Gaiters for a school program

[rjantzen]

I'm looking for advice on what gaiters to purchase for my schools gear rental program. I'm looking for something that is super durable (as in OR Expedition Crocs or greater) and am willing to sacrifice weight to get it. When I climbed Chimborazo I wore a pair that seemed to have something like PVC for the kick guards but can't remember the brand anymore. Any tips from the cyperspace?

[Fromage]

The best gaiters are long pants and tall boots. I gave up wearing them (gaiters, not pants) years ago. Climbing presents enough challenges without having to lift an extra half pound with each step you take. Since letting go of the convention of wearing gaiters the quality of my experience in the mountains has improved substantially.

 

For institutional use gaiters seem like a poor investment. They are guaranteed to get trashed by inexperienced climbers kicking themselves with their boots/crampons which means high maintenance or short lifespan or both.

 

Gaiters, should they be worn, fall under the category of personal gear. You can get cheap, lightweight ones for $30-$40, which should be in the budget for most student climbers. And there's nothing like having your own money invested in your gaiters to teach you not to slice them with your crampons.

 

If you have money in your program's budget for expanding your rental fleet, a better investment would be snowshoes, ice axes, shovels, rock shoes, or other items that are durable and in high demand. When I was in the UW climbing club the ice tools, crampons, and avy beacons were in near-constant use by members checking them out.

Edited May 26, 2014 by Fromage

[Woodcutter]

I use the standard ones from BD, they are GoreTex.

I don't agree with Fromage. If there is snow, and it's above your boot tops, it will find it's way into your boots if you don't keep it out with gaiters. I've tried the long pants & elsatics etc, which works until it doesn't.

If the snow gets into your boots it will make your feet WET, which can be a proper, big problem if it's cold & you're out for a long day or multi day. Think about it.

 

Yes, get GoreTex ones since that bit of your leg does sweat, and that runs down into your boots too.

 

 

[montypiton]

for a school program, good value can be had from Chinese distributors on ebay. I've seen zippered tall gaiters as cheap as $6/pair -- and have bought, because I wear them primarily to protect expensive schoeller pants from crampon points. they typically last me a year or two of hard use, which seems to me like good value. they'll do pretty much everything the big-name gaiters will do except break your bank.