Low trail shoes, Snow and Gaiters

[NoKnees]

Hi All,
This is my first post here and I was looking for a little insight. I use low trail shoes and was thinking of making a set of gaiters for use in reasonable amounts of snow and mud. ( ie the northeast in late april/may and the Sierra in the early season) I am open to suggestions particulary as relates to:

1) Fabric choice. I am looking for a lightweight fabric that combines a good degree of water resistance and breathability. I am leaning away from the "waterproof breathables" as I feel they won't breath enough. Some of the choices are teflon DWR ripstop or Epic. Would these just wet out too quickly? Are there other choices? Where would you go on the water resistance/breathability issue?

2) How to secure the gaiter to the shoe? A cord under the instep? or should I epoxy velcro to the shoe with matching velco on the gaiter. or maybe both. Do I need a hook for the laces on the front of the gaiter? For those of you that use trail shoes with gaiters do you have trouble with the gaiters "riding up over the back of the shoe?

3) Slip on style or velcro seam like the OR gaiters?

Ok that is a pretty good list of questions.

Any help is appreciated

[mrc237]

Velcro On The Heel---hooks On The Laces----try Using The Whip From A Weed Whacker For The Instep Cord

[TakeABreak]

Personally I would just a pair of gator from campmor, they have some en-expensive ones, as a matter of fact, they are my gator of choice, accept for extreme winter conditions. I use the pair that waterproof on bottom half and clothe on top half, even mud and lite winter conditions, I just clean them periodically in a fast moving stream.

[anneandbenhike]

My husband and I both use trail running shoes on our hikes, and gaiters... always. I do not use the under the foot cords as I find it usually comes loose or it wears out and also I find that I do not need it. The hook in the front I always use and I think it helps. If you are sewing your own, you can use supplex and water treat it but it is easier and not very expensive, except for shipping, to get the OR ones at Campmor. A local outfitter should also have them. I never felt the need, except in the snow to have the tall gaiters, and the ankle ones are not so hot in summer. The velcro down the front is nice but if you put the gaiters on before your shoes, then you do not need a zipper or velcro. (though most have them) As far as riding up on the back of the shoe...we used a small piece of velcro on both the gaiter and the shoe (sewn on the gaiter, and glued on the shoe) and we could NOT keep the velcro on the shoe, and we tried several types of glue, so we gave up on this idea! I have found that if I consciously put the gaiter low on the back of my shoe that in the course of a day, I might have to pull it down only once or twice.
REI makes a gaiter called the Desert Gaiter which is very lightweight and nice for summer, but you should definitely get the L/XL size as they run small. They are $24 but have lasted very well for us in the muddiest conditions and I throw them in the washing machine when we return from a hike. I also sew much of my gear and have made gaiters with zippers in the past, and I would again if it was easier to buy suitable fabric for them locally.

[anneandbenhike]

Here is the link to the Desert Gaiters.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47612298&parent_category_rn=4501452&vcat=REI_SEARCH

[Pencil Pusher]

I thought some of these trail running shoes had elastic thing-a-ma-jig collars to keep the pebbles out. I have a pair of Salomon shoes like this and I recall from long-ago web browsing another shoe having integral gaiter attachments. If a rubber band is the simplest form of a DIY hands free cell phone, then perhaps having four rubber bands and two plastic shopping bags would be the answer for gaiters. Or the all time fave: duct tape. Though if you wanted to do the light is right thing, how about some upside down hooks sewn into the shoe collar so you could roll your sock down over the collar with the hooks keeping them in place and pebbles out.

[Frosty]

how about some upside down hooks sewn into the shoe collar so you could roll your sock down over the collar with the hooks keeping them in place and pebbles out.Then the pebbles would end up between the socks and your feet.

[Lanthar Mandragoran]

Pencil Pusher. I believe the shoes with the integral gaiter attachements (at least one of them) are the north face Ultra 102s (or the Ultra XCR), I got a pair, very comfortable on my hard-to satisfy feet.

Only problem with the attachements is that only north face makes a gaiter for them. Of coure, it shouldn't be hard to attach hooks to a home-made pair of gaiters

[Rambler]

http://raceready.com/accessories/gators.html

[Pencil Pusher]

Then the pebbles would end up between the socks and your feet.
Think about that for a second. No wait, you already did. Well maybe you should just look down and fold one sock over on itself. Though I tend to discard socks that become loose fitting, so perhaps this is what makes it hard for you to understand... your loose fitting socks:p