View Full Version : Dirty Girl gaiters help needed
I have a pair of these gaiters and love them with one exception! I can't keep the Velcro on my shoes! I used the Velcro they send with their gaiters and put them on a brand new pair of shoes but the Velcro came off my shoes about midway thru my week long hikes! This has occurred more than once!
Most of my hiking is done on the AT where it is often wet and that maybe the cause of the Velcro failure! They may work great in dryer climes.
Have you experienced this problem and if so how did you fix it?
FWIW I have tried to contact Dirty Girl by email three times and they haven't returned any of my inquiries!
thanks
I've put those tabs on around 5 different pair of trail runners with no problem, ever. i do always put a bit more than 1 inch of velcro length on, running vertically (they give you plenty...), and i do look for the flattest spot on the heel i can find. they do instruct you to leave the tabs on for 24 hours, i think, before using them, if i remember correctly. oh. and i've seen rain (and i've seen fire) too. good luck solving your problem! it could be you are just too old to wear dirty girls.
atmilkman
08-19-2013, 12:31
I've used them for quite some time on the FT. Days and days on end under water constantly with out a problem. You may need to cut off any logo tab or sand it or file it or whatever it takes to get a flat area. Then take some alcohol (any kind - isopropyl or denatured) and clean it real good. Then apply the tape and like 1azarus says, let it dry 24 hrs. I've never had any problems doing it this way and if I ever do I'll try gorilla glue. I've gorilla glued some fellow hikers water shoes back together and they are still using them 2 and 3 years later.
Odd Man Out
08-19-2013, 12:57
.. oh. and i've seen rain (and i've seen fire) too. ..
and lonely days you though would never end??
coach lou
08-19-2013, 13:41
Does anyone carry a needle and thread in their pack anymore?:-?
Drybones
08-19-2013, 13:57
(and i've seen fire) too.
Reminded me of an evening myself and 911 were sitting around the fire leaning back against some comfy rocks, I say to 911, "are your shoes smoking"...melted the bottoms of some Salomon hiking boots...but his feet warmed up nicely.
Drybones
08-19-2013, 13:59
Does anyone carry a needle and thread in their pack anymore?:-?
Duct tape...like someone on this site said once, if you can't fix it with duct tape or a beer it's not worth fixing.
Drybones
08-19-2013, 14:03
I had one case where the velcro came off a shoe and that was during cold weather with the shoes frozen every morning and deep snow and continually wet shoes. I cleaned the shoe and replaced and so far no problems. Two things to be sure of when putting the velcro on, the surface must be clean and you should apply as much pressure as possible and press the velcro on to get a tight joint.
atmilkman
08-19-2013, 14:06
Duct tape...like someone on this site said once, if you can't fix it with duct tape or a beer it's not worth fixing.
I don't know DB. I've fixed a lot of things with duct tape but Budweiser has a pretty poor record. (as far as trucks go)
Sounds like you're saying that you're having a problem with the sticky adhesive backed part of the velcro from staying on your shoe. Dirty Girl Gators have rather small tabs of velcro they come with. That might be the problem in itself. In addition to the Gorilla Gluing, needle/thread, alcohol cleaning before applying the sticky backed velcro, etc ideas you might try getting your own larger size pieces of male/female sticky backed velcro(clothing supply, hobby, hardware stores, outfitters, etc) and using that. Especially make sure you thoroughly alcohol clean(and let thoroughly dry) the heel of your shoes before apply the velcro to it even with new shoes. I only combine Dirty Girl velcro to the heels of new trail runners. The velcro used to hold up pictures on a wall usually have pretty damn strong sticky adhesive. I get it at office supply stores like Staples, Office Depot, etc. And, yes velcro can start losing its ability for it's male/female parts to stick. Personally, because I have HIGH volume insteps, even in the largest size Dirty Girl Gatiors which I have, these gaitors are really stretched and put lots of stress on the velcro so I found I had to go with the larger size pieces of that very sticky adhesive backed velcro to avoid them constantly slipping off at the heel. I don't use my DGG on the east coast or in wet climes. They are one of my go to gators for desert hiking though.
Are your boots waxed or heavily waterproofed. Glue won't stick to wax.
AndrewAZ
08-19-2013, 18:21
Super glue. There was something about the material of my Roclites that I could tell was going to be a problem with the adhesive that comes on the velcro patches, so I used a generous amount of basic super glue (just the little tubes you can get at any supermarket or hardware store). I did that with several pairs and each time the velcro patch never moved even though I wore the shoes down to scraps of their former selves.
MuddyWaters
08-19-2013, 20:19
Ive lost a few.
If you put it too low, it puts more stress on it.
If you put it horizontal, it wont resist the upward pull as well. There is no horizontal pull, so do as was said previously, put it on vertically. If you want it wider, put 2 strips on vertically.
If you use glue, dont use the self-adhesive . Your bond will be no better than the tape adhesive.
If you use some other velcro, get some with larger coarser hook size , like the dirty girls. Some 1/2" tape has smaller hooks and doesnt hold as well.
I have Innov-8 Roclites! Will do as suggested! My thanks to you all!:)
Carry-On
08-20-2013, 01:25
My velcro came off on my third day on the AT. Someone at Mountain Crossings, possibly Squirrel (who did my pack shakedown) showed me something that worked every time for me. Clean the shoe very well, of course, and let it dry. Then completely cover the back of the velcro strip with super glue or gorilla glue. I did buy my own velcro strip that I just cut and added when I got new shoes. Once you apply the velcro with the glue to the shoe, use a long strip of packing tape (or duct tape) and tape the whole thing down tightly. Let it sit for at least 24 hours, and you're golden.
I Krazy Glue them on-never fallen off.
Do you remove the adhesive strip then use glue?
Lots of good suggestions.
I super glue the velcro to my shoes. No worries of it coming off.
Get Velcro without the adhesive on the back. Cut to the desired size and just glue the strip on your shoe. I use 5 minute epoxy and I hold the strip against the shoe during the drying period using regular cellophane tape. Or... if you can find Velcro branded glue, it works good too.
I have some Dirty Girl gators, but still have a pair of the original joetrailman.com gators, and his gators came with a tube of the Velcro glue along with the non-adhesive velcro strips. Just make sure the back of the shoe is clean.
Yes-remove the adhesive protective strip---works great...love those Dirty Girls...
Don't monkey around with stick-on velcro tabs or superglue for this purpose. It won't work (ask me how I know).
Go for the jugular with 2-part epoxy cement. End of problem.
(more than 45 ultramarathons wearing Dirty Girl gaitors). My new fav is running funky gaitors=much better made.
Has anyone used dirty girl gaiters on a long distance hike where you go thru several pairs of shoes while on the same trail??!?
Since I didnt get aNY ANSWERS --i'LL ANSWER IT MYSELF FROM MY OWN RESEACH. Check out Leva gaitors.