Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters

Owner Review
November 10, 2006

Tester Information

Name: Raymond Estrella
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Height: 6' 3" (193 cm)
Weight: 210 lb (95 kg)
Email address: rayestrella@hotmail.com
City: Huntington Beach
State: California
Country: USA 

Backpacking Background

I have been backpacking for over 30 years, all over the state of California, and also in Washington, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona, and Idaho. I hike year-round, mostly in the Sierra Nevada, and average 400 to 500+ miles (640 – 800+ km) per year with a backpack on.  As I start my 4th decade of backpacking I am making the move to lightweight gear, and smaller volume packs. I start early and hike hard so as to enjoy the afternoons exploring. I usually take a freestanding tent and enjoy hot meals at night. Many of my trips are taken with my brother-in-law Dave.

The Product

Manufacturer: Outdoor Research
Web site: www.orgear.com
Product: Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters
Style: 61005
Year manufactured: 2005.
MSRP: $20.00 (US)
Size reviewed: L/XL (also available in S/M)
Weight listed (pair, L/XL): 4.8 oz (136 g) Actual weight 4.6 oz (130 g)
Height measured: 9.25 in (23.5 cm)
Color reviewed: Black (also available in Blue)
Warranty: (Quoted from hang tag), “Outdoor Research products are guaranteed forever.”

Product Description

The Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiter (hereafter called the gaiters) is a very simple to-the-point gaiter.

They are constructed of uncoated 8 oz (227 g) nylon packcloth. The top and bottom are gathered around a .75 in (1.9 cm) wide piece of elastic that allows an extra 7 in (17.8 cm) of stretch. A brass grommet is in the lower section to each side of the gaiter.  Nylon laces originally came with it to tie through the grommets, but I replaced them with Little King Gaiter-Aid shockcords. The Outdoor Research logo is embroidered on the outsides of the gaiters.

The front of the gaiters are split all the way. The edges of this split are bordered by 1 in (2.5 cm) wide strips of hook-and-loop to create a closure for the gaiter. At each end (top and bottom) of the closure is a steel snap to give added security.

At the bottom end of the “loop” side of the closure a steel hook is attached to a piece of reinforced nylon by two rivets. This hook attaches to my boot laces to keep the gaiter from pushing upwards exposing my footwear to the elements and/or flora.

Inside the gaiter is a consumer tag with the name and size listed on one side and laundering instructions on the other. They are as follows: machine wash cold, no dryer, line dry, do not iron. Of course me being a guy they will disintegrate before I ever wash them.

Although the packcloth is uncoated it is tightly woven enough to do a pretty good job of shedding water.

Field Conditions

These gaiters are used for my desert and lowland summer hikes. I have worn them a lot around Palm Springs and in the San Jacinto Wilderness. I have worn them in all three of our major regional parks (O’Neil, Whiting Ranch and Casper) and in Cleveland National Forest. I have also used them in the San Bernardino Mountains.

The temperatures experienced while using these have been as high as 115 F (46 C) and as low as 34 F (1 C). They have been used as high as 10800’ (3290 m) and have been through some of the ugliest brush this side of Australia.

Observations

I purchased the OR gaiters in spring of 2005 after a hike on an unmaintained section of the Pacific Crest Trail (before the kickoff) left my socks so full of stickers, burrs and fox-tails that I had to throw them away. I detest wearing long pants and figured that the only way to save my socks was to get some gaiters to protect them.

I am a “hot” hiker and wanted something that would breath and that would only be as high as my socks. I already had a couple of pairs of higher more technical gaiters, but to wear them I might as well wear long pants. The Rocky Mountain Lows were the answer.

They work very well for my use. They not only keep the stickers and debris out of my boots but they stop most of the bigger punctures from reaching my ankles. On a recent 32 mile (52 km) jaunt from Palm Springs to Mount San Jacinto I had to push through ever worsening levels of brush and cactus. At the end of the trip I had hundreds of puncture marks and cuts on my legs. Where the Rocky Mountain Lows were covering my ankles only one sharp object got through on one leg and three on the other. A week later as I write this I can still see a discernible transition point where the gaiters were. (My nieces think my legs look gross, I prefer to think of it as tiny red badges of honor.) Here is a picture of them in action on the hike I just mentioned.



The only water that these gaiters ever see is creek crossings. But I did run them under a faucet to ascertain the degree to which they would protect in rain. Only after running hard for about a minute did I begin to feel wetness through the packcloth.

They have been pretty durable but as I was writing this and opening them repeatedly one of the snaps separated. As OR has a great warranty I will just send them back to them. Other than that there are no holes or cuts in the fabric even though I have a large scrape on my ankle that tells me something big and sharp hit the gaiter. I do not want to think about what it would have looked like had I not been wearing them. (Wait, girls dig scars, right?) They are very dirty but I don’t care about that. I just slap them together a few times and toss them in the gear room to wait for the next brush-laden hike. Here is a pic of them at the start of a hike.

Pros: Inexpensive, durable, fairly breathable

Cons: snap broke, that’s it