Gaiters? What do you feel is the main purpose

[LongWayAround]

My personal favorite reason to wear gaiters is shin protection. Whenever I leave them off, I end up busting my shins on deadfall. The thick layer of velcro acts like a soccer shin guard.

 

[WVhunter304]

Gaiters are great for keeping debris out; underbrush, snow, mud, or water.

 

[UpTop]

I’m a fan. Used to think they were a waste of time. Like others I like keeping all the debris out. I definitely like them for when it’s a muddy mess to keep the mud off my lower pant legs. Get back to the truck and take them off and it sure cuts down on mud from the back of my calves getting all over the seats. Granted my truck is usually not much to be proud of during hunting season anyway, but mud everywhere when it’s fresh just sucks.

 

[Gseith]

I’m a fan. Used to think they were a waste of time. Like others I like keeping all the debris out. I definitely like them for when it’s a muddy mess to keep the mud off my lower pant legs. Get back to the truck and take them off and it sure cuts down on mud from the back of my calves getting all over the seats. Granted my truck is usually not much to be proud of during hunting season anyway, but mud everywhere when it’s fresh just sucks.

I use them all the time for a lot of the reasons listed throughout the thread.
But I like being able to take them off before climbing into my tent to keep some of the dirt out of my tent. I try really hard to keep mud and dirt out of where I am sleeping.

 

[Poser]

I only use full gaiters when its wet out or especially cold. If its hot and dry, I find them too hot to wear and they trap moisture off my feet. That being said, when you need them, you need them. Like many on here, I often don't bring rain pants and favor gaiters + rain jacket instead.

I do often wear light-duty ankle gaiters with trail shoes to keep debris out since shoes are more prone to that than boots.

 

[roosiebull]

Gaiters serve different roles at different times, I wear them almost always.

For later fall-spring, the main reason is moisture protection, spring through early summer, both moisture, brush, and tick protection. I keep them heavily treated with permethrin during that time

For archery elk when it’s typically nice weather I’m hunting in low or mid tops, so again, gaiters are necessary for both morning dew and keeping debris out of my boots.

If I only wore them for moisture management, I would still wear them 90% of the time, it’s rarely not wet around here, at least for the morning.

 

[RogerSanchez]

Wore a pair on an antelope hunt last year in late Sept.

Gaiters are for keeping debris out, whether it's dry pieces of underbrush, snow, mud, or water.

That's why I wear them. Keep dirt, brush and debris out of my boots. If I don't wear them I get all sorts of crap in my boots

 

[Cactus kid]

Gaiters main purpose is to let other hunters know how hardcore you are.