PDA

View Full Version : GAITERS on thru-hike / POISON on trail



2009ThruHiker
12-20-2006, 21:32
1. After watching TREK, it seemed GAITERS are popular on a thru-hike. Although the "popularity factor is not important to me, I am curious to find out how often GAITERS are seen on the trail.
2. How do they function / and what purpose(s) do they serve?

3. Being very succeptible to poison, both my wife and I are a bit concerned about it. encountering it along the trail. Will GAITERS serve as any help?

Lone Wolf
12-20-2006, 21:40
Nah. You don't need them. Might keep a pebble outa your shoe but what poison are you concerned about?

2009ThruHiker
12-20-2006, 21:42
Poison ivy, poison oak. BAD BAD Reaction.

Almost There
12-20-2006, 21:49
By Virginia you see absolutely no one with gaiters, not even low ones. A big reason I think is a switch by many to trailrunners instead of boots. I own high ones and low ones...and haven't worn them in over a year. I might wear them in snow, but in trail runners your feet get wet anyways...so why bother.

trailwalker
12-20-2006, 22:02
Wearing gaiters on the A T is probably not a neccisity but if you like wearing shorts all year round, in the winter they help keep warm. If you do warm up hikes for the AT like a lot of us they are even more useful. In the spring when hiking through wet grass ,weeds etc they really help keep your boots dry. Another plus I found was that when hiking without them through rough brush etc my shoestrings would keep coming undone, with gaiters on they never come undone. Wearing them is more of a personal choice, and I for one wear them. Happy Hiking Trailwalkerhttp://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif

rafe
12-20-2006, 22:08
Used to carry 'em, wore them a lot in the old days, now not so much. They're hardly necessary, but every now and then they can come in handy. Gram weenies will surely go without.

hopefulhiker
12-20-2006, 22:09
After a bout with poison ivy on my thru hike someone gave me some gaitors. I tried them and really liked them for various reasons:

If a snake bit you on the leg there is a chance it might grab the gaitor; It would keep out rain and snow; helps keep your legs warm if you wear shorts; keeps stuff out of your shoes; some are waterproof;

I went out and bought the low gaitors because they weighed less. I really liked them with the trail runners because they keep dirt and pebbles from getting into the low top shoes.

Lyle
12-20-2006, 22:26
Gaiters MAY help protect you from poison Ivy a bit. Keep in mind however, the oils will get on the outside of the gaiters, then on your hands and anything else they come in contact with. May end up just serving as a repository for repeated reactions.

I got a pretty good case of Poison Ivy crossing the Cumberland Valley this past summer. Thru Hiker and Emergency Room Doc "Enough" recommended Zanfel. Expensive, but it works - Almost total relief after just one application (follow the directions exactly). Highly Recommended!!!

minnesotasmith
12-21-2006, 00:11
By Virginia you see absolutely no one with gaiters, not even low ones. A big reason I think is a switch by many to trailrunners instead of boots. I own high ones and low ones...and haven't worn them in over a year. I might wear them in snow, but in trail runners your feet get wet anyways...so why bother.

I started with one pair of gaiters, and by mid-PA was wearing two pair all the time I was hiking. I summited Katahdin in two pair, and had two pair on when I finished at Kent. Gaiters were actually fairly common things for me to see on other thruhikers' legs throughout my hike, although it sounds as if your experience did differ.

Frosty
12-21-2006, 00:30
I started with one pair of gaiters, and by mid-PA was wearing two pair all the time I was hiking. I summited Katahdin in two pair, and had two pair on when I finished at Kent. Okay, I'll bite. Why two pair?

minnesotasmith
12-21-2006, 01:17
Okay, I'll bite. Why two pair?

Kept the cr*p out better with overlap. My short gaiters came down better than the long ones I was given by trail angels in VT. Note that I had snow in higher elevations in much of GA, the Smokies, and VT, and that heat was never really a factor for me in NH, ME, VT, NC/TN, MA, and CT.

Bravo
12-21-2006, 01:31
Poison ivy, poison oak. BAD BAD Reaction.

Check this out. http://www.1-800homeopathy.com/products/details.html?productid=IVBL&rsource=google&rkeyword=ivy+block

magic_game03
12-21-2006, 02:59
gaiters...

