Gaiters Do you use them all the time?

[Luked]

I bought a pair of Sitka Gaiters for this years trip. We are going to CO in Archery.
I have never used Gaiters before so might seem like a dumb question but do you all use them pretty much all the time on your hunts?

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I wear mine only when hiking through thick, wet vegetation (e.g., dew-covered tall grass, marshy areas around streams). Gaiters tend to make my feet/legs uncomfortably hot so I take them off when they're not needed.

 

[KHNC]

I wear my Kennetrek Gators almost daily. I dont use them in New Mexico typically. Usually dry as a bone there.

 

[Trial153]

More often then not I have them on

 

[MallardSX2]

No. Never liked those "ankle booties" lol And for the last 38 years I have always wondered why people even use the things??? I think they are one more thing to keep track of. But to each their own.

When the snow is deep I just wrap 2 or three wraps of electrical tape around my pants tight to my boot and get after it.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

This is my personal viewpoint and having moisture (other than sweat) is a rarity for where I mostly hunt:

Gaiters can do more than just keep your lower legs dry.

They can reduce damage to your lower pants and hems. They can prevent debris from getting in your boots. They can keep ticks out. They can help deal with things that poke you (ex: anything with thorns). They can help reduce you snagging your pants on brush.

 

[A.hol1]

I have a love hate with my gaiters.
Love the extra protection on my shins when bushwhacking through thick coastal brush. Keeps the morning damp off my lower legs.

Hate how hot they get. If the terrain is fairly open they come off for sure.

I have the KUIU Yukon gaiters for reference


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[*zap*]

gaiters for wet short vegetation and nylon chaps for wet tall vegetation. Snake gaiters when appropriate and snake chaps when appropriate....both of those are for deer hunting when the vegetation is abundant, plenty of snakes around here. My dog walked right over the top of a copperhead we surprised while walking a trail about a month ago.....luckily copperhead's lay still as their primary defense mechanism....sometimes.

 

[D.Blake]

I would say 90% of the time I don't need them, but that 10% where I do makes them worth every penny.

 

[Poser]

When the vegetation is wet, when there is snow on the ground, when it’s raining: yes.

Wear gaiters on a 70 degree bluebird day on a South facing slope: you out of your damn mind. They can be hit AF. You’ll feel heat building up in your boots as a result of wearing them.

 

[AZxp]

Most overused product. If you need them, it's obvious. Otherwise they stay at camp

 

[Venom One]

Yes, 90% of the time. Wet or dry, doesn't matter for me. I wear short hiking boots in the summer so the gaiters keep debris out and protect my pants. In winter they protect my rain gear.

 

[5MilesBack]

Yep, all the time. It's mostly dry in CO but IMO that's where they excel keeping pine needles and other debris out of my boots, and burrs off my lower pants, and other twigs etc from damaging my pants.

 

[Dalen88]

i see people wearing them in dry conditions in videos and such and i think its crazy, to hot, dont like things on my legs, they are for creek crossings and wet conditions in my mind, never have any problems with getting stuff in my boots.

 

[Ron.C]

Like any clothing item I own, I wear my gaiters when the situation/conditions merit wearing them. I treat them like rain gear, they are only on when they need to be.

 

[ManyBullets]

Depends on how bad ass you want to look on a particular day.

 

[AZxp]

Depends on how bad ass you want to look on a particular day.

So the endless groups of 15+ from Utah coming to shed hunt AZ before their season opens are super badass. Who knew

 

[Ryan Avery]

I wear them when I need them, maybe 50% of the time.

I was at the gas station today and watch three guys jump out of a truck from Wisconsin. One had head-to-toe First Lite, one Sitka, and the other KUIU. All looked brand new, gaiters and boots included. I chuckled to myself, thinking they were defiantly Rokslide members.

 

[AmmoTex]

Yes
Keeping my pants dry from the early morning dew is critical….you can always take them off midday if you want.

 

[5MilesBack]

i see people wearing them in dry conditions in videos and such and i think its crazy, to hot

I never even notice whether my lower legs are hot or not, and my feet are encased in socks and leather boots. If anything is hot it should be my feet, but I don't notice them ever as well.

Personally I don't think they look cool at all.....especially when they're a totally different color than my pants, which are also probably a different color than my shirt, which is different than my hat, etc. But I don't care either way, the elk never seem to judge me.

A few years ago I forgot to put my gaiters back on for an evening hunt. It was the only time I failed to wear them that season while hunting. Coming out that night my pants snagged on a broken branch coming off a blowdown and put an 6" rip in my pants. My gaiters would have prevented that.