Gaiters- Suggestions?

Hello All
I am currently looking for a reliable pair of gaiters that can endure constant use year round. I am diving into the cheap end of gaiter with a $20 budget. I was considering dirty girl gaiters but I want to hear you suggestions before I invest. Thanks.
-Nate

I love my dirty girls. I am a pretty boring person, so I had to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to find a fabric that didn't hurt my eyes. I've got fat ankles and she makes them to size. I never could find anything that fit off the shelf. I am very satisfied.

Simblissity has resumed making/selling their Levagaiters, if you want a low fabric gaiter that doesn't rely on velcro. Of course they don't have the variety of colors/patterns that Dirty Girl does.

You could also try making your own. Cut the bottoms off an old pair of pants for the fabric.

Winter gaiters are designed to keep snow out; summer gaiters to keep dirt out. If winter is more critical, then you will have to put up with a less than ideal summer gaiter. I use winter gaiters in the summer and they get a bit hot. I personally like knee high ones because I do a lot of bushwhacking and they have saved me a lot of cuts and scratches. If I only did trail walking I probably would not use them. With a price range from $20-$50 I would not use a budget limit. Get the best gaiter that gets the job done, and if it costs more, eat beans for a week. I like my OR goretex knee high gaiters. Got them on sale for about $40. They are heavy, but always on my feet so at least I do not carry the weight on my back. They are really tough and hold up to a lot of abuse.

W_D is right, you definitely want waterproof gaiters for late fall/winter/early spring, but probably not for summer. I missed the year-around bit. Both Dirty Girl and Simblissity gaiters are non-waterproof fabric, made for summer hiking (not for rain, snow, cold mud).

I also prefer the knee-high gaiters for snow, and mine are also from OR. Too hot for summer, though.

My main use for low gaiters is to keep the bugs from biting through the upper part of my socks. Also, if sprayed with permethrin and worn over your trouser bottoms, they keep ticks from crawling up your legs. For those purposes, fabric gaiters are fine. Outside of bug season, though, I don't wear gaiters unless there's snow on the ground.

Have never found a lightweight gaiter that works will with big shoes (M's 11 1/2) but these do.

OR FlexTex

Cheers,

i had dirty girls gators make me a set custom sized because my calfs are a bit larger than her large.

Thank you all I probably will go with the OR Flex gaiters.
Thanks
-Nate

Thanks for the information. I prefer Black Crystal Gaiters for hiking. I have used them for a year. I have the L/XL size. They fit me extremely well and are quite comfortable too.

How do they compare to Outdoor Research Crocs?

I've never used gaiters before, but I just bought these:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OPH29W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Right around that $20 price point, and decent reviews... any feedback from anyone here?