Who uses gaiters?

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bladerique

Joined
Aug 31, 2010
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For those not familiar:

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The above variety is heavy-duty to protect against snake bites. Most just use lighter versions to help in walking through thick, nasty underbrush.
 
Those are very heavy duty gaiters!
How big are those snakes?

I have worn gaiters for years
They protect your lower leg against snow and stones in your boots, wet grass, heather and low bracken, and rain with a long poncho or cagoule

What are gaiters?
They are a tube of material that is tied under your boot and hooks on to the front of the boot, they are then tied at the top with a cord.
They can be short just over the ankle or mid calf or all the way up to the knee
My best are 40 years old made of a tough cotton twill, a simple tube put on before the boots
Now they can be heavy nylon packcloth or breathable gortex, with full zips for easy on and off.

Why Gaiters?
Best when worn with breeches, hiking or climbing knickers.
But they work very well with pants
You can heat regulate your legs and cool down or warm up.
Wearing shorts, they protect your lower legs.
In the snow to keep your boots dry
In wet undergrowth they keep the bottom of your pants dry
In bracken and heather they protect your pants from tearing
In rocky ground they stop stones getting in to your boots

When must you have gaiters?
In the snow, they keep the snow out your boots, and keep your feet dry.
The rest of the above benefits are nice but not urgent
 
I forgot about gaiter use in snow.

40 years old
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Wow. Talk about standing the test of time.



EDIT:

Those are very heavy duty gaiters!
How big are those snakes?
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I guess they will protect from Eastern Diamondbacks, which can get pretty big and strong.
 
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Neeman pretty much covered all the reasons for them. My OR Gators are HD and get the most use in late winter/early spring when it's too warm for pack boots and I put my hikers back in use. I have a shorter lighter pair I use for late spring/summer/early fall.
 
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I've used them in deep snow. I think they'd be great for kickin around in the bush too.
 
My OR gators are awesome. Heavy duty rubber strap goes under the boots. Sizing is important, generally work with full boots, maybe not light hikers.
 
I've worn gaiters quite a bit, especially in very wet conditions. They help keep hiking boots drier, but also protect rain gear (pant legs) when walking in heavy brush. They also help prevent viney/thorny brush from shredding bootlaces.

Andy
 
Since I hike in shoes instead of boots, they're invaluable. Keeps snow, mud, twigs, bugs, and(to some extent) even water out of my socks and shoes.
I use Integral Designs eVent Shortie gaiters, and the only time I'm not wearing them in the woods is if I'm in shorts and sandals.
 
A set of OR Crocodiles live in my Winter bag as they come in useful quite often from November to April.
 
I only use them for snow. Mine are Gore-Tex; I don't think they would stop a snakebite. Poisonous snakes are rare here (western Massachusetts) anyway.
 
I have a few types of gaiters. The ones that I currently use are short BlackDiamond. There are a ton of plants around here with stickers and foxtails and I spend a lot of time off trail. The foxtails can ruin a good pair of Gortex hikers as they will push through the fabric and cause a leak. Also I have been using vented lowtop shoes for a long time now ... without the gaiters they collect all sorts of stuff ... socks too. With the short gaiters I wear my pants over them ... don't hike it shorts anymore. ... and one other thing to think about ... it is best that your shoe has a gap at the arch between your heel and forefoot. A few of my shoes (Garmont) are flat bottom and when you use gaiters with them you are walking on the bottom strap. Accelerates wear and you can loose traction because your shoes roll on the strap.
 
most of hiking is done in low top shoes as well, short gaiters are nice for keeping debris out

snowshoeing I have a mid height pair that are worn religiously
 
Up here in the wet coast gaiters are awesome for keeping your lower legs and boots dry from morning dew or rain in tall grass besides mud, sand and snow as mentioned.
Backpacking, waking and lacing up without all your bootlaces/eyelets covered in mud is nice too.

Been using a pair of inexpensive tatonka's for years and swear by them or any other brand that does the job
 
I use the OR Altigaiters (discontinued) and REI desert gaiters for my hikes in the desert/arid lands of SE Washington. They are awesome for keeping out sand and cheatgrass seeds (you know, the ones that get stuck in your socks and poke you all day long).
 
I use Oregon Research knee high gaiters. They have helped cut down and nearly eliminated ticks from getting under my clothing. I can usually flick a tick off before it crawls up to my shirt. Also, I like them because they keep the dirt out of the hard to clean shoe lace area.
 
PackDude said:
I use the OR Altigaiters (discontinued) and REI desert gaiters for my hikes in the desert/arid lands of SE Washington. They are awesome for keeping out sand and cheatgrass seeds (you know, the ones that get stuck in your socks and poke you all day long).
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I have the same desert gaiters. They are great for beach hiking that would normally fill your boots up in a few minutes. I have some heavier OR Gore-Tex ones for wet hikes with a lot of undergrowth.
 
I use a couple of OR Verglas gaiters when its snowy or muddym mostly winter and early spring. Went on a hike today, and had i known it would be so boggy, i'f have brought them along.

They fit ontop of my boots pretty good, but not that well on my hiking shoes.

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Gaiters are much lighter & take up less room in a pack than rain-pants...a very handy piece of gear:thumbup:
 
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