[at-l] To gaiter, or not to gaiter...

[jeanpaul at comcast.net (Jean-Paul Miller)]

number one bonus of gaiters is that they are kinda like pants... in cold
weather.

they can be very cheap if you buy the right ones... around 15-20 bucks

I enjoyed mine. I always hike with them.. actually I wore thru them and need
a new pair. you can get little low gaiters but I use a full length gaiter.
the longest of them go up to just below your knees that I have seen. I guess
you could also be the first hiker to wear chaps...

PROS
1 they keep rocks and water out
(keeps out rain slightly AND if you have waterproof boots and you walk
through streams JUST right... your feet don't get wet.. try this a while
before you do this with a pack on I guess. it takes a funny timing and a
tall step.. I found out about this accidentally when I fell into a stream
once. it basically takes a little bit for the water to seep in and if you
put your foot down move and pull it up faster then the water seeps up from
the bottom you stay dry and you get to amuse people watching you)

2 they keep poison ivy away

3 they keep some ticks off of you ...

4 prevents your legs from getting that permanent dirt that you cannot seem
to wash off even with a brillo pad.

5 I find in colder weather they make nice "pants"(it was worth noting twice)

6 your socks will stay slightly cleaner and since I only wore one pair when
I was hiking it was a BIG bonus for me the dirt and grit that build up socks
irritates my feet.

CONS
1 in the summer they were hot and yucky. so I kept them push down lower in
summer and did not zip them all the way up.

2 small children( cub-scouts mostly) ask what they are all the
time(impromptu modeling is not my thing)

3 they cost more then not having them and it is something else to own and
carry with you even if it is on your legs

4 you get a REALLY bad sock tan!! it looks like you went back in time to the
80s and where playing soccer!!!

and finally

you don't really NEED that much for hiking on the AT look up a person by the
name "Grandma Gatewood". sounds like a very cool person. wish I was around
in 1963 to meet her.


have fun

wisperlight


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