Online: www.REI.com
URL for this product:

From the U.S. and Canada — Call 1-800-426-4840
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT.
International — Call 1-253-891-2500
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT. English language only.

Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters

A new version is available

View now

The product you searched for is no longer available.

Shop similar products:

Men's Hiking Gaiters

Outdoor Research

The lightweight, breathable Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low gaiters are ideal for fast packing through talus, sand, wet brush and light snow.

Snug-fitting elastic top and bottom edges keep dirt, twigs, scree and snow out of light-to-midweight hiking and cross-country ski boots
Breathable uncoated packcloth provides lightweight durability; Durable Water Resistant treatment resists rain and snow
Easy-access, 1 in.-wide rip-and-stick closure opens in front for quick on/off; rip-and-stick tabs at the top and bottom create a secure closure that won't open while in use
Finished with a double-riveted bootlace hook and a Hypalon® instep strap
Average weight per pair is 4.3 oz.

Gaiter sizes fit U.S. boot sizes as follows:

Small/Medium fits men's sizes 5 - 9 and women's sizes 6.5 - 10
Large/X Large fits men's sizes 8 - 12 and women's sizes 9 and up

Imported.

Item 778003

REI Membership

REI Membership $20.00

Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters

3.8

(based on 13 reviews)

67%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Easy to use (10)
Good size/fit (8)
Lightweight (7)
Rugged (7)
Water resistant (7)

Cons

Best Uses

Backcountry (7)
Leg/ankle protection (4)
Rocky terrain (4)
Wet weather (4)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual/ recreational (6), Rugged outdoorsman (3)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (8)

Reviewed by 13 customers

Sort by

Displaying reviews 1-10

Previous | Next »

Jan

2013

4.0

for dirt or snow

By jlh

from Montrose, CO

About Me Casual/Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Good Fit
Lightweight
Rugged
Stay In Place

Cons

Difficult To Use

Best Uses

Comments about Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters:

I mainly use these for hiking in 2-4 inches of snow or when it has just melted...when there isn't enough for snow sports. Have also used them in sandy, rocky hiking conditions. I find the velcro just a bit too sticky. I quickly threw away the under the foot ties & find they stay in place adequately due to the tight fit.

Comment on this review

Jan

2013

5.0

they work great

By jaimegirl

from portland or

About Me Competitive Athlete

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Use
Good Fit
Lightweight
Rugged
Stay In Place
Water Resistant

Cons

Best Uses

Wet Weather

Comments about Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters:

I bought these to provide protection from rain while cycling. I use rain pants and rainproof shoe covers, but while riding I was gettting rain running into my shoes and getting soaked. Now the rain runs down my pants, goes over the gaiter and onto the shoe covers and I am dry and toasty!!

Comment on this review

Mar

2012

5.0

Love these

By Eat Carbs

from Bellevue

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Use
Good Fit
Lightweight
Rugged
Stay In Place
Water Resistant

Cons

Best Uses

Backcountry
Cold Weather
Leg/Ankle Protection

Comments about Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters:

I don't know anyone can have problems with these? I've been using mine for a few months and they're GREAT! They keep mud off my pant cuffs well.
I read some a review that the instep stap broke.. I can see this happening if you're doing a lot of boulder hopping. I hike on rocky trails and I've had zero issues.

Comment on this review

Jan

2012

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Needs one correction to be perfect

By anthony1775

from Gotenba, Shizuoka Pref., Japan

About Me Casual/Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Use
Good Fit
Stay In Place

Cons

Poor Design

Best Uses

Comments about Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters:

I own a pair of the Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters (black, L/XL) and wear them with a pair of Inov-8 RocLite 400 GTX boots. I used them this year for hiking in the mountains of Japan. They worked great all summer. Probably their best success story was coming down the "sand slide" Gotenba trail on Mount Fuji. The trail is nothing but volcanic dirt with nearly beach like consistency and it stretches for several kilometers. You come down the trail pretty aggressively, kind of sliding/riding down the sand. My OR gaiters didn't let in a single pebble the whole way. They also performed well on a number of other hikes in muddy, wet, sandy, rocky and other rainy conditions.

I want to emphasize that I would never wear a gaiter with some hope that it would keep my feet dry. Water will find it's way in and I would rather have a nice breathable product. I wear gaiters to prevent debris from entering my shoe and for no other reason.

That said, the design has a critical flaw. Halfway through a trek across Japan, the rubber coating on the canvas/nylon strap wore off, exposing the strap's fibers. Under the elements of moisture and trail abrasion the straps on both gaiters broke in half. Without this underfoot strap I could find no way, despite some efforts at improvisation, to keep the gaiters below the top of my boot. Debris and rocks entered the boot without this feature and I put them in the bottom of my pack for the rest of the trip.

I really like all other features of the gaiter. The Velcro is super strong and I like the overlapping security. The elastic bands top and bottom are super strong and never loosened. I would recommend a couple other options for the strap. One would be a strong leather strap that could be oiled and waterproofed for resiliency. Another would be a metal wire or metal spring type design that could take some abuse. If they did that I would keep these forever. I made some suggestions on the OR website, but in the meantime this model is going back.