...keep pebbles out our your shoes, which means you don't have to take your trail shoe off once an hour to clean it out.
...keeps out pebbles that will wear tiny holes in your $15 smart wool socks
...keep dirt out of your shoe so your socks stay cleaner.
...lets you spash alittle without getting lots of water down the shoe
...keeps out snow.
...is a second layer so when you scrape your ankle aginst a boulder it will take less skin off.
...keeps all that stuff out of your laces, too
...keeps socks drier when it's raining out
...keeps cactus thorns at bay
...keeps hitchhikers out of your socks (total pain to pull those things out all the time, especially on the PCT)


I don't buy those big over-sized snow gaiters even when I'm snow shoeing. I only use the desert gaiter. of course, I've only snowshoed about 800 AT miles and hiked 7,000 AT/PCT miles with gaiters, I do remember what a pain in the butt it was not haveing them my first through hike in '03.

rafe
12-21-2006, 09:35
I don't buy those big over-sized snow gaiters even when I'm snow shoeing. I only use the desert gaiter. of course, I've only snowshoed about 800 AT miles and hiked 7,000 AT/PCT miles with gaiters, I do remember what a pain in the butt it was not haveing them my first through hike in '03.

A lot of rules change for hiking in winter. ;)

From what I can tell, the decline in gaiter use is closely related to the whole "ultralight" thing. Try posting a gear list that has gaiters in it and the gram weenies will be all over your case.

highway
12-21-2006, 09:37
gaiters...

...keep pebbles out our your shoes, which means you don't have to take your trail shoe off once an hour to clean it out. A pebble a day, maybe, never one an hour, even on small talus
...keeps out pebbles that will wear tiny holes in your $15 smart wool socks I never have, even with sandals
...keep dirt out of your shoe so your socks stay cleaner. Minimum value
...lets you spash alittle without getting lots of water down the shoe Just walk on through with sandals or runners, you are dry in an hour or so, plus you just rinsed out your socks doing it
...keeps out snow. A plus/here, probably
...is a second layer so when you scrape your ankle aginst a boulder it will take less skin off. I wear sandals and shorts and seldom have. But I do hit sandal against ankle some, trying to walk in those deep CDT ruts
...keeps all that stuff out of your laces, too What stuff?
...keeps socks drier when it's raining out If it rains enough you still get wet feet. but you dry quicker w/o them?
...keeps cactus thorns at bay Many use sandals in the desert
...keeps hitchhikers out of your socks (total pain to pull those things out all the time, especially on the PCT) I have never been on PCT so cant comment here



Look at the effort required for gaiters:

You have to keep track of two of them
You have to put the two on each morning, remove both of them at night
Dont you spend some time adjusting them during the day?
Maintenance on them? Broken string under shoe to replace occasionally?
Energy expelled to lug them along. Remember the adage one pound upon your feet like 5 pounds upon your back. Thats because you have to lift up those goofy things with each of your steps forward. Is it really worth the extra effort to katahdin lifting them up 5 or 6 inches with each of your steps just to keep out the occasional pebble? And, as far as protection against snake bite, you'd have a better chance of hitting lotto in some trail town along the way
Goofy Gaiters? No way, Jose:D

rafe
12-21-2006, 09:44
Look at the effort required for gaiters:
<snip>

It's amazing to me that one can name any single piece of gear, and hikers will find a way to argue about it...;)

I'm not taking sides on this one. I mean, there's truth in the arguments on both sides.

The UL'ers say, if you've carried it in your pack and not used it, leave it home next time. That happens to apply to my gaiters, and so I will.

MOWGLI
12-21-2006, 09:55
Poison ivy, poison oak. BAD BAD Reaction.

I don't think there is much - if any - poison oak along the trail. Tons of ivy though.

highway
12-21-2006, 10:04
It's amazing to me that one can name any single piece of gear, and hikers will find a way to argue about it...;)



You mean, some hikers just may be OPINIONATED?:D

MacGyver2005
12-21-2006, 10:16
A pair of mini-gators weighs 3oz. That's what I wore on my thru-hike. This talk about lugging them around is a bit silly to me, as most folks are carrying more excess weight than that in other items that they could swap for lighter gear or cut entirely.

Highway, I am not picking on you, but since you had the most "formulated" response most of this is answering what you had to say.

