Integral Designs eVENT Shortie Gaiters

[Bob Gabbart]

The Integral Designs eVENT Shortie Gaiters are simple calf height gaiters. They are meant to be put on before you put on your shoes. They have an elastic cord that goes under your shoe, a hook to grab your laces, and a reinforced patch on the inside of the shoe. The gaiters are made from eVENT are are very comfortable to wear. They do a fine job keeping your socks/shoes clean and dry. However, they have a flaw in keeping little rocks out of your shoes.

At the top of the gaiter is a channel about 5/8″ high that has an adjustable bungee in it for tightening the top of the gaiter around your leg. The picture is of the top of the gaiter. As you can see, the cord can slide down to the bottom of the channel creating a sort of funnel at the top of the gaiter that catches small rocks. As you hike, the rocks can then work their way down into the gaiter and into your shoe. The only way to stop this would be to tighten the bungee so much that it would cut off circulation to your foot.

If ID were to redesign the gaiter to fix this one flaw I would give it a 5. And if you were to use the gaiter solely to keep your shoes/socks dry, then I would give it a 5 as well. But if you wear gaiters to keep rocks out of your shoes, then it is only a 3.

Also, I wore the gaiters with a pair of trail runners that didn’t have much of a indentation at the bottom for the bungee and the bungee was shredded after one weekend. It is replaceable, and I have replaced it with some AirCore Pro.

[Michael Karaman]

Great combination of waterproofness and breathability. I wouldn’t wear them otherwise. Can’t beat the weight either.

I don’t seem to have problems with rocks getting in from the top, but it only took me 140 miles to rip the bungee underneath the boot.

[Will Rietveld]

I have used these gaiters a lot and really like them. I don’t mind their zipperless/Velcroless design, its lighter and simpler.

I have size L. For me, they fit very well over mid or full height boots, but don’t cover the tops of trail runners very well.

I have noticed the issue that Bob points out with the top edge creating a ledge or funnel to catch debris, but I have not had any problems with debris catching there or finding it way through.

These gaiters really breathe well, and I have had no problems leaving them on all day. They are also quite durable.

Because the underfoot cord wears out easily, I run it around the back of my boot. That arrangement has worked well for me on mid and full height boots, and the gaiters still cover the tops of my shoes. The only time I have gotten any leakage is from glissading down snowbanks, where there is a lot of pressure pushing it in.

[Phil Barton]

Ditto. After 6 months of use, I have had no trail debris get past these little gators. I’m very pleased with their function, fit, and durability.

I have had no problems with the underfoot cord. It does wear out but I have replaced it with similar bungee cord when it’s frayed to pieces.

[Roger B]

After a wet week in Vermont these gaiters kept the mud and water out of my boots. What is more an AT SOBO wanted to them.

They are sound and well designed and I would not go back to long gaiters or another brand/style for wet weather

[Ryan Jordan]

Not a 5, because of the lack of decent seal around the shoe. More durable than light stretchwoven gaiters like REI Spring gaiters, but at the cost of breathability. I use these for fall rain and snow with XCR trail running shoes and thick wool socks. It’s a great combo for warm feet. Damp socks you will have upon arrival to camp, but that’s what dry spares are for, eh?

I eventually solved the seal problem by sewing the gaiters to my shoes and inserting a velcro front closure to make lacing easier. I like that better than having an underfoot gaiter strap and a poorly sealed gaiter.

[Craig Shelley]

A pair of size large weighs 69 grams. When I think I might benefit from gaiters, this is what I take. Only when I know I will be tromping through the most extreme snow do I take something else like my OR Crocodile Gaiters. These are sufficiently lightweight that I can afford to take them even if there is a chance I won’t really need a gaiter.

