Bushwalk Australia

Biggles wrote:There are standouts: Sea to Summit Quagmire gaiters are mighty tough; they are a PITA to put on (dig my vast vocab of swearing... ) and take off because they fit so well; the Velcro closure up the shin is among the most aggressive of any gathers. I take my time putting them on, securing the hook to the boots and ensuring there is a tight fit all around the boot

crollsurf wrote:

Biggles wrote:There are standouts: Sea to Summit Quagmire gaiters are mighty tough; they are a PITA to put on (dig my vast vocab of swearing... ) and take off because they fit so well; the Velcro closure up the shin is among the most aggressive of any gathers. I take my time putting them on, securing the hook to the boots and ensuring there is a tight fit all around the boot

This ^^^ and they're waterproof.

Biggles wrote:The boots you are referring to, not being of the proofed all-leather variety but the GoreText/Material, will simply not stand up to repeated rigours of off-track walking and scrub-bashing, hard-core or soft-core! That's what the pricey ($400 to $700) all-leather proofed boots are for, never mind the assumed importance of something being made of GoreTex and being "waterproof" (in m,y experience, they are not). My problem with those GoreTex/Material boots (HiTech) was chiefly discomfort first (poor fit despite correct front to back foot size), poor durability second (last separated from the front, and once that happens moisture gets in and finishes it off). I got about 6 to8 months use out of a new pair (HiTech) walking locally here in Victoria, then Ireland and New Zealand. The material soaked water like a bath sponge, certainly did not keep anything dry. I invested in Scarpa boots and the rest of the story is pretty much history (I still have those boots after 6 years, with nowt but new laces after my cat took a fancy to them!!).

$100 (I have seen gaithers for $300 in Melbourne!) for GoreTex gaiters similarly is another trap where they will be gleefully shreaded in Tassie's wilds, also some very wild, dense rainforest in the Otways here in Victoria. Inevitably, these flash-and-panache gaiters are big on name and promise, but thin on durability and of questionable ability withstand thickets of blackberries especially, to mud then submerged walking in their stride (which invites leeches). There are standouts: Sea to Summit Quagmire gaiters are mighty tough; they are a PITA to put on (dig my vast vocab of swearing... ) and take off because they fit so well; the Velcro closure up the shin is among the most aggressive of any gathers. I take my time putting them on, securing the hook to the boots and ensuring there is a tight fit all around the boot. They Quagmires certainly did not cost $100 in the day (7 or 8 years ago).

I think you'd be better sticking with the material type and settling with the fact that you'll replace them in around 2 years, especially since you seem to not fancy the traditional all-leather boot which I think would last longer. Gaiters...well, I know what's best and reliable for me, for you... what in your arsenal works and what has not worked? Weed out the patent failures from the obvious successes. What is 'best' for one person's use is not necessarily going to be best, sensible or cost-effective for the next person.

WestcoastPete wrote:I'm surprised by this. Admittedly I haven't done much off-track walking in Tassie, but I've done a bit. I'm in lightweight non-waterproof boots (Topo Athletic Trailventures - the tread started coming off but that's a manufacturing issue, it glued back on fine), and S2S Overland gaiters with a shoelace under the boot that I've replaced once. I've worn these for a few years now and they still have plenty of life in them. I reckon I'd have to try really really hard to wear them all out in a year. But yeah, I'm not like doing multi-day walks a 3+ times a year. I mostly do overnighters.

teak wrote:I used to use Sea to Summit quagmire gaiters but did not like the short lived under boot straps and easily mangled aluminium side buckles. About 18 months ago I purchased a set of Sea to Summit overland gaiters, these are lighter than the quagmires and use a nylon cord under the boot. I replaced the cord with 2mm dyneema which is much longer lasting. So far the only repairs have been to replace the fabric loops holding the under boot cords at about 11 months, replace the dyneema cords every 6 months and repair a small hole in the lower section today. The overlands are about $30 cheaper than the quagmires.

WestcoastPete wrote:I'm surprised by this. Admittedly I haven't done much off-track walking in Tassie, but I've done a bit.

crollsurf wrote:Lostsoul is an extreme use case. No one in their right mind could justify investing the time and effort to offer such products. The car industry does, but imagine how many $3,000 gaiters you're going to sell.

If anyone wants to buy a pair of $3,000 gaiters, PM me.

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crollsurf wrote:Lostsoul is an extreme use case. No one in their right mind could justify investing the time and effort to offer such products. The car industry does, but imagine how many $3,000 gaiters you're going to sell.

If anyone wants to buy a pair of $3,000 gaiters, PM me.

Sent from my SM-G998B using Tapatalk

WestcoastPete wrote:Yeah I understand this. Like I said, my experience is limited, but I still don't think I could wear my gear out that quickly without trying really hard. It's been the same with bikes for me. Others would wear stuff out quickly but things would last ages on mine. I guess I'm sort of saying that maybe people wear through things at different rates, and if some can make things last longer it might be worth looking at why.