I never considered gaiters. Then last year elk season happened. It was rainy and cold. The mud was very clay rich and would clog anything. My pants got so disgusting with me dragging my nasty clumpy boot against the other leg as we climbed. We went into town and bought kenetrek gaiters. I managed to do 10 dats of hunting with the same pair of pant. The gaiters saved the hunt. I stayed cleaner and dryer.
Now I wear them for all my wet outings. They are very robust.
Not sure who you were asking, but for drier, warmer earlier season weather, I like the soft shell gaiters.
The Kuiu soft shell gaiters are really good, and I think are the first gaiters that I have tried that function as well as OR gaiters (e.g. Flex-tex).
If it is really wet where you are, the OR Verglas and Crocs are good. In my experience they are both as waterproof and more breathable than the Kuiu yukon gaiters for some reason. The Kuiu gaiters are quieter, but not nearly as durable as the Crocs for brush busting, and probably about as durable as the light weight Verglas.
If you need to be really quiet, just slip your pants down over the top of any of the gaiters mentioned.
I’ve run the Kuiu Yukon’s the past two years. Wore holes through both of them but they covered them under warranty. So will try them again. Like the fit, finish, and features if they would hold up.