I assume I need Gaiters???

[MartinWardPhoto]

Went on my first ever "hillwalk" today, Ben A'an, and due to the diverted path had a heck of a time getting along through the marshy bog!!

I stepped in one area and my foot sunk in right upto my shin, I assume, I need to invest in a pair of gaiters to wear to stop me getting wet, damp feet and mud all the way over the tops of my boots?

At least I made it to the top and didn't have any more dramas like this hehe.

[Mal Grey]

You assume correctly! You might not always need them, but they're a godsend in many parts of the hills.

[tensacks]

I have an embarrassing number of boots: each one has its own dedicated Yeti gaiter............I think they are essential!

[Backpacker]

I'll just add my tuppence worth. I've never got along with gaiters and generally avoid wearing them except in winter where they keep the snow out your boots and stop your crampons ripping your breeks to shreds. Other than that I don't bother with them.

[simon-b]

Wainwright managed just fine tucking his trousers into his socks instead. Having said that, I usually wear gaiters on the hills these days. But not on Skye, where the Cuillin will shred them.

[malky_c]

I think gaiters are unnecessary extra equipment but I'm probably in a minority here!

[Will N To]

This is a big surprise to me. I've been trying to invent a pair of waterproof gaiters (duh. Well, I'm having fun...) So I just googled Beghaus Yeti Gaiters and found not one image or video of them in actual water. (In the States we have a whole legion of people calling themselves Outdoors-this, Wilderness-that, Back Country-you-name-it.... where some guy with a beard or just looking outdoorsy, young and cute, sitting in some scenic location reviewing a piece of gear by holding it and talking about it--but never actually using it. )
So how deep can you wade through a stream with a pair of well fitted Berghaus Yeti Gaiters without getting your feet wet?
And I might be looking at this completely backwards. Is waterproof boots and gaiters unnecessary in the Highlands in May and June? Hiking in Japan in torrential rain, the lightweight hikers I was wearing got soaked, dried out, got soaked again. I'd squeeze out my (smart wool) socks, change'em or put them back on and kept going. If my boots dried out by the next day great, if not I didn't worry. No blisters, trench foot... Maybe I just need gaiters for the brush and stuff.

[Ben Nachie]

I used to have a couple of pairs of Yetis, actually I still have one pair on my old winter boots which I never really use now, and they are fairly effective. I once fell in a bog in Knoydart and got wet from the knees up (no, I didn't fall in head first!)

You can run across shallow rivers in them and stay dry. They have one major design flaw, which is that they never stay on at the toes.

Will you need them in May/June? Depends what you plan to do! They are good for keeping little bits of heather from collecting in your boots, but your trousers will do a fair job of that too. They're handy for bog trotting too of course, if that's your bag, and for stream crossings if you're quick.

If you get wet, chilly weather then you'd maybe be grateful for them. If you luck out and get warm sunny weather, I'd say you don't need them.

[Will N To]

I spent about an hour doing Google searches for videos or photos of anyone actually wading using Yeti Gaiters. Every source of information seems to consist of either the product against a white back ground or someone holding a boot in one hand a Yeti gator in the other and showing how difficult they are to put on the boot. I did find one video where a German speaking guy did a kiddie splash in a small rivulet of water: That's it. Weird. But so often that's the way it is on the internet. [The Monty Pythonesque possibilities for satire are endless.]
So they're difficult to get on, then they work, but they don't stay on the toes.... So....they don't seem practical--unless you superglue them to your boot. But they aren't the sort of thing you can an hour here and there. More trouble then they're worth--unless you need them always.
So I'm leaning towards mesh hikers, dirt and brush gaiters and occasional chilly wet feet.
Anyone do the Cape Wrath Trail in mesh hikers?
I think I backed myself into this because I happen to have a nice pair of waterproof hikers I got for the snow, but have been wearing for lots of things.

[whiteburn]

......Anyone do the Cape Wrath Trail in mesh hikers? ....

Yes..........waterproof boots & gaiters reserved for winter, the rest of the time it's mesh trainers & debris gaiters.

[Mal Grey]

Agree that gaiters are not something you 100% need all the time, I tend to be in the Highlands in winter, when the chance of snow and the guarantee of wet boggy ground if there isn't, mean I use them all the time.

