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REI Mountain Light Gaiters

$54.50

(2)

Item # 812395

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The REI Mountain Light gaiters keep snow and water out of your boots so you can plunge step your way down a snowy slope and stomp in puddles on the trail.

Gaiters feature eVent™ waterproof, breathable uppers to keep rain and snow out while allowing sweat vapor to escape to the outside of the fabric
Include Cordura® nylon lowers with scuff guards to resist abrasion
Front and top openings with rip-and-stick closures combine with lace hooks and webbing instep straps to fit different leg shapes and footwear types
REI Mountain Light gaiters come with a mesh stuff sack for packing and storing

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 9 - 14 and women's sizes 10 and up

Imported.

Item 812395

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REI Mountain Light Gaiters Customer Reviews

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by PowerReviews

REI Mountain Light Gaiters

4.0

(based on 2 reviews)

REVIEWS

Reviewed by 2 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-2

Dec

2011

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Good, with a flaw

By SketchAnchor

from Cascades

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Breathable
Lightweight
Waterproof

Cons

Annoying buckle
Wears Out Quickly

Best Uses

Freezing Conditions
Mountaineering

Comments about REI Mountain Light Gaiters:

Most mountaineers aiming to go fast and light won't wear gaiters, but they're darn handy. Typically they'll put a grommet on their pant legs and use some cord under the arch. These gaiters, in my opinion, are for more experienced climbers, who aren't looking for bomber protection from a misplaced crampon step. Instead they're looking for weather proofing and breathability, both of which this gaiter provides. If you're doing Rainier and it's your first time wearing crampons, get some Crocodiles because they're just more durable and will withstand significant cramponing.

I bought these gaiters because they're very lightweight and I can justify the weight for the additional protection. I cannot justify a 12 ounce gaiter, like the Crocodiles. I also bought these because they're 10x more breathable than Gore-Tex gaiters. Gore-Tex gaiters just don't breathe -- which means you'll get wetter boots over the course of a day as any sweat can't escape. My experience with these gaiters is that they breathe very well. So well that you forget you're wearing them.

The only downside to these is that REI fumbled on the inner foot buckle. I think they intended the footstrap webbing to be replaced if necessary, but that means there's a buckle near your inner foot that is prime to be caught by a crampon. So, ironically in making a lightweight gaiter for more experienced climbers, they've put a potential snag point on the worst spot possible.

I cut off the inner buckle and just sewed the webbing on. Took about 10 minutes and problem solved. Take it into consideration if you're thinking about getting these, but otherwise the're a good pair of gaiters at a decent price.

Jan

2012

4.0

Great fit, a few little issues.

By MyMountainsOregon

from Philomath, OR

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Breathable
Good Fit
Lightweight
Waterproof

Cons

Heel strap has flaws

Best Uses

Easy Summits
Freezing Conditions
Snow shoeing
Wet Weather
Winter hiking

Comments about REI Mountain Light Gaiters:

Last year I finally started getting into technical mountaineering and winter recreation. I spent years with so-so or way to heavy gear, and after quitting smoking last year, I'm back at it with a vengeance! One of the biggest issues I had was heavy, outdated and incorrect gear, so I started revamping everything. One of the latest changes was ordering a set of Mountain Light gaiters to replace the very old and worn Sierra West's I'd been using (hand me down from a friend in Alaska that are probably 20-30 years old!).

We finally got some snow in the Oregon Cacades in the last week, so decided to head up to Tombstone Pass to do a little snowshoeing. This was the first time I used the new gaiters, and first impressions were favorable. The next day I headed back up the pass to hike/shoe up Iron Mountain. Thats where I first noticed the heel strap issue. One came completely un-threaded from the inside buckle, so after a pause to fix it and put the snowshoes on, seemed ok. On the decent, both straps started to loosen up, both from the inside buckle, even being rethreaded back through like you would a climbing harness buckle. Other than that, they were awesome for keeping the snow out and keeping the pants and boot tops dry.

My quick fix is to simply set the strap position in the inner buckle and throwing a few stitches in the tail end after rethreading it through. That way it is an easy replacement if you wear out a strap. For serious mountaineering with crampons, the previous reviewer fix is a great idea as well. All in all, looking forward to playing in the snow some more, and these will definately be going with me!