Reviews > Rain Gear > Gaiters > OR Rocky Mountain High Packcloth Gaiters > Andrew Priest > Initial Report

Testing Location(s):

The hiking environment of the southwest of Western Australia allows for hiking and backpacking from coastal plains to forested ranges. Elevation ranges from 0 to 585 metres (0 to 1,920 feet). Within this region, I hike in varying conditions from forestry roads, to sandy tracks to single-purpose walking trails, to rock hopping, to beach walking to completely off-track walking through open and dense country.

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Weather Conditions:

During the summer period, daytime temperatures average 30 C (86 F), whereas from March through to December the daytime average temperatures range from 15 C to 26 C (59 F to 79 F). During the autumn (fall), winter, and spring periods the normal weather pattern is fairly wet with frequent heavy rainstorms evident. It does not normally snow in Western Australia.

According to The Times Atlas of the World (Concise Edition - Revised 1997) our weather is described as being "Mediterranean - rainy climates with mild winters, coolest month above 0° C (32° F), but below 18° C (64.4° F); warmest month above 10° C (50° F)." The atlas depicts the coastal area north of Los Angeles as having the same climate.

Report Comments:

Receipt of the Item:

The Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain High "Packcloth" Gaiters were received in good condition. They shipped with a display card attached to the gaiters outlining the features of the product. Also shipped were some decals which included warranty information.  The information on the card corresponds with the information provided on Outdoor Research's website with one exception.  The graphic on the card reflects the construct of the Packcloth gaiters, whereas the website shows the Gore-Tex gaiter graphic incorrectly as being the Packcloth gaiter. With this one exception, the gaiters are as represented on the website and as I expected. 

First Impressions:

Light! These gaiters are quite a bit lighter than the canvas gaiters that I normally wear (330 g verus 189 g - 12 oz verus 7 oz) so I am looking forward to hopefully more pleasant leg protection.

The Rocky Mountain High "Packcloth" Gaiters are as described on the website.  They are made of an oxford weave nylon material, called Packcloth.  The leg section of the gaiter is uncoated Packcloth, which is meant to facilitate "increased" ventilation (as opposed to what is not clear). While the leg section is uncoated, it is subject to a Teflon HT Durable Water Resistant (DWR) treatment to assist in weather protection.  The foot section of the gaiter is coated 8 oz Packcloth.  That is, it is subject to a urethane coating which is claimed to make the fabric waterproof.

The gaiter is secured at the top with a strap and cam buckle arrangement. Running down the full length of the front of the gaiter is a 25.4 mm (1'') wide Velcro fastener.  The bottom of the gaiters are edged with a non-adjustable elastic bottom.  A nylon instep lace, 394 mm (15.5") in length is provided to secure the gaiter to the boot.  Two brass eyelets are incorporated in the bottom edge to allow for tying on of the instep lace.  Finally a snap and hook is included at the bottom front of the gaiter to allow the gaiter to be hooked to one's boot or shoe lace and to stop the Velcro from peeling at the edge.

Concerns/Comments:

Outdoor Research makes a number of claims in respect of these gaiters. These claims and my initial response are outlined below. Where possible over the next six months I will put these claims to the test.

• 25.4 mm (1") Velcro front closure - The Velcro front closure is described as providing easy access to socks and boot laces; making the gaiters easy to put on and combined with the elasticised bottom, they allow the nylon instep lace to be tied once to the correct fitting, therefore avoiding the need to re-tie with each fitment.  Based on past experience with similar front closure gaiters I expect the claims to be true.  I do however have some initial concerns about the length of the nylon instep lace. I suspect that I am going to be pushed to be able to fit these at a length which will allow me to fit these gaiters easily over my Scarpa Manta boots. Time will tell. I also have some concerns about the durability of the lace.  That said, I am not so sure that the lace will be that critical anyway to the fit and use of the gaiters.
• Uncoated Packcloth leg section - The uncoated leg section is designed to "increase ventilation" and to keep the wearer cool and comfortable. It is also treated with a DWR treatment to assist in weather protection.  The gaiters are certainly light, but whether this will lead to increased comfort, only testing will tell. I plan to wear these gaiters on some summer walks as well as autumn (fall) and winter walks during the test period, therefore exposing them to a range of weather conditions. 
• Coated Packcloth foot section - The section of the gaiter is claimed to be waterproof and to provide maximum protection in keeping one's boots dry as possible in rain etc.  I will hopefully be testing this claim in wet weather.
• Strap and Cam buckle top closure - This design is claimed to be easy to use, even when wearing bulky hand wear; it is claimed to never slip and the nylon strap does not cut into the leg.  As I don't wear bulky hand wear I will not be in a position to test the ease of use with bulky hand wear claim, however, I will be testing the general functioning of the strap and buckle. Initial impressions are that this is a small and fiddly buckle which is tight to close. Maybe with usage the buckle will loosen up.
• Elastic bottom edge - Claims to create a tight seal against the elements and to confirm to a wide range of boot shapes.  I will of course put the protection claim to the test and will try out the gaiters with a couple of types of footwear.
• Hook and snap at bottom front - The gaiters have a snap at the bottom to keep the Velcro from peeling at the edge. I hope this works.  Having endured this problem on my canvas gaiters, I look forward to putting this claim to the test. I will also be testing how well the hook stays in place during wearing.
• Full protection - No further claims are made as to what "full protection" exactly entails, but I intend to put the gaiters to test in a number of on-track and off-track walking conditions and different weather conditions which will test the durability of the gaiter in aggressive bush and the ability of the gaiter to protect my legs against physical damage and to keep my footwear dry and clear of stones and twigs.

Testing Strategy: 

During the test period I anticipate undertaking a number of weekend or longer backpacks and possibly some day walks in both track and off-track walking conditions and during a range of weather conditions from summer to winter weather (rain but not snow). I anticipate that this range of walking conditions will allow me to put the gaiters to an appropriate level of testing.

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Reviews > Rain Gear > Gaiters > OR Rocky Mountain High Packcloth Gaiters > Andrew Priest > Initial Report