Long-Term Report: 
Integral Designs eVENT Shortie Gaiters

Date: November 8, 2005

Summary
The Shortie Gaiters made a convert out of me. I hike off trail a lot, in some really rugged and messy conditions, and the gaiters kept everything out of my boots, protected my ankles, and kept my socks and feet a lot cleaner. I feel that the ID Shortie Gaiters are an excellent choice because of their light weight, high breathability, and durability.  I like the zipperless/no Velcro design because it saves weight and makes the gaiters fit better. The e-VENT fabric is so breathable that I can comfortably leave the gaiters on all day. I like the reinforcement with supplex nylon on the heavy wear area inside of each gaiter. I also like the elastic cord and cordlock adjustment at the tops of the gaiters. The Shortie Gaiters are the most functional 2.4 oz (68 g) in my backpacking kit.

The Integral Designs eVENT Shortie Gaiters when brand new.	The same gaiters after 6 months and approximately 1000 miles of use. The gaiter on my left foot was damaged by some barbed wire and has been repaired.

Product Information
Product Tested: Integral Designs eVENT Shortie Gaiters
Manufacturer Website: http://www.integraldesigns.com
Year of Manufacture: 2005
Fabric Description: eVENT Storm 3L is a 3.1 oz/yd2 triple grid ripstop waterproof breathable fabric with tricot backing, 100% nylon
Color: Dark green
Sizes Available: Small (US 4-10), large (US 10-12)
Size Tested: Large
Weight Listed: 2.5 oz (70 g)
Measured Weight: 2.4 oz (68 g), silnylon stuff sack .3 oz (8.5 g)
MSRP: $25 US

Product Description
According to the Integral Designs website, the eVENT Shortie Gaiters are “ultra lightweight simple gaiters designed to keep snow and stones out of boots and trail runners and keep socks and boot tops dry when hiking in rain or through wet grass. Made from highly breathable trilaminate eVENT fabric, they are comfortable to wear all day long without excessive condensation buildup. Insteps are reinforced with black supplex nylon. The eVENT gaiters have no zippers or velcro and are designed to be put on before putting on footwear. The replaceable shock cord snugs under the instep (flip to back of footwear when hiking over sharp rocks). The top shock cord and toggle adjust for a comfortable and snug fit around the ankles.”

Information On eVENT Technology
Basically BHA Technologies has developed a “better Gore-Tex”, which is branded as e-VENT. Both Gore-Tex  and e-VENT are an expanded PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene, a.k.a. Teflon) membrane laminated to a nylon fabric. The difference is that the Gore-Tex PTFE membrane is coated with a thin layer of polyurethane (PU) on the inside that is hydrophilic (water absorbent) to make it permeable to water. The PU layer is necessary to protect the PTFE membrane from fouling by body oils, but the downside is that it greatly restricts the breathability of the fabric. BHA Technologies found a way to make the PTFE membrane oleophobic (oil resistant), so it does not need the breathability-inhibiting PU coating to protect it from contaminants. The result is a waterproof-breathable fabric that will move moisture 30%-200% (depending on humidity level) faster than Gore-Tex XCR.

Long-Term Report
Test Locations and Conditions—During the six month test period (May to November 2005) I wore the Shortie Gaiters on 39 trips totaling 74 days, as follows:

Elevations ranged from 5,000 ft (1524 m) to over 13,000 ft (3962 m), and temperatures ranged from 15-85 F (-9 to 29 C). Activities included snowshoeing, day hiking, peak ascents, and backpacking. Terrains included alpine snowpack, desert canyons, steep sliderock slopes, avalanche debris, and slickrock. Conditions included snow, rain, dusty trails, stream crossings, muddy trails, dense forest vegetation, and alpine bogs.

How the Shortie Gaiters Were Used— I wore the gaiters with mid-height hiking boots most of the time during the test period, and occasionally with low cut hiking shoes. A frequent problem I have in backcountry travel is snow and debris getting into my boots, so my main focus in testing the Integral Designs eVENT Shortie Gaiters was their ability to keep snow/dirt/mud/water out of my boots. I wore the Shortie Gaiters on every trip I went on, and wore them all day. I wore the Gaiters for snowshoeing, hiking in all types of trail conditions, hiking off-trail in all types of conditions, stream crossings, wading through soft snow, and bushwhacking through avalanche debris and thick forest undergrowth.  I used them in cold weather and hot weather. I wore them on hot dusty trails and wet alpine meadows. In our late summer monsoon season I wore them while hiking in rain and mud all day.

Quality and Construction—The construction and workmanship are excellent. Seams are double stitched and the high abrasion areas inside the ankles are reinforced with durable fabric.  

Fit-- The gaiters have a fitted seam on the front and back that provide a bottom opening (size large tested) big enough to cover the tops of my low cut and mid height hiking shoes/boots (size 11.5 EEEE), and top opening to provide a snug fit at the base of my calves.

