go gaiters!

[rob123ufl]

alright, that was a cheesy play on the fact that i go to UF...now:

can anyone tell me the point of gaiters? i just don't quite see the point... why not wear pants?

[warraghiyagey]

alright, that was a cheesy play on the fact that i go to UF...now:

can anyone tell me the point of gaiters? i just don't quite see the point... why not wear pants?

Gaiters are for polks who may not want to wear full length pants hiking let alone the length of the AT. I'm a shorts wearer myself and I started out with gaiters and got rid of them by Monson. Never used them since.
But they also keep sticks, stones and debris from working down into your hiking shoes which can become very problematic. They also would help with tics and other bugs.
Not my thing though. Tried them. Didn't like them. AND they hold in sweat. Yuck.

[rafe]

Gaiters are currently out of fashion. But they can be useful for keeping scree out of your boots or shoes. I could never wear long pants while hiking, except maybe in the dead of winter. OTOH, if you wear shorts in cool weather, a bit of warming for the feet and ankles can be a good thing.

[ed bell]

Dead of winter, moderate snow, snowshoeless, invaluable.

[stumpy]

I think they are most useful for keeping show out of your shoes or boots.


GO NOLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Freeleo]

check these out

debris socks

http://www.gearzone.com/Inov8-Debris.../232-14102.htm

[Gaiter]

i wear mini gaiters mostly to keep my socks clean, healthy feet are clean feet. the reason i have my trail name is one of my gaiter's fell out in ms janets van when she dropped me off for a one week section. i hiked for a week wearing only one gaiter, you really could tell the difference btn my two socks, one looked like it hadn't hardly been worn, the other was very dirty

[Footslogger]

I hike in shorts pretty much year round and use high gaiters in the really cold weather and the short ones otherwise. Not too sure about them being "out of fashion" and frankly wouldn't give a flip anyway.

If something works I tend to go with it. Gaiters work. The tall ones act as a partial "lower pant leg" but both the tall and short keep scree and dust out of your shoes. In drier climates where the trail is dusty, keeping sand/dirt out of your shoes become pretty important - if it collects in your socks they become like sandpaper.

'Slogger

[BlackCloud]

B/C of the way I walk, an inordinate amt of debris enters my boots --> you know, stones, dirt, leaves, whatever.

It's wear gaiters or remove a boot avery couple of miles......

They also help on stream crossings. I just walk thru streams instead of rock hopping; safer, faster, & cools the feet.......

[Deadeye]

I use a very light pair of gaiters made from the same stuff as the side pockets on Granite Gear packs - sort of like Spandex. Keeps crap out of my shoes, and keeps socks way cleaner, without adding too much heat.

But thanks to Freeleo, I have one more thing to put on my Xmas list Those debris socks look even cooler!

[climbabout]

They also keep your socks dry when walking through tall wet grass in the am or after a storm. Some sections of the AT here in CT skirt farmland and the grass is sometimes tall and wet there.
Tim

[Kirby]

I tried hiking with gaiters, and I found I was not fond of them.

Kirby

[FanaticFringer]

GO DAWGS I dont like gaiters or gators.

[Tinker]

I have 2 pair of low gaiters, one from EMS, made of a Schoeller fabric, and one from Outdoor Research. I don't like either in hot weather. In cooler weather the EMS ones are more breathable. The OR ones sit in my drawer.

In the winter, I never go anywhere in the snow without my OR Crocodiles. Gore-tex works best when it's cold and dry. It "breathes" at its best then.

[Trillium]

I haven't tried gaiters yet but I can tell you I hate gators. We owned them in April, 2000 89 - 76

Go Green!

[Dakota Dan]

I never hike without my short OR gaiters. They protect the boots, lacing, socks, keep out trash, elements. Keep feet warmer in winter.

Also, I wear a neck gaiter in the winter, best thing I've ever used to stay warm.

[Cosmic Crusader]

Gaiters - they are great for string trimmer use at home too - (once they are too trashed for the trail). Winter tall a must - Summer short or tall depends on how much chance I think there is for ticks or chiggers -- uhh chiggers.

[Shane! Come Back!]

Go Gators! You need 'em more than most:
1) to deflect snakebites (according to some)
2) to keep your legs from being shredded by saw palmettos when you hike the Florida Trail (see Lwop's journal about leg-saving gaiters in Big Cypress swamp)

[Gray Blazer]

Gators were popular last year. The Gator cap was the official hat of the AT last year. I like my little gaiters. Keeps the boots and socks dry when you're walking throught that mountain meadow in the morning.

[RockStar]

Lucky you, I am in Trojan Country. pfffft Will be an attending Trojan (again) soon.

I had some Ventigaiters, loved em yet they were too much for the AT. Now the Florida Trail...I would probably wan't the Ventigaiters back. I got cuts n scrapes all up 'n down my legs.