Gaiters–durable and that actually fit!

[Barbara Tardiff]

I am in search of some high quality waterproof, durable gaiters that will actually stay up on my legs.

I have used the OR Verglas in a women’s small and although I have fairly muscular calves, they do not fit snugly below my knee, at the tightest setting (and thus tend to fall down). I got a pair of Zpacks gaiters which were delightfully light and capable of being cinched around my calf but ripped to shreds on the first outing.

Any recommendations?

I am 5’4″ and wear a women’s 7.5-8 shoe

[bradmacmt]

What are these for?

Snow? Debris? Rain?

Low or high gaiters?

[Ox]

Interested in this topic, I’m tall and skinny and I’ve yet to find fitting ones. They are either ridiculously large or too small.

 

[DAN-Y]

Rattler Snake Proof Gaiters won’t sag, read the reviews:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Rattler-snale-colsize-Snake-Proof-Gaiters/dp/B00542NIVM#customerReviews

 

[Barbara Tardiff]

Brad–yes–snow, rain, debris. Knee high. (think Sierras).

I like to hike in 3/4 wool leggings and the gaiters become part of my clothing strategy.

Romain C–I actually have pretty muscular legs (I cycle, a lot) so am surprised how hard it is to find gaiters that fit.

Dan Y–Those gaiters look pretty cool but I suspect they won’t hold up in para-winter conditions in the mountains.

 

[bradmacmt]

Ok, thanks for the info.

I wore out my OR Crocs last year… the main thing I didn’t like about them was the lack of a snap at the bottom, where OR chooses to just rely on a small Velcro patch (bad design).

I replaced them with a Sea To Summit Event Quagmire Gaiter… they’re about the perfect gaiter.

https://seatosummitusa.com/collections/hiking-boot-gaiters/products/quagmire-event-gaiter?_pos=4&_sid=d501f3bab&_ss=r

 

[Barbara Tardiff]

Brad–thank you for the guidance. Looking at the OR Expeditions however worried I would have the same issue that I have with the Verglas.

The Sea-to-Summit alpine or quagmire? my email feed indicated alpine but the link above is to quagmire.

 

[bradmacmt]

Quagmire… I use the Large, my wife the Medium (size 9), you would be size Small.

 

[Barbara Tardiff]

Brad–thank you. Very helpful!

[jscott]

years ago I bought a pair of these:

https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/superlight-gaiter/

excellent. Love ’em.

If you want something longer, scroll down to the snow gaiters.

[Matt]

DIY Solution – I use some elastic cord and and a pinch-lock to keep my gaiters high and tight.  Works like a charm!  Cheap, durable, and endlessly adjustable.

[Brian Devlin]

What exactly do you mean by pinch lock?

[David P]

Great thread thanks!

I wouldn’t have known S2S made these. They solve two nagging issues I’ve had with the OR Crocs. 1)the useless Velcro closure by the boot like Brad mentioned and 2) the plastic flip locking mechanism at the calf on the Crocs is prone to failure/breakage. I’ve been “tying” them shut.

Now that my Crocs are near shredded in places and all defunct I will gladly pull the trigger on the Quagmires this season…

 

[bradmacmt]

They solve two nagging issues I’ve had with the OR Crocs. 1)the useless Velcro closure by the boot like Brad mentioned and 2) the plastic flip locking mechanism at the calf on the Crocs is prone to failure/breakage. I’ve been “tying” them shut.

Yes, forgot to mention the lousy flip-lock mechanism at the top of the OR Crocs!

Funny, they’re supposedly the “gold standard”, but they have two real design flaws that have never been fully addressed until I found the S2S gaiters.

enwild has a 20% off coupon right now:

https://www.enwild.com/sea-to-summit-quagmire-event-gaiter.html

[Matt]

I call those spring-loaded stops, like you use on stuff sacks, “pinch-locks”.  RBTR calls them “cordlocks”.  That is probably more accurate.

[SIMULACRA]

I found these Montane gaiters about a year ago on Amazon for about $70 and they have worked out really well for me. The cinch cord works great and they have a fairly snug fit about them.

[Boyan B]

The MLD’s look like great gaiters for debris protection (which is what I am after).

@jeffrey armbruster – how do they stand up to abrasion? My hiking is mostly in the Southwest, and often off trail

[Author]

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