eVent Shortie gaiters replaced by Neo(shell) Shortie gaiters

Mountain Laurel Designs sells shortie eVent gaiters so not all is lost.

What a shame – Rab has completely destroyed the unique offerings that were Integral Designs.

I saw those MLD gaiters, but they had no reinforcement patch on the inside like the IDs, and that worried me. That area apparently gets a lot of wear and tear. Have had to have my IDs restitched there twice in the past year. I've had those little gaiters since early 2010, and worn them fall through spring since, so no complaints. They're worn completely through in some spots, though, and decorated with sewn on ripstop patches, so it's about time they were replaced!

I don't think I'm going to learn much about Neoshell's performance from a pair of gaiters, but assume they'll be more durable(?).
I have to admit I'm curious, and hoping to like these, but would have just bought another pair of the old IDs if I could…

You don't need water proofness for gaiters. They're a vertical surface.

You need eVent for a jacket at the shoulders and hood where the fabric is pressed against your body and you generate lots of sweat.

You don't sweat so much from your ankles, so breathability isn't as important.

I have breathable nylon gaiters and never notice my socks getting wet.

Thanks, Jerry. I only get to hike in 4 seasons and ~8 different states per year, so hadn't formed any ideas about my own needs or preferences.

I detect sarcasm : )

Maybe someone else is reading this too

It seems like most people are into heavy duty gaiters – lightweight ones is a bit of a paradigm shift – applicable for some situations – I use them year round, seldomly in snow, the situation most people think of them for

Read you loud and clear- you REALLY do not want to hear about Dirtygirls…

BUT

I wonder if these Neo gaiters could be easily modded to have a rear velcro attachment point like DirtyGirls? I'd prefer that over the bulky bungee/toggle thing. I feel like that system could slide around on a shoe with no lug-sole heel, like my Altra Superiors. But, I haven't tried.

Owen, I wonder if Ron @ MLD could add a patch of Dyneema Grid to the instep? Bet he could as a custom job….

Owen, will you be using them with low cut shoes/trail runners? I'd be interested to know how they fit/how much coverage they give.

I've posted this before…. I sewed my own gaiters (11.5" tall, 13g each) made of the lightest ripstop nylon I could find. A simple tube with no hardware top or bottom. Not for snow. Just for 3-season wear to keep the water and mud off my upper boots and lower pants (I sleep in the same pants I hike in). They are tapered: narrower at the top, wider at the bottom. I lined the inside with Tyvek cut from a 9" x 12" envelope. The Tyvek stiffens them just a bit and adds to the waterproofing. They are narrow and stiff enough to stay up, but soft and light enough that I leave them on all the time and don't notice them. No chafing. An easy project and my sewing skills are not good.

"Owen, I wonder if Ron @ MLD could add a patch of Dyneema Grid to the instep? Bet he could as a custom job…."

Hadn't thought of that, but I don't see why not. I think those are the same price as these Neos, but lighter. Maybe I should have looked at those a little longer.

"Owen, will you be using them with low cut shoes/trail runners? I'd be interested to know how they fit/how much coverage they give."
Low cut "hiking" shoes. Merrell Moab or Garmont GTX Zenith Trails.
I can put up pics when I get them.

These came a couple of days ago, but I haven't had much time to mess with them, since I've been tearing up the OT to make a November trip happen.

First, I see Campsaver now has the Neo Shortie gaiters on sale for $37.46 in both Medium and Large sizes.

Observations/opinions:
-Noticeably absent is the reinforced patch on the inside that the eVent Shorties had.
While these gaiters' material does *appear* to be somewhat more durable than that of the eVent ones, I'd like to have seen the patch of heavier material retained in this high wear area, because it does seem more prone to getting scuffed.

-There is a thicker(Cordura?) band around the inside top of the gaiter, with horizontal strips of "silicon grip"(per the product page) inside. The thicker band makes it possible to tighten the top down without it cutting into your leg like the old one did if it was above your sock.
This does not seem to keep the gaiter in place on a pants leg any better than the old ones(they'll slide an inch or two in short order), and I first thought it was a useless feature.
Once I caught on, I realized how wrong I was about that.
The thicker band makes it possible to tighten the top down without it cutting into your leg like the old one did if it was above your sock, so you can more comfortably wear the gaiter with mini or micro length socks. In turn, the silicon holds the gaiter in place on your leg so you can wear shorts. It doesn't pull my leg hair, either.
This is very good! I often went without the eVent gaiters when wearing shorts and/or shorter than crew length socks, because it was uncomfortable. Even with shorts and wearing longer socks sticking out over the top, the sock could then get dirt, mud, come-alongs, etc on it.

