Outdoor Research Salamander Gaiters
Test Series by Wayne Merry
INITIAL REPORT: 3 June 2009
FIELD REPORT: 13 August 2009
LONG-TERM REPORT: 13 October 2009
About Wayne, the tester:
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Height: 1.8 m (5' 10")
Weight: 90 kg (198 lb)
Email address: wayne underscore merry at yahoo dot com dot au
City, State, Country: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Backpacking Background: I started overnight backpacking
six years ago. I hike in various terrains from moderate/hard track
walks to some off-track and rivers. I like the temperature to stay above
freezing, and have not camped above the snow line during winter. I enjoy
going on weekend and multi-day walks up to two weeks as well as day walks.
I carry a moderate weight pack, enjoying a few creature comforts at camp.
I normally do at least 2 overnight or longer walks every three months, in
addition to a number of full day length walks.
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About the test environment:
I will be testing the Outdoor Research Salamander gaiters in Victoria, Australia. Elevations will
vary from sea level to 1500 m (4900 ft). The test will be conducted in the winter and spring
seasons with temperatures expected to vary from 0 C (32 F) to 25 C (77 F).
Humidity varies widely during this time of year. Conditions could vary from quite wet to very dry.
I will be testing the OR Salamander gaiters on all my overnight or longer walks that I have planned
during the test period. |
Product Details:
Photograph courtesy of Outdoor Research
Manufacturer's description:
"No matter if it's a drizzle or a steady downpour, these waterproof gaiters will keep feet and footwear dry
on the approach. The boot section is molded to conform to the shape of your footwear and reaches nearly
to the toe of your boot. The sidewalls extend down the edges of boots so even in soggy bushwhacking,
your feet will stay dry from the elements."
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Specifications for product as tested:
- Weight
- Manufacturer specified: 176 g (6.2 oz)
- As tested: 182 g (6.4 oz)
- Dimensions
- As tested: (received L/XL sizes 8-12, there is a S/M size 5-9 available)
- Leg section length: 18 cm (7 in)
- Length from top to toe: 31 cm (12 in)
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Initial Report: Item Receipt & First Impressions:
3 Jun 2009
I received the Outdoor Research Salamander gaiters attached with information about the gaiters and
the lifetime guarantee. Information was supplied in English and French,
but je ne parle pas francais tres bien, so I'll stick to the English.
The Salamander gaiters (shown above) have a good feel to the hand. The fabric looks robust and feels light. The stitching is
single stitching, and I found one loose threat at the top of the gaiters. It is too early to say how I feel about the
stitching quality. Stitching is often what lets me down with gaiters, but I have found double stitching seems not
to help much. A conclusion to this matter awaits testing in the field. The strap is sewn on to the gaiter on one
side with two stitching rows. The other side has a buckle for strap adjustment. The boot section of the gaiter has a
reinforced Cordura material. At the toe there is a semi-rigid reinforcement material underneath the Cordura.
The gaiter is secured at the back by a seam of hook and loop fastener running from top to bottom. There are also two
adjustment straps which are also secured by hook and loop fastener. I am pleased that Outdoor Research used hook and
loop for these
instead of studs, as I find that studs often are the first thing to fail on a gaiter. I am used to velcro seams running
on the front of the leg, so it might take a little time to get used to the seam being on the back of the leg.
Having the seam at the back can be good in heavy bush, as stuff can get caught in seams at the front and
force them open.
The elastic top edge of the gaiters felt ok against the skin. There were no obvious rubbing or problems, but I'll
have to wait to the field test to see how this goes. It looks like it should keep out water running down my leg,
but I guess we shall see. These gaiters may not keep out water from river crossings for very long as it appears
there is a bit of space between the bottom edge of the gaiter and the boot which would allow water through.
It has been said that a good gaiter gives one quarter of a second grace in the river, but I'm not sure how much
grace I will get with the Salamanders.
The instep strap has a good robust feel about it, but it will take walking over rough terrain to see how the
urethane coating performs. It will be important that these straps last as they are sewn in.
My main likes and dislikes at this stage are:
- LIKES:
- Nice and light.
- Material construction seems good.
- DISLIKES:
- There is a sizeable gap between my boot and gaiter on the bottom edge.
- The instep strap is sewn in.
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13 August 2009
Field test locations:
- Mt Cobbler, Victoria, Australia. A planned overnight walk, but I had to abandon
one day. The walk was in the Victorian high country. Around 15 km (9 miles) on track.
- Carnarvon Gorge, Queensland, Australia. A 23 km (14 mile) day walk on track.
- The Fortress, Grampians, Victoria, Australia. An overnight walk mostly on track,
but a little rock hopping walking as well. A total distance of around 25 km (15 miles).
My field test involved using the Salamander gaiters over three significant walks. I wore shorts
on all of these walks apart from the first to test how the Salamanders would perform directly against skin.
As described in the Initial Report, the Salamanders are a half height gaiter that covers
the top section of the boot and the lower leg. The top of the gaiter is located near the
bottom of the calf. For serious off track walking in the bush or scrub, I would prefer
using a full length gaiter and pants rather than shorts and a half length gaiter. For on
track walking, the Salamander suits me just fine.
