Gaiters

Hello! I'm looking for some advice on which, if any, gaiters to buy for the summer. I will be hiking/backpacking in the rocky mountains, utah (canyonlands/bryce etc.), california (sequoia/kings canyon) and olympia national park. I was wondering what gaiters I could get to cover this multitude of terrain (desert/possible snow/forest). I had never considered them before but was hiking in Death Valley last week and had my boots full of small pebbles and sand. I also don't want to spend too much...thanks!!!

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Last fall I bouhgt gaiters on sale at gander mountain for $20. They are zippered with a velcro flap that covers the zipper. My son and I used them snowshoeing all winter and they worked great. So I don't think you have to spend $50 to 480 dollars for designer gaiters. Check online at places like campmor, backcountry, and moosjaw.

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I'd go with low gaiters rather than high gaiters as the higher style are hot in the summer and overkill unless you are in deep snow. You should easily be able to find a pair at REI or Campmor or the like.

I found these at a REI Outlet search.
http://www.rei.com/REI-Outlet/search?vcat=OUTLET_SEARCH&query=gaiters

Gaiters take a bit of a beating, I wouldn't spend a great deal looking for something expensive, you should be able to find something suitable for under $20.

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I have two pair of inexpensive gaiters made out of different materials. The pair I usually wear is made of Cordura or a similar material and wasn't very expensive. If you are doing any kind of bushwalking, a tall gaiter will keep your legs from getting scratched if you wear shorts, or keep your pant legs from getting small snags or cuts if you are wearing long pants.

Winter gaiters are often insulated and cost quite a bit more than a 3 season gaiter, so you may wind up with more than one pair if you get serious about winter hiking.

Campor has some cheap gaiters on their website.

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Gaiters are great in our neck of the woods - green briar sucks!!!!

Use caution when purchasing gaiters - at least as far as fit goes. Try 'em on if you can. I'm not that big - 5'9", 165 lbs., size 9.5 shoe - I bought a pair of Mountain Hardware 3 season vented gaiters online - size large - they didn't fit over anything but my polypro britches, and even then were a bit snug! Had to send them back. I got a less expensive pair from Campmor and they work great.

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thanks for all the feedback! i am eyeing a set of superfeet insoles, so i may cut out the gaiters for this trip. I won't be doing any snow hiking, except MAYBE in RMNP. I thought I would perhaps need them for pebbles and debris in other western parks. Does anyone use them for regular hiking besides winter and bushwalking, or are they an excessive piece of gear?

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I wear OR Rocky Mountain High gaiters in Michigan in spring on muddy trails, in summer and fall mainly to keep insects off my legs, and in winter for skiing, walking and snowshoe hiking. Not necessary, but not excessive.

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I often use low-top gaiters even with my trail-running shoes to minimize the dust getting into the shoes and my socks, as well as keeping sand, gravel, and other debris out, summer and winter. The high-top gaiters are used more for snow conditions, as well as for backcountry skiing and climbing where crampons are needed (to protect pants and legs from getting cut up by sharpened ski edges). It is sometimes surprising how much dust, sand, gravel get kicked up, not only with low top trail running shoes, but even with regular hiking boots. And if I go off trail on scree slopes, the gaiters become a necessity. Some "trails" involve a lot of loose stuff (like the trails up Mt St Helens and other volcanic peaks, or areas formed by volcanic or glacial action, like the Sangre de Cristos or much of the Cascades, or even a lot of parts of RMNP)

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I have used several types and have half a dozen pairs now, for different uses. I like Kenetrek gaiters for hunting, used with 8" heaavy leather climbing boots. These will allow you to quickly wade small streams without getting wet feet.

I sometimes use insulated super gaiters in winter and Gore-Tex gaiters in less cold snowshoeing; these work quite well and help keep your feet dry=warm. I prefer old-style leather heavy hikers for this, as well, due to support issues in steep terrain.

Myn favourites, tho', and I wear these every time I hike or backpack and am not using more specialized types, are the low, soft OR ones. These are just a FINE product and work so well in most of my uses, that I seldom use my others anymore.

Gaiters really ARE a valuable gear item.

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