Pike Path Excessive Gaiters are polyester gaiters with a novel becoming system and design that overcomes the sizing limitations of most excessive gaiters, together with and particularly Out of doors Analysis Crocodiles, that are the preferred excessive gaiters bought right now. Along with a gaiter hook and entrance velcro closure, they’ve a two units of three snaps on the prime and backside and a calf drawcord that forestalls them from falling down round your ankles. Bought on Amazon, they’re one of many few mountaineering merchandise accessible there which can be actually revolutionary and never knock-off copies of pre-existing merchandise. And their customer support is actually nice!
Specs at a Look
- Gender: Unisex
- Materials: Polyester
- Sizing: One measurement
- Top: 15″
- Waterproof/Breathable Cloth: No
- Closure: Snaps, Velcro
- Instep Strap: TPU
- Gaiter Hook: Sure
- Calf Drawstring: Sure
Excessive gaiters might be worn yr spherical for mountaineering, backpacking, bushwhacking, fishing. looking, and different outside actions. I primarily use them in for winter mountaineering the place they’ve three major features:
- Including heat to your decrease legs
- Stopping snow from wetting your socks and freezing
- Defending in opposition to self-inflicted crampon strikes
Conventional Gaiter Sizing
The issue with most conventional excessive gaiters is that they fall down round your ankles, which will get fairly annoying. Most excessive gaiters, together with OR Crocodiles, are sized primarily based on boot measurement, not the dimensions of your decrease legs. This works tolerably properly in case you use large, chunky mountaineering boots for winter mountaineering and full step-in or common crampons for traction. However lately, most winter hikers have switched to utilizing single-layer 400g or 200g insulated winter boots with microspikes and path crampons for added traction.
If you happen to hike in chunky mountaineering boots, I’d follow OR Crocodiles or gaiters like them as a result of your boots are broad sufficient to “maintain them up.” They’re additionally designed to fully cowl the entrance laces in order that sharp crampon tooth don’t slice by them or get caught in between them and trigger a fall. However in case you’re utilizing a a lot “skinnier” 400g or 200g insulated winter boot, these Pike Path Gaiters will work lots higher, as I clarify beneath.
Pike Path Gaiter Sizing
In contrast to quite a lot of excessive gaiters, the Pike Path Gaiters are solely accessible in a single measurement – which makes them lots simpler to buy as a result of you possibly can’t make a sizing mistake. The gaiters shut in rhe entrance utilizing snaps and velcro: the highest and backside ends have three snaps that allow you to measurement the circumference of the gaiter to match your legs, even when the highest is bigger than the underside. The velcro’s major perform is to seal the entrance of the gaiter to stop snow from coming into, nevertheless it additionally present a way to get a customized match though it’s be tough to realize that with the velcro alone.
The entrance of those gaiters doesn’t cowl your laces all the way in which to the toe field which is why I’d solely advocate carrying them with a light-weight traction assist like microspikes or path crampons the place the danger of slicing by your laces or tripping on them could be very low (not like the lengthy spikes of a full mountaineering crampon). By exposing extra of your laces, you get a significantly better match across the decrease legs than if the laces have been fully coated as they’re in additional conventional mountaineering gaiters.
There’s nonetheless a hook on the backside of the gaiters to stop them from using up your leg, however it’s best to connect it to your laces and never the entrance gaiter ring that comes with many insulated winter boots as a result of it may possibly’t attain to the entrance of your boots.
The gaiter can be held “down” by a TPU strap the runs below the only and up the aspect, passing by stainless-steel buckles (not plastic) for higher sturdiness. It necessary to place the buckle on the surface of your boots, not the within the place it would get ripped off by your different boot in case you misstep or your traction assist will get caught in it. Lots of people make this error, even with a standard gaiter.
Calf Drawstring
The Pike Path gaiters include an adjustable drawstring with a twine lock that’s positioned above your calf. Most peoples’ calves are thicker than their decrease legs so tightening this twine above the highest of the calf retains the gaiters from falling down and it doesn’t slip over time. It’s greatest in case you tuck the additional slack within the twine into your gaiter to stop it from getting caught on something whereas mountaineering.
Breathability
Plenty of extra conventional mountaineering gaiters are made with Gore-tex or another waterproof/breathable cloth, though I’ve used a lot of them and by no means discovered one that’s all that breathable. The Pike Path Gaiters usually are not made with waterproof cloth, however plain previous polyester with skinny cloth on prime (purple) and heavier extra sturdy cloth (black) on the base the place essentially the most abrasion happens. The higher’s polyester is definitely fairly breathable and I haven’t skilled any sweating from these gaiters and I’ve hiked rather a lot in them.
Suggestion
The Pike Path Excessive Gaiter is suitable with any pair of mountaineering boots, though I primarily use them for winter mountaineering with 400g and 200g insulated winter boots. They’re solely accessible in a single common measurement and have a closure system that makes them suitable with a variety of decrease leg circumferences. I used them most of final winter and proceed to this winter with Oboz Bridger 10″ 400g boots and The North Face Vectiv 200g mids. They’re fairly cheap in comparison with conventional mountaineering gaiters designed to be used with mountaineering boots and significantly better performing by way of match, breathability, and sturdiness.
SectionHiker is reader-supported. We solely earn cash if you buy a product by our affiliate hyperlinks. Assist us proceed to check and write unsponsored and impartial gear opinions, newbie FAQs, and free mountaineering guides.
Disclosure: The creator owns this product.