However, if (IF!) the ground dries out, you can manage well enough without them most of the time. They do also help prevent debris getting into your footwear, so the "brush gaiters" you describe might be a minimum.

As for whether you can get away with non-waterproof trail shoes/boots in May? I suspect you'll have wet feet for the majority of your walking time, the key is can you guarantee dry feet in the evenings, to give them a chance to consider? Personally, I'd worry it would become cumulative, i.e. your wet feet would never recover, become sore and an ever increasing problem. "Waterproof" socks may be an option, but once they're wet, as they will inevitably become, not sure they'll ever dry inside!

Mind you, in common with other Gore-Tex type membrane waterproof boots I suspect, its only a matter of time with my Salomons before they are damp inside, and they never really dry until you get a good rest day. The key is socks I think, a minimum of 3 pairs/sets (depending if you wear liners too as I do) - ones you're walking in which will get wet, dry ones for evenings you keep totally away from water, and yesterdays wet ones tied to the pack hopefully drying.

I think Yeti gaiters would be overkill for your walk, too hot outside of winter. Though there maybe some days/conditions when you'd hate me for telling you that when knee deep in a swamp...

[rockhopper]

I'm with malky and backpacker - don't like gaiters as I find them uncomfortable, restrictive and generally unnecessary. I only usually wear them during winter when there's snow and a chance I may need crampons - cheers

[BobMcBob]

I'm not the biggest fan of gaiters either, but in very wet and boggy weather or in winter I've recently decided they beat wet socks. I have a pair of Trekmates that were cheap but seem to work well.

[Moray Mountaineer]

Everyone is different as you can see. Personally, I love wearing gaiters. I have a pair of Regatta gaiters and I think they are great and very comfy. I put them on most of the time to protect my trousers from getting minging or ripped. On another note, I wouldn't say the are of the utmost importance, certainly not an essential but they are a bonus and no harm will come in owning and using a pair. That's my two pence worth.

[spiderwebb]

In reply to the Yeti gaiter comments, here's my experience. I think they are brilliant

I am still using a pair bought in 1984, and have had new rubber rands fitted by LSR just once. They are difficult to put on but then they wouldn't be any good if they were easy. Just to be clear I'm talking about the standard current Yetis, there were another design some years back (Yeti Attak I think they were called) which were made of a lighter rubber and were relatively easy to remove or put on whilst wearing the boots, these could be identified by a ridge on the rubber that went around the front of the boot and toe, the ridge locating in a groove in the boot, basically designed to help the toe stay in place. I don't believe these are available now.
Back to the existing Yetis, where the rubber rand is very tough. mention has been made of super gluing the toe to the boot and this is something I've adopted, and never had a problem since, but then I only use the gaiters on my winter boots, basically they never come off, no need to, for winter. The gaiters being of such strong rubber means they are not effective on boots that flex such as summer boots, this being the main cause of the toe slipping up, they are designed for stiffer boots, mine being B2 winter boots.
Over the many years I've used them I have found them very impressive, not only can you cross streams without water ingress, but the original ones I have are also lined with Thinsulate, keeping the covered area cosy too. A word of warning on the ability to cross streams/burns, they are not watertight along the zip and the waterproofness is reliant on the Velcro that runs the length of the gaiter (and to some extent the zip), as someone else posted if you are in water up to the depth of the boot you'll be fine, once over the boot height and up over the gaiter, don't hang about that said, far better than no gaiter at all. It may be that the Velcro on mine being 34 years old now, is not quite as 'sticky' as it use to be, (when new I did wade across a stream on the Pennine Way up to the height of the gaiter with no ingress) but again, I try and avoid crossing streams/burns, and its certainly still good enough for snow. Again it could be replaced by LSR who did an excellent job replacing the rubber rands.

The normal gaiters that are available, I have long since binned, as I find them of little practical use, I don't like wearing them and legwear these days has scuff areas on the bottom saving wear on the trousers.

The one other benefit of Yetis, often overlooked, is the protection it affords the boot itself. Good winter Winter boots are not cheap and the gaiter covering the entire boot can give extra life to the boot. My winter boots, Berghaus Kibo's, are extremely comfortable, as comfortable as my summer boots in fact, so I'm hopeful they will last many more seasons