[b d]

I bought these knowing they did not fit well over low tops, as described in the BPL review and others comments here. The problem is apparently that either they will not cover the shoe or they ride up when walking. Spotlight review is at:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/integral_designs_event_shortie_gaiters_spotlite_review.html

Low tops are a preffered shoe for Light and especially UL and SUL hiking, so I want to continue to use them and use them more — instead of my heavier boots. Thus, I have been looking for a gaiter that would give me the protection from the elements of a higher topped boot type shoe while wearing my low tops.

But, there is no "perfect" gaiter for low tops that I could find reviewed or discussed here at BPL.

Thus, given that the ID eVENT shorties were light weight, durable, and waterproof based upon the comments and BPL reviews, they seemed like the best choice.

I have from the beginning disliked the concept of the bungy string under the sole to hold them down. Having tried it I still dislike it. IMO there was no security in that connector and hold down device. So I replaced it with connectors to the sides of the shoes themselves.

They will hold down over the low top Montrails I use, using the bungy string they come with or the modifications I made.

I believe it is essential that you order the right size to obtain gaiters that will fit over your sized shoe or boot, S, M, or L. The picture (below) in the Spotlight review mentioned above indicates the gaiters that were tested did not fit the foot of the tester.

They also, given the modification pictured two pics above, come on and off the shoe easily. I can take the shoe on and off in a flash because of using the BPL Gear Shop's Lock Lace on my shoe strings, which means I don't have to tie and untie them to get them on and off. (I do not use the shoe strings that come with the BPL Gear Shop Lace Locks, I remove the strings and use the strings that come with the shoes or other items.)

The Integral Design eVENT shortie gaiters are well made, fabric feels and looks durable and great, and they are waterproof. I never thought I would like or use gaiters until reading all the posts, reviews, and seeing the pictures here at BPL. These fit and feel great. They do not weigh much of anything so I don't notice them; I thought they might feel clunky.

After reading about the importance of the foot in "Lightweight Backpacking and Camping" I am certain I made the right choice to protect my feet with proper gear. (Cinders in the shoe are a real problem here and my only previous choice was to wear my higher top Tecnica boots or get cinders and rocks in my shoes.) The gaiters give that sense of security that if you bang into a sharp rock edge you are not going to cut or smash the ankle.

In snow, based on a quick initial test, they are great. Now I do not need to wear the high tops all the time because the gaiters shed the snow as well as the high tops or better.

So, thus far, these are 5 for me because they don't cost much for the protection they offer from water, snow, and rocks or dirt; they obviously are well made and durable material; they are light weight; and most importantly they will allow me to use low tops far more than previously, which has been a goal for awhile.

Another modification to the gaiters was taking off the stopper on the top closure and replcaing it with a bit bigger, but easier for me to use with gloves or in the cold, BPL Gear Shop Lock Lace:

[Shawn Basil]

I am known as a "gaiter zealot" by friends. Perhaps this is the NOLS instructor coming out in me, but I wear short gaiters on the mulched trails of local city parks.

So I was very excited by the new ID Shortie eVent Gaiter. But when I used it on the Colorado Trail this past summer, I was disappointed with the difficulty of taking it on and off.

The first two weeks on the trail (second and third weeks of June) offered intense heat and dust, combined with occasional snowpack on higher passes, a great mix of conditions for trying the gaiters. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the eVent's breathability lived up to its reputation. But on the hottest days, I still chose to go gaiterless. If I then needed the gaiters for the 1/4 mile of snowpack, it was frustrating to remove shoes, gaiter up, and reshoe.

I also could never pull the gaiter all the way up (I have very pronounced calves), and the gaiter tended to pull my socks down as I hiked. I had no problem with the understrap, perhaps because I used a homemade understrap using a doubled piece of shock cord, cord lock, and 5/8" sleeve of tubular webbing. Historically I can get upwards of 500 miles off the system. However, I only used the gaiters for an estimated 150 miles before I mailed them home.

For every day use, I changed to my REI Mistral Gaiters. They are just dramatically more useful in a mix of conditions than the irksome design of the ID Shortie. For winter use in snow, I will still use them, but for three seasons, they are too fussy for me.

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