Comment on this review

Aug

2011

3.0

Good performance, but tight elastic band

By kcm1535

from Millbrae, CA

About Me Casual/Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Use
Rugged
Water Resistant

Cons

Not Breathable
Tight elastic band

Best Uses

Hiking

Comments about Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters:

I bought these for hiking use in warm weather - for protection from dust/rocks and bugs. Although the breathability is not great, they're much cooler than wearing my full-length OR gore-tex croc gaiters. Also the material (though not waterproof) is at least water-resistant (will keep you try in light rain, but not when crossing a river). In general they do everything they're supposed to in terms of performance, but there are a couple drawbacks that are leading me to look for an alternative. First, the elastic band at the top of the gaiters is very tight. I am a very small woman (5'3" 118 lbs) and don't have unusually thick calves, so it is hard for me to imagine these aren't tight on most people. They cut off my circulation and cause swelling in my ankles. One quick fix I discovered is not to fully fasten them all the way up to the top - you can just close the velcro to about 3/4 of the way up, and can usually still use the tab at the top to secure them. The second thing I don't like about these is the straps under the shoes are not well placed for my light hiking shoes. They might be perfectly placed for full-on hiking/backpacking boots, but they fall smack dab in the middle of the heel (not in the space between the heel and the ball of the foot as they are supposed to) and as a result they get dragged in the mud and often come off (slide up the back of my boot). As a result of both these factors I'm going to look for another pair. I just bought the OR Flex Tech gaiters and am hopeful they will do the trick.

Comment on this review

Jun

2011

5.0

Great product

By One good drummer

from kennewick wa

About Me Casual/Recreational, Rugged Outdoorsman

See all my reviews

Pros

Breathable
Easy To Use
Good Fit
Lightweight
Stay In Place
Water Resistant

Cons

Best Uses

Backcountry
Leg/Ankle Protection
Rocky Terrain
Wet Weather

Comments about Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters:

Our scout troop went on a differant type of a campout where we pulled handcarts which were about 800 pounds each. Every night everyone else had to pull stickers and other thing out of their socks and clean the feet from the dirt on them but my feet had minimal dirt on them

Comment on this review

May

2011

4.0

These gaiters work great!

By ScoutCarl

from Pacific Northwest

About Me Casual/Recreational, Competitive Athlete

See all my reviews

Pros

Breathable
Easy To Use
Good Fit
Water Resistant

Cons

Best Uses

Backcountry
Rocky Terrain
Snow Sports
Wet Weather

Comments about Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters:

I tried on every gaiter at the store and settled on these OR Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters. They perform wonderfully at keeping my feet dry and free of debris. I never have to stop to shake a rock out of my boot or shoe any more!

These gaiters have seen a lot of abuse over 2 years. I've worn them for hiking and backpacking in snow and mud, through creeks, along the ocean shore, on hot days, and bushwacking off-trail. They still perform.

If you plan to do a lot of mountaineering, I'd suggest getting the crocodiles for the added coverage and durability needed when using crampons.

Comment on this review

May

2011

3.0

just O.K.

By hike

from NH

About Me Serious Trekker

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Use
Lightweight
Rugged

Cons

Poor Performance

Best Uses

Backcountry

Comments about Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters:

What else can i say... "So So" they work well keeping snow out of your boots but they are too short for anything serious. They are comfortable but they slide down your calf a bit. They seem tough but I don't wear them enough to really know. They are mildly water resistant but don't hold up when the going gets real wet. They are cheep and probably worth the money but I don't think they are really worth it unless you like to wear these things with shorts on to keep dirt, mud, pine needles or whatever out of your boot.

Comment on this review

Oct

2010

(5 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Odd, puffy fit

By Ki6vsm

from San Diego, CA

About Me Rugged Outdoorsman

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Poor Design
Poor Fit

Best Uses

Comments about Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters:

First off, they don't fit like in the picture, at least mine didn't. It seems that OR uses a really strange pattern for making these gaiters. I purchased them thinking they would be a nice, heavier duty alternative my great REI Desert Gaiters. But after trying them on at home I took them back.

The way they fit looks like two black puffballs around the ankles. I can't imagine what the purpose is of all the extra material. I could however imagine them snagging on all kinds of things, plus catching occasionally on the opposite boot heel while walking.

I'm sure if I spent a little time with a pair of scissors and a sewing machine I could fix the problems, but I didn't want go to that trouble.

What OR should do, heck, what REI should do, is make a slightly heavier-fabric gaiter using the same pattern as the Desert Gaiters.

Comment on this review

Jun

2010

(19 of 19 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Excellent product

By jjp

from NC

About Me Rugged Outdoorsman

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Use
Good Fit
Lightweight
Rugged
Stay In Place
Water Resistant

Cons

Not Breathable

Best Uses

Backcountry
Backpacking
Leg/Ankle Protection
Light hiking
Rocky Terrain

Comments about Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters:

I don't hand out 5 star ratings willy nilly, but these gaiters have earned it from me.

Inspite of the first reviewer's experience, mine have held up extremely well over some very technical trails in the GSM.

One thing to note about these, and it's explicitly stated on the packaging, is you need to place the strap in the gap forward of the boot heel. If your shoes don't have a gap and the sole is generally flat, you will wear the gaiter strap out faster than advertised.

Also, I don't wear my socks above the gaiter b/c I think it defeats the purpose. My feet and socks stay dry b/c the water running down my legs from rain can't get past the solid seal created by the elastic gaiter top. And I didn't experience any undue rubbing or chaffing with the top against my bare leg.

My buddy owns the same pair and he has had no complaints either. For the price, and if you use them right, you can't beat this pair of gaiters.