An old pair of socks,cut off the foot part,slip on the tube and pull down over top of shoe or boot.Pretty light and will keep the small sticks and stones out of your shoes,though I have a pair of gaiters too.
An old pair of socks,cut off the foot part,slip on the tube and pull down over top of shoe or boot.Pretty light and will keep the small sticks and stones out of your shoes,though I have a pair of gaiters too.
How is that gonna work in the rain? Its like putting sponges around your ankles. Seems like very limited use.
Valid point,maybe treating would do it.In Colin Fletcher's Book and on one of the back cover pictures,he is seen wearing his socks pulled down over his boots.I tried this ,and didn't care for the way it left my socks all stretched out.I've read others say if it's raining ,your gonna get wet no matter what you do.but again valid point.
I wear gaiters when wearing shorts, not with long pants usually.
Don't Die Before You've Had A Chance To Live!
I should have said though not a bad idea RS.
Don't Die Before You've Had A Chance To Live!
my technique has to do with the advantage i have in having a small inseam. i have a 28" inseam. and if you know anything about mens pants you know that unless you're very lucky you're not going to find any. so i wear 30" inseam pants in clear conditions that cover the tops and backs of my shoes. and rain pants that do the same. i know its working because i have problems with debris in my shoes when i wear shorts but none using my pants system.
hiking style??? Several years backpacking, AT and PCT, no gaiters, no problems with debri in my trail runners.
I've thought those that wore gaiters were to keep the stinging nettles and stickers, or early morning dew off their legs and what not? Stinging nettles through lightly maintained areas have had me consider gaiters, but haven't splurged yet.
If it wasn't for your "stinking gators" you wouldn't have an elite southern university kicking all those elitist Ivy League schools butts in academics and sports. You wouldn't have Gatorade. You wouldn't be running around saying,"Don't taze me, Bro!" You wouldn't have ........What's that? ... it's g-a-i-t-e-r-s not g-a-t-o-r-s? ........ (BIG SMILE) ...Nevermind.
Rosanne Rosanadana
I'm not really a hiker, I just play one on White Blaze.
I used to use a cut off pair of my wife's knee-highs. Then I bought a pair of REI desert gaiters.
I love my Dirtygirlgaiters.
I agree, Dirty Girl Gaiters are great. Light, fit well, cool patterns (I am rocking the trail dogs) and they only cost $20 shipped. I hate getting stuff in my shoes so I wear them all the time when hiking.
--louis
i like gaiters cause i generally hike in shorts and they keep the wet greenery off my legs - especially in early morning after a rain.
I had a pair of high gators, almost to the knee, that I decided not to take when I started my thru. I soon had them sent to me on the trail for the following reasons. First was the snow. Hiking in snow that was over my boot tops. I would wear them in cool rainy weather to keep my legs warm so I didn't have to wear rain pants. Walking thru high grass, especialy when in the morning it was wet with dew. Poision ivy. Some trail sections have poision ivy right along the foot path and I feared catching it. Ticks. The high gators helped to keep ticks off my legs. They were easy to put on and remove so I just wore them when the need was there.
Grampie-N->2001
I use the smaller OR gaters. I know some of the UL people don't like them, but for some odd reason, my left foot "throws" pebbles into my right boot due to my gait. I wore out a pair of boots because the inside was shot around my ankle from the sand and pebbles that had just chewed it up. So, while I'm not in love with them or anything, I have found them necessary for me. YRMV
I've used short gaiters and tall gaiters but when I stopped using them I found that the fairly rare stick or stone was just not a big deal so I stopped using them altogether. None will keep your feet dry. I do wear them for snow shoeing without question.
Everything is in Walking Distance