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nuknees
02-12-2015, 05:53
Hello Friends, been looking at Dirty Girl gaiters and see that you need to attach a velcro patch to back of shoe/boot. Can anyone tell me and pros/cons concerning them and what happens if you need new shoe/boots along the way...are these patches removable and transferable to the new ones?

Sirsnappy09
02-12-2015, 06:22
You just need a small piece. If you replace shoes stick on another one . I wear altra s so they have the Velcro patch made onto them already :D. Great little gaiters for keeping small things out of your shoes if you wear trail runners.

Traveler
02-12-2015, 06:54
Velcro patches can be iffy depending on the surface it is placed on and the stress on it during use, I have not had a lot of luck with velcro patches on heels of boots or shoes. If you are looking at gaitors to use with trail shoes, you may want to look at REI Trail Running Gaiters. These gaiters work well on my trail shoes and due to the under arch strap, do not ride up over the heel or sides of the shoe, keeping gravel, duff, and leaf litter out of the shoe. These are a little pricey, but I have a few hundred miles on my current pair (2 oz each) and they aren't showing much if any wear.

MuddyWaters
02-12-2015, 08:13
you can get velcro tape at walmart or a sewing store

Dont put it as low can, like on the midsole as in some pics , because debris, tension, etc will tear it off. Put it on the rear of the shoe.Use two strips vertically abou 1" long side by side and you will never have a problem (as long as area is solid, not mesh or something). Any tension is upwards, and orienting the tape longer in this direction resists this better

Not really needed on much of AT , the AT soil is typically moist and not very dusty, and the rocks are big. Out west in sandy dry areas they are more necessary. Definitely help in heavy mud though, and just keeping the occasional small pebble or twig out of shoe is worth it.

Ruffdude
02-12-2015, 08:57
Dirty girl send you enough velcro to do (I'm guessing) at least three pair of shoes. I've used a spot of gorilla glue to fill a void and help secure the velcro on my merrell lo hikers.

nuknees
02-12-2015, 09:52
REI Trail Running Gaiters. These gaiters work well on my trail shoes and due to the under arch strap.

I have a pair OR low cut gaiters w/arch strap...but what I'm running into is trail shoes don't really have any if at all of an arch on the bottom soles anymore and the strap eventually rides back and over the end of the heel on me. That's why I thinking about DG gaiters - no arch strap.

swisscross
02-12-2015, 10:21
Love my Girls Dirty.

I hike in trail runners. Might be the way I walk but if I don't wear some sort of gaiters I get crap in my shoes all the time.
The DG's are a simple and an easy solution.
There are other companies that make a similar gaiters.

Malto
02-12-2015, 10:25
If I wear gaiters they are dirty girl. (Rarely wear on AT.). They include Velcro and they also sell extra. You cut a piece and round the corners. I had good luck with epoxy but I also had all my shoes purchased before I left on my thru.

1azarus
02-12-2015, 10:55
+1 on sticking with your selection of dirty girl gaiters. their velcro sticks to almost all trail runners -- almost never a problem -- i've used them for years on different runners. if problem, added adhesive is a viable solution. worth the purchase just to see your mate's face when you get a little package from "Dirty Girl."

MamaBear
02-12-2015, 11:17
There is plenty of mud, dirt, pebbles, twigs, pine needles and other foot irritants here in New England for me to wear the Dirty Girls and I know others that do, too. If I'm wearing shorts, I wear the Dirty Girls. I did try one day to go without them on the Long Trail and regretted it - too much junk in the shoes.

I have had issues with the velcro, too, especially on the LT. But, then again the LT is not kind to any footwear, socks or accessories. My solution was to sew a piece of elastic to the gaiters at the arch, in a similar fashion to the strap/buckle combo on winter gaiters and other low gaiters. It was a bit of trial and error to get it right, and since both sides are securely stitched, it does make it a bit harder to get the gaiters on/off. The nice thing is that I don't have to think about the velcro at all and can wear them with whatever trail runners I'm currently wearing.

squeezebox
02-12-2015, 11:28
Nice to know there are alternatives to keeping track of the extra velcro they sent with the gaiters.

Papa Al
02-12-2015, 11:57
Have used dirty girl gaiters for many years training and racing on lots of trails. I always put a drop of super glue under the Velcro rounded the corners, never had a problem.

Berserker
02-12-2015, 14:46
The best tip I have read about securing the velcro piece to the shoe is to use Seam Grip. I've done this to several pairs of shoes (I have 3 pairs of Dirty Girls), and the shoes are wearing out before the velcro is coming loose. Also, I trim the velcro piece up to fit on a flat surface on the heel of the shoe such that the whole peice of velcro is making contact with that flat surface. It doesn't take a very big piece of the velcro for the gaiter to stick to it.

CarlZ993
02-12-2015, 15:34
Dirty girl send you enough velcro to do (I'm guessing) at least three pair of shoes. I've used a spot of gorilla glue to fill a void and help secure the velcro on my merrell lo hikers.
This is exactly what I did. I carried several single-use glue tubes in my essentials bag. Never needed the glue for anything other than gluing on the Velcro tab on my new replacement trail runners.

slbirdnerd
02-12-2015, 15:39
I had a pair of OR Stamina gaiters which are similar to the DG gaiters and really liked them, but the hooks for your shoe laces were crap and fell off after about 14 total trail days. I returned them to REI. I recently got a pair of DG gaiters, and I really wanted to like them... The hook is SO much better than the OR gaiters, but the gaiters themselves are shorter and have no cinch at the ankle, which I liked on the OR gaiters.

