Making Goretex gaiters using material scavenged from USMC Goretex shell pants?

You can sew Gore-tex like regular fabric.

I made calf high. You can make your own. This is what I used for pattern:

Everything is straight and parallel except little pointy piece at front, rounded at bottom.

Add 1/2 inch seam allowance all the way around. I put extra on the top to make sleeve for elastic to make it fit. Two pieces of fabric. Sew together at front, sew both pieces to zipper. I used #3 seperating – probably #5 better.

That shape looks like the OR gaiters that I've skied in for years, except for three things. One is that the OR gaiters have 1" wide strips of velcro in place of the zipper halves. Second is that there needs to be a hook of sorts at the front of each gaiter, and that is to hold it snug to the boot laces. Third is that there needs to be some kind of strap that runs underneath each boot instep. My OR gaiters use a strap of neoprene with nylon fabric embedded in it, so they haven't worn out in all these many years. That is important if you find yourself walking over rocky areas. If you go with the instep strap, then you may need a length adjustment buckle on each one, and that should be placed on the lateral side, not the medial side.

I don't know if it is a function decision or a style decision, but the OR gaiters were sewn with heavy coated nylon for the bottom 5" and gore-tex for the tops.

–B.G.–

Those are good suggestions.

I have some gaiter hooks but never bothered putting them on. Never bothered with strap on bottom.

But I use more to keep dirt and rain out. When I post hole in snow, the gaiters tend to come up, but I don't do a lot of this. Hook and strap would keep gaiters down.

My October 2008 gaiters of 1.1 breathable nylon are beginning to fall apart a bit, rips at bottom. I cut off some material to make it a bit better. Time for new ones.

I don't really see why heavier fabric is necesary, at least for my use which isn't real abusive.

Heavier fabric is common in gaiters used by cross country skiers, because you have things whizzing by at faster speeds, plus metal ski edges in close proximity.

I use thin short gaiters only for summer in some sandy place like a desert. Otherwise, I use no gaiters at all.

–B.G.–