I'm too cheap to purchase new gaiters for mountaineering and am looking for ideas or patterns (particularly since I need three pairs!).
The last pair I made, 28 years ago, are bombproof gore-tex/packcloth wonders, but they are fairly heavy. Almost knee high, double layer of coated packcloth over the shoe, lined gore-tex above. Neoprene straps and metal buckles, zippered all the way up. And not only is the zipper covered by a storm flap with snaps, the bottom-most snaps are the kind that only open from one direction ("pull-the-dot"), and don't open when they catch on snow or ice.
Anyway, what is considered essential for light to medium-duty climbing these days, e.g. for Mt Adams or even Mt Rainer, but as light weight as possible? Are neoprene straps needed, or are there lighter equivalents? How high should they go? What materials are best for the different sections? Zippered with storm flap (snaps or velcro), or pull-on over-the-boot?