-There is a small loop of fabric that runs through the cord lock at the top of the gaiters, and holds the lock close to the gaiter.
This is obviously intended to make tightening the shock cord a one-handed operation, but one of mine was missing the stitching on one end, so came out the first time I pulled on the cord. Grrr.

-There are also two small cord loops sewn into the underside of that top band at the center rear and outside front of the gaiter.
I have no idea what purpose they serve.

-There is a plastic clip that goes under the shoe laces, rather than a downward facing hook like on the previous model.
To get the gaiter off, you have to loosen the gaiter and wrestle with it, flipping the hook forward and upside down to pop the laces out. The old style's clip was on or off instantly. The good news is that the clip rides further down than the old one, so that the gaiter conforms to the shape of your shoe. I think it gives a bit better fit.

-There's more hardware.
A grommet replaces the sewn fabric ends where the shock cord goes around the top of the gaiter.
The shock cord has a plastic cord end rather than loose ends tied off in a knot.
Never an issue with the old ones, but it can't come untied…
The shock cord that goes under the shoe has a sliding "lock" for pulling the cord tight so that it doesn't have to be tied off after tightening it down, and you can just feed the excess through the same grommet the cord runs through.
The gaiter also comes with a spare shock cord and sliding lock for the bottom.

-Construction.
Stitching is of similar quality to the original Shortie, but there is no seam at the rear, only the front, with the back side being a continuous piece. The fabric ends of the one seam are turned under and stitched in place, which was not the case with the eVent ones. Less seams, no loose ends, no complaints.

-Fit.
Rab really nailed this. The gaiters have a contoured shape vs. the boxy one of the older version that will be obvious in the pics.
The gaiters narrow at the ankle, and are rounded on the bottom sides so the gaps between the shoe and gaiter are minimized. The fit is GREAT, in my opinion. I think this will give better protection from snow and briefly splashing through water.

-My conclusions, comparing to the old eVent version:
I'd say this is a very good-looking gaiter. The available colors are less likely to clash with clothing(esp. than the yellow!). The material looks good and is much nicer to the touch, and the gaiter has a more streamlined shape.
They fit great, and provide even better protection.
They are more versatile, since they can comfortably be used directly on the skin, making them more practical for wearing with shorts and with short socks-kind of combines the utility of the originals with something like Dirty Girls that are more suited to use with trail runners.

Here are some pics. White balance was jacked, but it didn't seem to affect anything but the background.
Shoes are the Garmont Zenith Trail GTX in size 10.
The gaiters are size Medium.

Inside:

With an eVent Shortie:
a

how much does it weigh?

both new and old versions

My scale is acting up. Shock cord and all, I'm getting 34g for one eVent gaiter, and it's skipping between 37-40g for a Neoshell one.
The eVent is a size Large, the Neoshell is a size Medium.

Rab's sizing is horrible on their gaiters. I sent back size L Latok Mids and Extremes before discovering the Neoshell Shorties, and now I'm about to send back size M Latok Extremes, because they're still too big.
Fortunately, these Shorties are good to go.

Latok extremes are meant for high volume footwear, like giant plastic double boots. It's stated in almost all of their marketing material. I just ordered a pair myself and they are comically large on my winter boots (which are trail running boots and not mountaineering). But I knew this going in an gambled. The extreme sizing seems accurate for the intended use.

STP has the neoshell full gaiters (not extreme sizing) so I may send back my latok exts for those.

"Latok extremes are meant for high volume footwear, like giant plastic double boots. It's stated in almost all of their marketing material."
It's not stated on either of the sites I saw or ordered the gaiters from. That's a shame, because they seem very nice.
I may try those Neoshell ones, too, if they're sized normally. They're something I would very rarely use(likely never, here in the South), but I do have plans for a spring trip at some point specifically for getting out in the snow. Thanks for the heads up. We don't think in terms of mountaineering boots around here!

My initial impressions are good after a first use this week.
I accidentally stepped in a hole with water that was actually over the gaiter, splashed through a lot of shallow water, and intentionally(and briefly) stood and walked in water that came over my shoes, and my feet stayed dry.
The ends of the shock cord that use a knot on the other side of a grommet are not secure as received, and had to be retied, but other than that, no complaints.

btw, it's hard to beat Savage Gulf for a quick fix when you're in the area.

How's that for a <3 hour stop for "gear testing"? :D