrs off. I have a pair of gaiters for this purpose along with other uses such as keeping the early morning dew off when out hiking during the summer in denser brush and woods.