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Do you guy and gals use gaiters? If so, what is your favorite brand? I am looking at some OR long crocs. They cost around $51.00 at the local outdoors store. Any comments.
Thanks
Onetake
Brushy Sage
01-29-2004, 21:48
$51 sounds expensive. My personal experience has been that I tried a couple kinds of gaiters and then gave them up as too much trouble. Other people swear by them, so it's a matter of personal preference. Still, $51 sounds high to me.
smokymtnsteve
01-29-2004, 21:56
I wear gaiters most of the time..you could find then cheaper
I find that gaiters work well for me. I use short ones made by OR. They keep out trash, small stones and keep my socks and feet dryer and cleaner.
Do you guy and gals use gaiters? If so, what is your favorite brand? I am looking at some OR long crocs. They cost around $51.00 at the local outdoors store. Any comments.
Thanks
Onetake
For summer hiking on the AT, I didn't use them, and didn't miss them. I do like gaiters in the snow, though. So go slow, ya know?
Alligator
01-30-2004, 00:16
In the winter, long ones. All other times, short ones from MEC. Cost $6.00 (CAN). Great for keeping small objects out of my boots.
I wear OR low gaiters allways. Didn't on my first trip, spent hours stopping to get small rocks & stuff out of my boots. Now that I wear the gaiters, I don't have to stop anymore :)
They also keep my feet dry when crossing shallow streams too wide to jump.
I think I paid $20.00 for them, over $30.00 seems a bit pricy to me.
Doctari.
Kerosene
01-30-2004, 09:49
This is one of those items where there does not seem to be a lot of consensus. Doctari notes that he spends hours stopping to get stuff out of his boots. I rarely seem to have that problem (mid-height Vasque Clarion's) and I've found little value in wearing the 4 ounce OR low gaiters. However, if I was walking through wet fields every morning I might change my mind, but I certainly wouldn't wear them every day. In addition, they tend to warm up your feet, something I have problems with anyway.
Gaiters have 3 roles:
1) keep kicked up stones/sticks/"stuff" out of your boots
2) keep trail muck off of your calves/socks
3) (minorly) warm up your lower legs.
Some sock/shoe combinations don't need the "keep it out" protection. Some trails (those without the evil combination of steep inclines and mud) don't need the "keep it off" protection. Some trips (summer-saunas!) don't need the "keep it warm" protection.
Me? I *hate* stuff in my shoes. And I *hate* having to clean my legs, or cycle through my socks, cuz of trail crud. And I *love* a warmed achilles.
Sloetoe
You won't want to wear long gaiters like the Crocs unless you are going to be hiking through a lot of snow and are wearing boots. So, if you are starting in April or even late March, they won't do you a whole lot of good and will mostly make your legs sweat. I have a pair of OR Crocs that I've beaten pretty well and like them when I'm in snow or on ice. If you are going to get gaiters, get short ones. These usually rise up just over the ankle and are mostly for keeping little things out of your boots or shoes. I wore a pair of MEC short gaiters, mentioned in a previous post, and think they are pretty good for this task. They are cheap and not too heavy. Very basic.
Whether you need or will like gaiters is a matter of personal preference. One benefit of going the cheap route with MEC is that you'll only shell out $6 CAN, which is less than $5 USD. Of course, you'll have to get them in Canada or have them shipped to you, which increases the price. I didn't wear gaiters on the PCT and won't wear them on my summer's trip this year. They heat up my feet and all the mesh in the light trail runners that I like to wear brings in crap anyways. If you can score a pair of cheap, short gaiters, go ahead and try them out. If you find that you don't like them, nothing lost. Just don't go for the long ones unless you are planning an early start.
Thanks for the replies. On my last Smoky's section it was extremely wet. It seemed like when I was hiking through some of the narrower sections water from plants, grass etc. would run down my hiking pants into my boots from the top. I thought the gaiters would stop that from happening. I also hike here in Western Kentucky through some field that have high grass, I hate it when the water from the grass soaks my lower legs and boots. I thought about short gaiters but didn't know if they would go up high enough to stop the problem.
Also I checked several websites and $51.00 for the crocs was not out of line, although it seems expensive to me as well. There may be other brands that will work as well for less money but the design of the OR gaiters seems superior.(but what do I know?) They also make a high gaiter for a few dollars less that weighs approximately 2 ounces less but is less durable.