The velcro on the OR gaiters was never a problem. I had gotten new shoes and lost my extra velcro that came with them, so I got some at the store and stuck it on with super glue. Worked fine.

If the OR Stamina gaiters had better hooks, I'd prefer to use them.

RockDoc
02-12-2015, 16:10
I've met several people on the AT who had lost the velcro from their shoes, after using just self-adhesive or super glue. You really need some strength with attaching that velcro piece. We usually use epoxy. We have a lot of pairs of shoes and all of them need velcro, for trail running as well as hiking. I used to use Dirty Girl gaitors, but switched to Run Funky gaitors; fabric is stronger and better stitched IMO.

Connie
02-12-2015, 17:16
I wear another stretch shortie gaiter.

In addition to keeping debris out of hiking shoes, I think they keep ticks off.

Simblissity has stretch shortie gaiters. No velcro.

gillian
02-12-2015, 17:26
Another option if you are comfortable with sewing; I found this pattern online earlier this week and made a pair. The design has a pretty solid piece of velcro at the front to attach to shoelaces and uses elastic for around the heel, so no need to put velcro or anything permanent on your shoes.

The original pattern: http://adventurelisa.blogspot.com/2009/11/make-your-own-mini-gaiters.html
My experience with it, photos, measurements: https://thegillianlife.wordpress.com/2015/02/11/trail-fashion-diy-gaiter-project/

Hot5nics
02-12-2015, 19:12
superglue I put two coats around the edge. Letting it dry in between each coat. Been on my hiking trail runners for over 400 miles without issue.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Drybones
02-12-2015, 21:42
Dirty Girl gives you enough Velcro for several pairs of shoes...best $20 I've spent on hiking gear.

Dogwood
02-12-2015, 21:51
The best tip I have read about securing the velcro piece to the shoe is to use Seam Grip. I've done this to several pairs of shoes (I have 3 pairs of Dirty Girls), and the shoes are wearing out before the velcro is coming loose. Also, I trim the velcro piece up to fit on a flat surface on the heel of the shoe such that the whole peice of velcro is making contact with that flat surface. It doesn't take a very big piece of the velcro for the gaiter to stick to it. +1 This is what I do too. I trim the Velcro into a larger oval w/ rounded edges and apply with McNett's Seam Grip. Same here. The shoes wear out before the Velcro. Any hobby store like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, clothing stores, etc sell additional Velcro. Luv Dirty Girls. They help keep the cockle spurs, sticky seeds, etc off socks too. Great for deserts or in dry terrain. Heck I've even employed Dirty Girls on muddy hikes to keep the dryish clumps of mud out of low cut trail runners/hikers.

hikeandbike5
02-12-2015, 23:54
not a big fan of dirty girl gaiters.
the lace hook on mine was either sewn on upside down, or a flawed design which makes it hard to remove the gaiters from the shoes.

the velcro tabs eventually peeled off after just a few weeks of hiking (2?), but i did not round the edges. some super glue bought at a resupply walmart solved that problem, though. to be fair the velcro tabs peeling off are an issue with the shoes used, not the gaiters or the design.

the simblissity ones look good, will have to try those sometime.

gillian
02-13-2015, 14:45
nuknees, you should be able to buy extra Velcro at any craft store; they usually sell it in packages or by length like cut fabric, and I would imagine getting an inch or two of cut pieces shouldn't be more than about 50 cents.

fastfoxengineering
02-13-2015, 15:15
not a big fan of dirty girl gaiters.
the lace hook on mine was either sewn on upside down, or a flawed design which makes it hard to remove the gaiters from the shoes.

the velcro tabs eventually peeled off after just a few weeks of hiking (2?), but i did not round the edges. some super glue bought at a resupply walmart solved that problem, though. to be fair the velcro tabs peeling off are an issue with the shoes used, not the gaiters or the design.

the simblissity ones look good, will have to try those sometime.

Take a knife or screwdriver and pry the hook on the gaiter open more. Problem solved amigo!

MuddyWaters
02-14-2015, 11:22
How hard is inserting the hook under the front laces???

One one the right, was on midsole, came off after ~50 miles
One on the left, is on fine after 650 miles
Dont put it too low, it has extra tension on it and gets knocked off by rocks and debris

Glue isnt needed. You are only glueing to the adhesive on the back of the velcro, and in most cases additional glue will compromise that adhesives bond.
Use enough velcro, in the right spot, and you wont have any problems.

29943

hikeandbike5
02-14-2015, 13:57
Take a knife or screwdriver and pry the hook on the gaiter open more. Problem solved amigo!
the problem isn't that the opening is too small, but rather that the hook for the laces is sewed on upsidedown to every other pair of gaiters i've used before.

not sure if this was a production mistake, or intentional for some function that i don't understand.