Gaiter Recommendation
Wild Sheep
Just watched a episode with Jim Shockey hunting sheep in the Yukon With all the sliding shale gaiters seemed like a must. OR seems to make a good Gaiter. Any other brands would you all recommend.
Kenetrek. Won't leave home without them.
OR Crocs or KUIU Yukon are the best. OR is slightly more durable but quite a bit noisier. KUIU fits better to your boot.
Kenetrek are better late season. They attract too man burrs in the early season IMO
I like my Sitka's, but Kenetrek are hard to beat....
The buckles broke on my Kenetreks, I had to take them to a seamstress and rig up a Velcro system. They work okay now, but if I bought gaiters again I'd try something else.
I have a friend that loves his Kuiu gaiters, but I've never tried them.
I've used Kenetrek, Sitka and KUIU and I prefer the KUIU by a wide margin. However, I've never tried the OR but I've seen several sheep guides wearing them.
I have used Kenetreks and KUIU and like Wyo said, Kenetreks work well in late-season and cold temps. For anything else, I prefer the KUIU. They are lighter, seem to fit me better and worked well in very wet weather.
I really like these from King's Camo.
See my link above----
I have the Mountain Shadow and the Winter Snow...
Quiet and reliable
Good luck, Robb
I have a set of Sleeping Indian Designs that are wool. Fine for cold weather but not what I need for early season. OR's look great but noise does somewhat concern me. Will heck the others out.
I have OR and I've put them through Hell and they're fine.
They are loud though. Too loud.
I have the KUIU and really like them.
Do you guys buckle the strap inside the foot or outside?
Buckles should be on the outside to not snag each other while walking, at least that's how I've always done it.
I am currently using Kuius. Had Kenetreks before, ended up shredding them in 1.5 hunting seasons where the bottom strap attaches to the gaiter itself. I like the ones I currently use but can't call them the best by any means cause I haven't tried many others (no reason to with these being durable, quiet enough, and most importantly waterproof).
gaiters have there limitations imo. 9/10 there made of cordura or other fabrics that make human noises in contact with brush. no big concern if your rifle hunting but getting spitting close it could be a deal breaker. if your in rain or heavy dew without waterproof pants gaiters compress your pants against your legs. this makes water run straight down your leg into your nice dry boots. a friend of mine introduced me to having extra long boot laces & trapping your pants around the top of your boots. no lace protection but makes an excellent seal to block out debris or snow. if you have waterproof pants this can also be done 'sizzling tight' to quickly cross a stream. kenetreks now sells a product called 'snakes' or something like that to do the same thing.
I may be the only one around that doesn't wear gators? I wear breathable rain pants if it is super wet or snowy. I really don't see any reason to pack around rain pants plus gators? If my rainpants are tight and I'm wearing gortex boots my entire legs and feet remain dry. I've been on numerous, extended, wet hunts in Alaska and elsewhere without a problem.
I prefer Kuiu, but OR is more durable.
I've used OR, KUIU, Kene, Sitka, Kryptek Yeti and a couple different Cabelas branded gaiters.
OR's are bomb proof and most guides wear them, and that speaks volumes. They weren't my favorite as they are loud and bulky, but they work and last.
Kene's are comfortable, but didn't last me a season. Least durable of the bunch.
Kryptek Yeti's work in the snow, but they are really just a thin nylon. Not really mountain worthy.
KUIu and Sitka both have things I like. I've been wearing my KUIU's for three years and while they are pretty trashed they are still functional. The material is light, stretches and keeps you dry.
Sitka is my current Gaiter of choice. I love the fact that they zip all the way.. They are heavier than the KUIU, but appear very durable. They've kept me dry. They are the most expensive of the bunch.
IMO you have three great choices for the mountains depending on the features you desire: OR, KUIu, or Sitka. Can't go wrong with any of the three.
Only have used two, a fleece pair from Day One and the KUIU.
The Day Ones are very quiet and keep you dry. The fleece eventually saturates and they get heavy and take forever to dry if you don't have a wood stove in a wall tent or cabin to dry them every night. Burr up petty well, but honestly I can deal with that. Half the time I don't even de-burr them, doesn't bother me to see em covered in crap. Just have to make sure they stay outside....
That said, I've been using the KUIU more than I EVER used the others. Low "friction" going through wet grass, etc. they are light, easy to put on, dry, stay dry, no burrs. And as with much of the Yukon line, the more you wear it the softer it gets and quieter it gets. As with a lot of clothing, when it breaks in it's not near as noisy as out of the box new.
Used them so far as an alternative to full rain pants and so far it's worked well. Pants may get a bit wet up high but the rain jacket keeps them mostly dry. Pants dry out quickly as you "walk them dry" and nothing wicks down into your socks/boots.
My understanding is the Kenetrek is a fleece-like material as well? Keeps you dry but get heavy as they get wet and hard to dry out?
I have four pair of gators. I use them every day lion hunting. Kenetrecs were really the best I've had until this year when I took a guy that worked at Under Armor and he gave me a pair of their gators. Every other pair of gators I have all have some issue that didn't make them perfect. These UA gators are the perfect gator. Hands down. I'll never own anything else.
OR crocs are pretty good. Very durable and made with a lifetime warranty
I bought Kenetreks but didn't wear them much in BC. My waterproof Kuiu pants worked great and weren't as noisy
I'm with TD.....Kuiu for me, they kill the tall cordura OR's for hunting.
I do sometimes wear the low stretch version of the OR's on dry hunts to keep stickers, ticks and chiggers out
I have used Sitka, OR and Kenntrek. The sitkas are still here they others are gone.
Still don't know why you would want to carry both rain pants plus gators around all day...when just 1 will likely do? If I had to pick I'd rather carry breathable rain pants myself!
"Both" come in REALLY handy when crossing a stream.
Jims- I take both as well. If not raining I suit up in the morning with the gaitors just because there's always tons of dew and my legs get soaked fast which always wicks down into my boots. The gaitors are much more durable than my super light rain gear which I'd rather not wear while walking through thick brush or timber. The rain gear only comes out in a fairly strong rain storm. Gaitors stop at the knee, rain pants cover the rest.
"Still don't know why you would want to carry both rain pants plus gators around all day..."
Because one does a good job of water coming from above and the other of water coming from below - and each has its purpose.
Fullcry, Are the UA quiet?
My experience has been with Kennetrek, Sitka, Kuiu and OR. IMO, Sitka first, then OR.
Depends what you want them for. For scree or loose soil without possibility of rain, OR low gaiters. For rain, any goretex ones do the job. My Cabelas work fine. But don't buy fleece if you are in a bur area. Had to throw away a pair the first time I used them (DOH!) because I couldn't begin to get out the hundreds of burs it picked up.
Speaking of which, somebody needs to make a quiet set of low, non-waterproof scree gaiters. Man they help keep debris out of your boots (which then necessitate taking the boots off) and off your socks. And imo even rain gaiters are way higher than they need to be. Basically they just need to bridge the gap between your waterproof pants and your waterproof boots, so why to they need to go up above your calf? Also, why do guys put them outside their pants if it's raining? Gravity sez water will run down your pants inside your gaitors and into your boots that way.