-Unless you have a hard time keeping track of your shoes, keeping track of the gaiters is not difficult. I always kept them on my shoes.
-That ties into the next statement of putting them on and taking them off; that happened when I put on and removed my shoes. It's two snaps and velcro, so the added effort there is all of about 5 seconds. I was never in that big of a hurry that those few precious seconds counted.
-I never once adjusted them during the day. There really is nothing to adjust.
-Yes, the lace would occasionally break...so would a shoe lace. I always had a spare shoe lace, so I would take about two minutes and replace it, just like if my shoe gave out. I chalk that up to the penalty for not walking barefoot. Again, I was never in that big of a hurry to save two minuted every 400 miles.
-I've already reverence lugging them around. at 1/5 of a pound, and even going to the extreme of one pound on the foot equaling five on the back (since opinion tends to range from 3-5lbs) it is at most a one pound penalty. In turn my socks remained a lot cleaner, allowing for an additional day or two of wear. My shoes remained cleaner, so they remained comfortable longer. Dew didn't tend to work it's way down into the shoe in the morning, and rain was repelled better. Obviously I cannot positively verify that I avoided contracting poison ivy using them, but do know that I am allergic to it and that they more than likely saved me on several occasions. It's an acceptable penalty, for me.

It all boils down to preference, like so many other things here. I know that I did see many thru-hikers still wearing them at the end. You are best off deciding if they work for you. My 2&#162;.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA-->ME

MOWGLI
12-21-2006, 10:17
I wear 3 pairs of gaiters, carry 7 rolls of toilet paper, and carry 3 gallons of water at all times. :rolleyes:

I am also highly allergic to poison ivy. By PA I seemed to have developed some sort of immunity. At least for the remainder of my hike. I was in it thick, and didn't come down with a rash.

Footslogger
12-21-2006, 10:24
You don't NEED them ...but they serve a purpose and I personally do not hike without them. That said, I sometimes take them off when hiking on some terrain.

In 2003 on my thru I work low gaiters in the warmer months and high (non Goretex) gaiters in the colder months.

They helped to shed moisture (dew) on the grass in the morning and kept rocks/debris out of my shoes and my socks clean.

When the temps started to drop I switched over to the high gaiters because I pretty much hiked in shorts all the way ...and in additon to everything listed above, they helped keed my legs from getting too cold.

Like lots of other things in hiking, gaiters are a matter of personal choice. What others think about my choice to carry and wear gaiters is about THEM ...not me.

'Slogger

MOWGLI
12-21-2006, 10:33
For this hiker, the benefits of gaiters don't outweigh the drawbacks. My feet get hot easily. They also sweat. I NEVER wear sock liners, and I stopped wearing gaiters. I suppose I would wear them in snow however. But I rarely hike in snow anymore here in the SE.

Yes, my socks get dirty. Especially on the JMT this summer. But if I get a pebble or some sand in my shoe, it's a great excuse to stop and take a break. The days of HURRY HURRY - RUSH RUSH died with the end of my thru-hike. My hiking style has changed dramatically. Lots of stops, lunchtime naps, fishing, and reading books under a shade tree. I can still crank out the miles when I want/need to.

Big Dawg
12-21-2006, 10:53
I wear em,,, works for me,,,, HYOH!!:D

vipahman
12-21-2006, 11:03
I'm an ULer who is not a thru' hiker. But I carry long gaitors in winter when there is 6"+ snow and smaller ones in summer when rain is expected. Consider it to be insurance from cold and wet feet.

mountain squid
12-21-2006, 11:34
As far as poison ivy/oak is concerned, gaiters probably won't help that much. Some, maybe, but not much.

Once the oil comes into contact with clothing, etc it can stick around for a long time (up to 5 yrs). So, the gaiters might protect your legs, but as soon as you remove them, you might get the oil all over your hands/arms and anything else they come into contact with.

Your best bet is to be able to identify the plants and then avoid them.

Some links:
http://www.poison-ivy.org/
http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/fastfacts.html

See you on the trail,
mt squid

esmithz
12-21-2006, 12:24
I used low gators on my hike this last year. I liked them for two reasons. 1 they keps my socks clean. 2 they helped divert water over the boot rather than allowing the boot to flood. I probably did not need them except for those days when I hiked in heavy rain. The big drawback was my boots did get hot. On dry warmer days I could have gone without them. I'm also sensitive to poison ivy. After several trips to the hospital over my life I learned my lesson. I wore long sleeve shirts and long pants the entire hike. Never had a problem with poison ivy, bug bites, sun burn, rashes or anything else skin related.

Sly
12-21-2006, 12:46
I've never known gaiters to keep boots/shoes/socks/feet dry for very long during wet weather.

rafe
12-21-2006, 13:32
I've never known gaiters to keep boots/shoes/socks/feet dry for very long during wet weather.

What does? Anything? Anyone? Bueller?