Onetake
I have tried both the Crocs and the OR shorties. I much prefer the shorties over-all. I live in the Central KY, southern IN area and use DWR windpants for those heavy dew or wet from rain days. OR does make great products. I gave my Crocs to my youngest son several years back. He uses them for work sometimes, and playing in the woods. Still going strong...
Pringles
01-31-2004, 12:42
I use gaiters all the time. I spray permanome (sp?, it's anti-tick stuff) on my gaiters, which may or may not truely help with the ticks, but it makes me *feel* better. Also, after a day of walking through mud, I get gook all over the lower legs of my pants. When I get to camp, I just take the gaiters off and my pants are still relatively clean. I don't bother with the under boot straps, mine stay in place without those--which seem like a they'd be a pain to use. I wouldn't bother with the super expensive ones, I got some from REI for about $15, and I got some other ones from a skiing place for about $20. I don't bother with the goretex, either.
Pringles
knightjh
02-01-2004, 11:57
I have a pair of gaiters and I love them I agree with everyone that has said "they warm me up, keep rocks and muck off of you" and I have a unique problem I'm allergic to grass so the gaiters keep me from breaking out. They are an off brand gaiter (I bought them at the Trail House in Frederick MD)
If and when these wear out I will replace them with some "name brand ones probably OR
:cool:
JimSproul
02-01-2004, 13:35
I use a pair of Threshold Waterproof/Breathable Back Country Gaiters i bought at Campmor for about $20. I have used them for about 150 mile and had no problems. They are great for cactus, nettles, rainy days, snow or wet grass. They do get damp on the inside even though they are breathable.They use two snaps and full length velcro to fasten. Lace hook works pretty well as does the elastic under arch strap with plastic hook. I whish they were other than black, they do get hot in the sun.
BTW I do not carry rainpants. If it starts raining Jacket goes on first, if it continues on go the gaiters. If it keeps raining or is pouring at the begining of a hike I wear a rain kilt a la Fletcher but mine is made from a yard for light weight ripstop nylon. It has servered well through a number of high altitude adventures in the Rockies with serious sleet and show in the mix. My "kilt" serves as a quick rain fly, or dry seat, or shawl for a quick dash into the rain.
I wore them throughout the trail regardless of time of year unless it was a hot day and there was not much debris. They sure help on those wet mornings also keeping your boots and feet dry. Others compensate by wearing spandex tights or whatever they are called. Campmor, etc. sell a variety for less than $20. I bought my first pair at a garage sale for $1 (they didn't know what they were) and they made it the whole AT.
I believe the gaiters you are looking at by OR (Crocodiles) are a bit overkill for the AT. I just think they will not breathe fast enough for most while hiking as they are made with Gore Tex. Yeah they are bombproof and waterproof. Although some might like this, I think the concensus is that all you really need are the OR Rocky Mtn shorties. They keep crap out of your shoes and breathe fairly well. If you feel you need the high length ones than go with the OR Rocky Mtn Highs. They are made of packcloth and should be enough to repel most water barring a downpour and also keep crap out of your shoes prolonging the life of the shoes and your socks. I think this will keep the cost down a bit too.
Personally, I have never worn them, so I don't miss them. I really can't imagine using them..not to mention that they make you look, well...funny!
http://home.att.net/~joetrailman/index.html
Less than an ounce and they will not ride up on you, to allow dirt and rocks in, because of the hook and velcro.
Thanks for all the input. You guys rock! I think short inexpensive gaiters are in my future.
Onetake
I am a convert to gaiter use. I love them for all the above mentioned reasons. I currently use the Nut Shell Ventigaiters (full height with a fold back panel which exposes a mesh vent) by Mountain Hard Wear.
My first gaiters were Mountain Hard Wear's Nut Shell Low Gaiter. I thought these would be the ticket since they are relatively lightweight, but I have several issues with them. First, they're simply too low to effectively keep my pant legs dry and clean. Also, they tend to droop down around the ankle somewhat if not cinched uncomfortably tight. The droop makes the gaiter sag and bunch up a bit causing an ungodly sound as the two saggy gaiters rub against one another with every step. Needless to say, I got tired of constantly having to readjust the gaiters while ending up with wet pants anyway.
For the reccord, I am extremely happy with my Ventigaiters - all the benefits of full size gaiters, plus an easy way to vent them.
Check them out at:
http://www.mountainhardwear.com/www/action/catalog/DisplayStyle?id=479