Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Gaiters?

You are correct in being overkill for sure but I am not seeing much in the way of decent protection while being semi waterproof in some of this stuff.

The shorter ones don't seem like they would even cover my laces and I like to stay tied up.

Even though not much snow it would be nice to keep the bottoms of bibs/pants from having that familiar ice ring around them and also no breeze blowing up my legs since I normally tuck bottoms of britches in tops of my rubbers.

Ya, it is a trade off for sure. To be tough and protective, in general the material needs to be heavier. Some space age material does exist and helps, but I have yet to see something that is lightweight, thorn resistant, breathable and tough. The hemi that gets good mileage and rarely needs maintenance, if you will.

I have a pair of the Swazi Ali-Gaiters, and they're kind of a snow/rain design that don't look too terribly heavy. Today is their maiden voyage, however. I have them on now, while the pickup warms up. They fit over my lace up snowpacks just fine but have no clue as to their water shedding abilities yet. They have a cable boot heel loop which I generally am not a fan of because it frays like any cable does and catching a wire in your fingers just sucks ass, though it does have a heavy plastic coating on the cable. We will see how that holds up and the cable is designed to be removed if desired, so that is good.

OR Crocs for the win here too. However that being said, I’ve now been through two pairs and have a third new pair. I got the new ones because the last set had issues with the buckle on the heel strap breaking. My son and buddy had the same issue. I did contact Outdoor Research and they said they had gotten a bad batch of hardware and gave me credit for a new pair.
As soon as I wear them out, I’m going to try the Stone Glacier.

I've used 2 sets of the black Kennetrek over the last 15 years. I've sewed up a couple of tears and loose stitches, but they've been good to me. I wear gaiters from the start of upland season through the end of rifle season and then every time I go coyote hunting after that. I can't comment on any of the other brands, because I've never had any reason to try them.

Once I started wearing these I won't go without them, unless it's really hot...https://www.kuiu.com/products/kutana-storm-gaiter-ash?variant=40340367245470

x2

Gaiters are quieter if you wear them over your long undies but under your pants...They also shed better rather than funneling water or snowmelt onto your boots. I can't say that I care a great deal about a quiet gaiter, for that reason. OR Verglas here.

A layer of duct tape will help with chewing through the bottom straps, if you're so inclined.

I don't like the front hook on the verglas...it goes over the lace rather than threading under. Other than that...I'm 13 years into mine.

Another member here had a set of new in package OR Crocodiles. They are headed my way.

For light duty, I wore a pair of neoprene wader cuffs to keep crap out of my boots. They worked great. Light, cheap, and pretty tough.

I have OR and like 'em.

I also like OR gaiters. Long ago, I went through several pairs while ice climbing because my Crampons would rip them up. I'm too old and fat to climb ice now. So my gaiters last longer. They only come in red, blue or gray. I use gray because OR doesn't make camo gaiters.

I have the first lite bramblers I wear when it's wet. I love them. I do a lot of hiking chasing those darn deer and elk and Oregon is pretty wet. It sucks when your pants are soaked up to the knee and then the water starts to wick down your socks getting the inside of your boots wet.

I have 2 seasons on my first lite gaiters and they are still going strong.

TruSpec Expedition Pants.

Spray to maintain DWR protection.

Optimum ventilation and protection from wet grasses and understory.

Conventional gaiters for snow over 6'' deep if not wearing snow pack boots.

I've got a pair of OR Crocs and they have worked well in wet grass/brush and 12"+ snow.

I have used Cabela's and Kennetrek. I still have the Cabela's, but rarely use them. They were both good. I tried to use them over a pair of Kennetrek Grizzly pacs and they were hard to get all the way around the boot tops. Not good at all. I like them for standard boots, though.

I had a set of Cabela's for several years and they're ok. They move around too much for me. My mother was checking out a thrift store near her not long ago and found two sets of brand new OR crocs. She gave me a call and asked if I wanted them. A whopping $2 later she walked out with them and mailed them to me. Gonna give them a try next season.

Smoke, currently have REI’s and although they are long enough ( I have apparently have long lower legs also) there are a few things I don’t like about them.

10gauge,
If thorns are a consideration I’d go for the Crocs—although any tough gator with Cordura nylon are going to be a bit noisy.

I’m currently looking at the two KUIU styles or may take Brad’s recommendation and try the Sea to Summit gaiters.

The best water resistant, quiet gaiters I’ve ever owned were the the Cabelas Outfitter gaiters. Alas, they no longer offer them.
Thanks, Bass Pro….

Only thing I don't like about the S2S Quagmire is that the inside of the instep strap attaches above the bottom of the gaiter. Hard to explain, but basically it means that there is a little flap of gaiter fabric flopping around there. Not a big deal, just a side effect of how they designed the replaceable strap. It seemed to collect mud more than others.

I haven't used them in snow, as I'm squeezing the last of the life out of my crocs and they are adjusted for winter boots. Other than the above gripe, I really like them.

Another happy croc user here. Mine are 20+ years old and still going strong.

The only reason I wear gaiters here in souther Oregon is to ward off those darned little burrs that carpet the grassy lowland hills I hunt.

Those burrs get all over my laces, socks and pants and can be a bitch to remove. I tried Kennetrecks, but they matted up with burrs right away and I abandoned them.

I finally found a brand named Rattler that are touted to be snake proof gaiters. They have a fairly hard smooth side and shed the burrs very easily.