Gear

[azith1203]

Are gaiters really necessary? Worth the investment?

[ogg]

I've been using trail gaiters for years. For short strolls on well groomed trails, I might not bother with them. I always hike in long pants. They keep stones and dirt out of my boots and ticks off of my legs. I buy them on sale or with a discount. They're worth the investment in my book.

[toejam]

Depends what you are doing. In snow they are really necessary. I often wear Dirty Girl gaiters with low top shoes. They look really cool but I'm not sure they help - always seem to get stuff in my shoes anyway. I say go without and add them later if you decide you gotta have them.

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Snow excluded, I never wear gaiters with my trail runners but I do hike in pants, so maybe that helps. Only once over the past few years have I had to stop during the day to empty my shoes, (after hiking through a stretch of the Paria River) but I have had to stop a few times to empty out sand that gets in through the actual mesh of the shoe.