The Salamanders cover the boots to the toe cap. The front of the gaiter is more than 3 cm
(1.2 in) forward of the lace hook. This can make it a little tricky getting the gaiter on, but
I found that putting the lace hook on, and getting the gaiter strap done up before doing
up the gaiter hook and loop material (similar to Velcro) gave the gaiters a tighter feel. On my first
walk, I was doing up the hook and loop strips on the back before doing up the strap, but the
gaiters tended to move around on the boot after 30 or so minutes of walking. When I
reversed the order of doing up the gaiter - strap first - the gaiter was more secure. When done
up well, the gaiters are able to stay securely in place throughout the day. The sizeable gap
problem I mentioned in my initial review seems to have resolved itself when I put the gaiters
on this way.
The gaiter material does appear to be significantly water resistant. There does appear to
be some breathability to the gaiter fabrics, but my feet still get damp in the boot a little
more than if I did not wear gaiters at all. I had a reasonable amount of rain on one of my
walks, but the gaiters seemed to keep the water at bay.
I have found the gaiters to be quite comfortable throughout the day. There do not appear
to be any sore spots. My skin is not excessively rubbed, and the top of the gaiter does not
seem to be causing any problems.
The Salamanders can be a little difficult to take off at the end of the day. The hook and loop
is easy enough for me to undo, but the strap buckle can be difficult to manipulate to get
undone. Sometimes I have even had to lever the gaiters off the front of the boot because
I could not get the buckle undone while the gaiters were on the boot.
I found it was important to ensure that the Salamanders were covering the toe cap of
the boot properly. If the gaiter was a little too far back, the front lip of the gaiter could
find its way in between the toe cap and the leather material of my boot, which forced them
apart a little. I had to do a little glue repair to my boot because of this. When the lace hook is
in place securely, this problem does not occur. I have found that the lace hook actually stays
hooked throughout the day, which I have not found on every other gaiter I have ever used.
At this stage of the test there does not appear to be any obvious sign of wear and tear on
the gaiters. The stitching still looks good, materials do not show signs of wear, and the strap
is in good condition. I have done some walking on harsh surfaces, so the strap is getting
a good workout. Given that the strap is sewn in, it will need to last the life of the gaiter.
In summary at this stage:
- LIKES:
- Nice and light.
- Material construction seems good.
- The gaiter does give good fit and stays in position throughout the day
- DISLIKES:
- Getting the gaiter buckle undone can be difficult.
- The instep strap is sewn in.
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13 October 2009
Long term test locations:
- Rogaine at Won Wron, Victoira, Australia. A 1 day walk with around 40 km
(24 mile) day walk mostly off-track through moderate to thick forest.
- BSAR training, Wombat State Forest, Victoria, Australia. Two days, with the first day
including significant off-track walking through moderate to thick forest. A total distance
of around 18 km (10 miles).
The gaiters were used for a total of 3 days over the long term test period.
In the long term test period, I decided to focus on testing the Salamander gaiters using
shorts so that the gaiters would be used against the skin for longer periods. All of the walking
during this period was mostly off-track. Having some bare skin exposed in off track walking
did result in a number of scratches to the skin, however the areas covered by the gaiters
were well protected. The gaiters themselves also appeared to stand up to this punishment
quite well. The elastic at the top of the gaiters did leave some temporary marks on the skin
but even after several days of continuous use, I did not find them irritating.
Now that I have used the gaiters over a 4-month period, I have found it even more difficult
to undo the strap that goes underneath the boot while the gaiters are on. I have instead levered
the gaiters on and off the boot with the strap done up. The shape of the shaft on the buckle can
be very tricky to get out of the holes on the strap. I think the reason why this has become a
problem is that I am doing up the strap much tighter than I did at the start of the field test
period. It is also fortunate that my boots are of a shape where I can leaver the gaiters on
and off.
As described in my initial report, the Salamander gaiters extend
down over the top of the boot to the toe cap. This protects more of the boot from the
elements. While overall this is a good thing, there is also the potential for the front
edge of the gaiter to get caught in-between the boot and the toe cap. This then begins to leaver
the toe cap off the boot. I have found this happening to a small extent with one of my
pairs of boots.
At the conclusion of the test, the gaiters appear to still be in good condition. The materials
are still sound. There are no stitches obviously coming undone. The hook-and-loop strips
(similar to Velcro) still work well. The strap underneath appears in good condition. The
only sign of wear is on the strap buckle. This buckle must be coming into some contact
with the ground and as a result is being roughed up. At this stage, it does not appear that
failure of this buckle is imminent.
Overall, I am happy with the gaiters, and will continue to use them in most walking
situations. The only situations that I feel that are unsuitable for the Salamanders is rough
scrub/bush/forest where full length gaiters would be more appropriate.
In summary at the conclusion of this test, my main likes and dislikes are:
- LIKES:
- Nice and light.
- Material construction seems good.
- The gaiter does give good fit and stays in position throughout the day
- DISLIKES:
- Getting the gaiter buckle undone can be difficult.
- The instep strap is sewn in.
This concludes my test report. Thanks to BackpackGearTest and Outdoor Research for
the opportunity to test the Salamander Gaiters.
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Read more gear reviews by Wayne Merry
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