[at-l] Gaiters - the alpha and omega

[icw@xxxxxxxxxxx (Clark Wright)]

others have responded, but here is an effort at the total picture:

1)  Gaitors are definitely not a necessity - thus the issue becomes one
of personal preference;
2)  OR makes darn good ones, both the full size and the shorter,
lighter, cooler ones;
3)  In cold weather, they are good for keeping snow out of the tops of
your boots/shoes;
4)  In warmer weather, they are good for keeping sticks, bugs, water,
mud, etc. out of your boots/shoes, but they also WILL make your legs and
feet sweat more;
5)  Different brands attach to your boots/shoes in different ways - if
you buy a pair, make sure that they are compatible with your footwear in
terms of ease of putting them on and taking them off;
6)  Depending on the peculiarities of the way you walk, they CAN cause
you to trip and fall - any gaiter that has a strap or cord that passes
under the boot/shoe adds some potential to snagging the other foot if
one foot grazes against the side of the other foot in just the right
spot while striding . . . some gaiters attach only with a clip on top of
your boot/shoe at the bottom lace, and no strap or cord passing
underneath - this type of gaiter eliminates the potential tripping issue
[which for me is real - somehow, my feet occasionally graze the side of
the opposite boot/shoe and every now and then that causes a "catch' when
the toe of one boot/shoe hits the strap/cord in the middle of the side
of the other boot/shoe - sometimes catching hard enough to make me
halfway trip and fall!] ; and
7)  They will add some weight to your pack.

I started from Springer in 2001 with a pair of OR's short gaiters; ended
up mailing them home before reaching NOC.  Even though I later walked
thru 2-3 foot drifts in the Smokies, I really did not miss them.  My
answer to the ticks concern was to spray the top of my shoes and socks
with some nasty, powerful stuff - the minor trail debris in the top of
boots did not bother me.

thru-thinker

Jason Howard wrote:

> Are gaiters really needed on the AT?
>
> If so, is there a certain season or section that you'd use them more often?
>
> -j
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