My review of the KUIU Yukon Gaiter after 7 days of hunting wet Kodiak Island, Alaska. The Yukon Gaiters are designed to be worn all day everyday, in tough wet mountain conditions. They are the only 4-way stretch seamless gaiter in the market made from the very durable and surprisingly quiet Toray Primeflex Waterproof Breathable 3-layer fabric.
I've used mine on dozens of days from hunting to snowshoeing. They have held up well from lots of abuse. I highly recommend them. I also have a pair of Mountain Hard Wear gaiters and the Kuiu gaiters are far superior.
I have a pair of the Yukon gaiters and they are great, BUT I almost never wear them due to the noise factor in brush. That's not a big deal if a guy isn't stalking in them or dealing with highly sensitive animals. In general, the tougher and better gaiters are just too slap-happy for most of my hunting.
I use mine a good deal. Haven't used many, but WRT most gaiters they are fairly quiet. They do "break in" a bit and get quieter. My last pair were Day One fleece gaiters. They were very quiet, kept you dry. But the fleece picked up burrs like crazy and soaked up water pretty bad, once wet they stayed wet unless you had someplace to dry them out and when wet they were heavy.
I have a Yukon rain jacket I like a lot, I picked up the gaiters instead of the full Yukon rain pants. (and saved $200-300 dollars which was a factor) My plan was between the jacket and the gaiters I was pretty well covered in wet weather. If my pants get wet up high they dry out fast and for my hunting wearing rain pants is like being in a sauna. The gaiters let my upper legs breath and do a great job of keeping my lower legs and boots dry. I might rethink that if going to SE AK or some other very wet and cold place, but for now the system works pretty well.
KUIU has them discounted for a few days...here is the link of you are looking to save a few dollars; http://www.kuiu.com/2016-gift-guide/yukon-gaiters/80004.html?cgid=kuiu-gift-guide&dwvar_80004_color=ViasCamo#start=24
Outdoor research goretex gaiters. I don't know how they compare to other gaiters because I have never owned another pair for hunting. I do own some canvas and cheapo canvas ones for cruising timber. However, for hunting the OR gaiters are quiet and they work extremely well. Kinda hard for me to say they are better or worse than another brand but, if there any better I can't imagine it. God Bless
I used a pair of Kuiu gators this year on my WY elk hunt that I borrowed from a friend. They were great and wondering why i have never fought to use them before. Got a pair during Kuiu's Black Friday sale.
Question for you boys that have hunted the Missouri Breaks when it is wet - in gumbo mud what is your experience with the strap that goes under and around the sole? I'm not singling out Kuiu - I just bought a pair - but in my experience those straps help collect and hold mud.
In gumbo the straps won't make a bit of difference. That stuff sticks pretty much the full length of your sole, layer by layer. All gaiters I'm aware of use a strap. If you want dry pants legs and boots.... that would be my deciding factor on using gaiters. No getting around gumbo.
WRT KUIU the plastic strap they use doesn't hold dirt, doesn't soak up with water, cleans up easy. I've had gaiters with webbing (real old leather ones too) type straps and those get pretty dirty, show wear pretty fast and my understanding will soak up water and freeze.
One of these days a boot manufacturer is going to design a boot with a gaiter that you can clip on without a strap going under the boot, that will cover all the laces, etc etc. Maybe a few extra speedlace hooks - facing down they might not be a snag-magnet, and with the waterproof stretch fabrics you could get a secure, snug fit and a really lightweight, effective gaiter.