Features—The Integral Designs eVENT Shortie Gaiters are Spartan by design, and have the following features: highly breathable eVENT fabric, metal hook in front to connect to boot laces, elastic cord under heel, elastic cord with cordlock to snug the top, and supplex nylon reinforcement inside ankles. The seams are not taped on the inside. They do not have a Velcro or zippered opening.

Usability—The gaiters have no zippers, so they must be slipped on before putting on boots (and the reverse to take them off). They will slide on over my low cut trail running shoes, but they do not go on over my mid-height or full-height boots. I did not find this to be a problem because I consistently wore them all day.

The elastic cord and cordlock in the top hem worked well to hold the gaiters up. They stayed up over pants very well, with some sag created by leg flex. When I wore them with hiking shorts, they tended to slide down a little more, but it was not a problem. I had no problems with the elastic cord cutting off circulation in my legs.

From past experience, I knew that wearing the gaiters with the elastic cord under my boot would result in it wearing through quickly, so from the beginning I put the elastic cord around the back of my boot (right photo above). That arrangement worked great for all types of use, and I did not have any problems with snow or debris pushing in from the bottom of the gaiters.

Performance—Simply put, the gaiters do their job very well. I had no problems with snow/debris/mud/water/dust entering my boots, even when glissading down steep snowfields or bushwhacking through heavy undergrowth. The Shortie Gaiters are the most functional 2.4 oz (68 g) in my backpacking kit. After wearing them for 74 trip days, I now put them on instinctively and feel naked without them.

The greatest benefit I found from the Shortie Gaiters was they kept everything out of my boots while I was hiking, especially in snow and when bushwhacking. My socks and feet stayed a lot cleaner. The gaiters also protected my ankles and lower legs when I hiked in shorts and low- or mid-height boots.

On one early summer backpacking trip, my hiking partner from another state showed up with the same gaiters. His were brand new. After 5 days of wading snowdrifts and tramping through wet meadows, we both felt that the gaiters paid for themselves on that one trip.

The Shortie Gaiters helped to keep my boots dry on stream crossings. I simply planed my route and quickly splashed through. My boots stayed dry for the most part, since water did not come in from the top.

Although the two seams on the gaiters are not taped I did not have any problems with water leaking through the gaiters and getting my socks wet. I did have wet boots from wading through snow, water, and mud but that was an issue with the boots leaking and not the gaiters.

The highly breathable eVENT fabric makes the Shortie Gaiters comfortable to wear all day. Over a wide range of temperatures and hiking conditions, not once did my lower legs feel uncomfortable or did I feel a need to take the gaiters off. I put them on in the morning and took them off at the end of the day.

Durability—The gaiters received a lot of hard use and held up very well, with no seams coming apart, no punctures, and very few abrasions - from normal hiking. I did have a run-in with some barbed wire and damaged the left gaiter (no, they're not tough enough to withstand tripping over barbed wire!) . I washed them about 10 times (hand wash with mild soap) and found that they easily clean up and dry fast.

Suitability for Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking—The Shortie Gaiters do add a little weight to your feet (1.2 oz/34 g per foot), which is significant when one is trying to reduce weight. According to US Army research, removing 1 pound (454 grams) from your back is equivalent to removing 6.4 pounds (2.9 kg) from your back. But weight has to be balanced with functionality, and I feel that the Shortie Gaiters provide a lot of functionality for their minimal weight. This is a situation where I would choose to add a little weight to my kit, and look for other places to cut weight.

Measurements—Size large is 10 in (25 cm) high, 9 in (23 cm) wide at the bottom, and 7.5 in (19 cm) wide at the top.

Washing Instructions—“Hand wash with mild soap. Drip dry. Do not dry clean or bleach.”

Reviewer
Name: Will Rietveld
Age: 63
Gender: Male
Height: 6 ft (183 cm)
Weight: 170 lb (77 kg)
Foot Size: 11.5 EEEE (US)
Email: willi_wabbit at bresnan dot net
City & State: Durango CO 81301
Location for Testing: Southwestern US (Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico).

Backpacking Background
I have been an avid backpacker for 47 years. I am retired and backpacking is my passion. During the summer I backpack nearly every week. During the fall, winter, and spring I backpack, day hike, snowshoe, or ski every week. I backpack in wilderness areas in Colorado Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and occasionally in other western states.

Backpacking Style—I have been a lightweight backpacker for 30 years, an ultralight backpacker for 6 years, and a super ultralight backpacker for six months. My wife and I give presentations on ultralight backpacking in the local area, and have developed a website called Southwest Ultralight Backpacking to share information.

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Integral Designs and the BackpackGearTest Group for selecting me to participate in this test.

Will Rietveld