- Size : Large
- Weight : 190 g (6.7 oz)
- Height : (Measured vertically along rear of gaiter) 46.5
cm (18.25")
- Circumference : (Measured around top of gaiter) 44
cm (17.3")
- Colour : Black
For a
more detailed description and
my Initial impressions, see my: INITIAL
REPORT
FIELD
REPORT
For the past two
months, I've
worn these gaiters on almost every walk I've taken. Weather
during this period has been wet, rainy, cold and
occasionally frosty. For about a week during this period, we had
a
light snowfall, varying between 50 mm - 150 mm (2" - 6")
in different parts of the UK. (I had about 100
mm (4") which in some places where it drifted on field edges, was 300
mm (12") deep).
I've worn the gaiters
with two types of footwear. My boots, which
are Karrimor KSB, fabric and leather, and GoreTex lined, and my Merrell
Chameleon trail-shoes which are also fabric and leather but do not have
a waterproof lining.
In terms of fit,
not unexpectedly, the gaiters work best on my
boots. There seems to be just the right amount of material in the
lower part of the gaiters that fits over and around the boot, to
efficiently 
cover
the important parts of my boot without there being any excess which
would 'pouch' and leave gaps in the fitting. The leg portion,
when wearing just one pair of stretch trail-pants, is quite
snug-fitting. These gaiters are slimmer in the leg than most
other
similar ones I've tried but not uncomfortably so and,
were they any wider in this section, for me, this would be wasted
material. The length of the gaiters is spot-on for me, when worn
with my boots. They terminate just below the back of my knee,
completely covering my calf muscle and when I tighten the top strap,
because it's wide and not like a cord, I can hardly feel any pressure
from it. This is a very comfortable top fixing in my opinion.
I've not noticed any times when the gaiters seem to be sliding
down, as most of the time, most lower leg movements seem to be within
the scope of the material available (so to speak) and they don't seem
to be stretched. I have no problem pulling the front of the
gaiters forward to hook it in the bottom lace of my boots and I think
that if I had a pair of boots that laced to further down the toe-cap
than my current ones, the elastic around the bottom edge, would allow
the gaiter to fit these too (see photo above which illustrates some
of the points made here).
When I've worn the
gaiters with my Merrell Chameleon trail shoes, they've been just as
comfortable but the fit is slightly different. Because of the
different style of lacing, the front of the gai
ters
can't hook as far forward. There also isn't the same amount of
ankle cuff as with the boots, to fill the lower part of the gaiters and
the overall appearance is slightly crumpled or baggy, as if they are a
little too big (see photo right).
When I originally
sized the gaiters by tying the instep cord, I sized them for my
boots. As I've worn them mostly with these and the knots I tied
are now more or less permanent, I've not tried to undo and retie the
cord. It might be possible to adjust the cord to get a better fit
with the Merrell's but I'm not that fussed because, as I said earlier
they're just as comfortable, they just don't look as sleek :)
Although wearing
gaiters with non-waterproof footwear might at
first seem puzzling, there is a point. Mud and water that's not
deep
enough to swamp the shoes can be splashed or carried up (see photo) and
washing a
muddy pair of gaiters at the end of each day is a lot easier and more
practical
than a daily washing of trousers.
In terms of wear and
tear they are holding up extremely well. The instep cord which I
was concerned about initially is still in one piece, the Velcro
fastening down the front grips well and hasn't once come undone or
shown any gaps, the front hook has never come off the lacing and the
strap around the top of the gaiter has never come undone. They
are really easy to clean after a day's muddy walking, just a slosh down
with cold water with perhaps a little rubbing or scrubbing in places
where any mud has dried. The gaiters dry very quickly I've found,
shedding the bulk of the water with a vigorous shake. So far, any
mud seems to come off completely and I've not noticed anywhere where
it's starting to clog the fabric.
On all the occasions
I've worn them, in rain, mud and ankle-deep snow, they've proved to be
fully waterproof, especially the lower, proofed section, but even the
upper un-proofed leg area hasn't shown any sign of water
penetration. When wearing boots, I've sloshed through water and
waded through snow with abandon, in the interests of research.
I've pushed through thorny scrub on a number of occasions and although
I've heard and felt the material catch, I've not yet noticed any
sustained damage. I haven't noticed any moisture inside the
gaiters from condensation either, even when walking strenuously on some
of the fast, shorter, training walks I do sometimes when, inevitably,
the part of my legs encased in the gaiters starts to feel much warmer.
Putting the gaiters
on and taking them off couldn't be easier. I hook the instep cord
under my boot, wrap the gaiter around my leg and fasten the snap at the
front. It's then simple to hook the front hook to my bottom lace
and fasten the Velcro up the front. Lastly (and this is sometimes
a tad fiddly with cold hands) I thread the top strap end through the
buckle clip, adjust the tightness and fold the buckle cam over to hold
it in place. Removal is more or less a reversal
of this process. I was at first irritated by the
amount of the top strap that was flapping loose once the buckle had
been tightened but it doesn't get in the way and I now tend to
disregard it.
Test conditions over
the next few months, as we drift out of
winter and into spring will probably continue wet, but hopefully will
start to get warmer. I'll probably be wearing these gaiters at
least
until the beginning of May, but I have no problem with carrying them in
my pack on a 'just in case' basis as they're light and take up little
space.
Overall, I'm finding
these gaiters a pleasure to wear. I'm quite happy wearing gaiters
if the weather conditions dictate, and these are more comfortable than
any others I use and so far, are performing well. I like to have
kit that does what it's supposed to and these fit that bill.
Now, if only they did
them for dogs :
My thanks to
BackpackGearTest and Outdoor Research for the
opportunity to test this product.
