Outdoor Research  Ferrosi Thru Gaiters

I really like these. Now that the trails abound with greenery, I have found I don't really like some of the overgrowth to touch my legs. I was excited to try out my new Ferrosi Thru Gaiters. But, just like my previous pair, the elastic cord that holds the band under the shoe broke on one side the first time I tried to put them on. But, since I wasn't trying to keep anything out this trip, I pressed on. I have big girl calves so I wasn't sure these would stay up. They did!! The one that worked, worked great. And the one that broke served it's purpose for the day. If I can get a pair that the elastic won't break, these would be awesome.

These may be a cute accessory for a shopping trip and a latte but they are clearly not up to actual hiking. The second day I had them on the elastic thread (yes - it is THREAD) holding the entire thing together broke. I would have repaired them but the hook for the shoelace was lost in the vegetation. They are now garbage - actually they were quite clearly garbage to begin with - unfortunately garbage that someone paid decent money for (was a gift) I strongly suggest OR test stuff like this before selling it for a purpose it is not at all suited for. You do know that trails are not sidewalks, right? I mean - there are sticks that get caught in things like ELASTIC THREAD and can break it.

Worthless. The previous incarnation of these gaiters was great. I used them extensively for bushwacking and they held up with aplomb. Even though they were lightweight, they endured hundreds of miles of off trail hiking. The straps never once came loose. But OR decided to "improve" them by adding wrap around hooks to ensure the straps wouldn't come loose. Including when you're trying to remove the gaites! After a hard day on the trail, you have to bend over and struggle, manipulate, contort to try to get them off. Finally, after twenty hikes or so, I just ripped them off and threw them in the trash where they belong. My last OR product.

My boyfriend and I both had a pair of these on a ~550km 22-day thru-hike in the Canadian Rockies. 3 out of 4 of the gaiters broke in the first 20km (1 miraculously held until the end). It was the cord that runs through the bottom of the gaiter that broke, rendering the underfoot strap useless. This is super disappointing as I really expect more from OR gear, especially at this price. Also, the velcro both came off on my shoes by the end of the trip. I don't expect lightweight gear to be survive almost 600k but it should definitely last longer than 20k - that's not even a trail runner's daily distance.

Terrible design. Third, the elastic strap snaps. OR was good enough to replace them, but they will no doubt break again and soon. The elastic is not durable enough to put on a shoe while hiking. I have the old type OR short gator, 30 years old. The elastic on the top is shot, but they still function for boots. Why not use that design and lighter fabric for running shoe and light boots? So it goes.

My friend and I picked up these gaiters for our Annapurna Base Camp trek in Nepal. We were looking for a lightweight, quick gaiter to keep the dust out of our shoes and shed water when it rains. These gaiters didn't disappoint. They left us with dry feet and clean shoes for the entire trek. They're lightweight, compact and stretchy to form a complete and tight seal around the lower calf and over the shoes. My only complaint about them is that the front clip is too tight for boots with a gaiter clip. It was torturous trying to unclip from the boot clip. Make the clip a little more open.

I needed a pair of short gaiters that was a bit hardier than the trail running kind (can't ever get those to stay put!) These fit the bill. Keep dust, pebbles, and condensation out of my shoes. 4 stars because it can be difficult to to hook the strap on under the shoe-it is definitely not a fast process. Also, these work great on my trail runners but are a little tight length (height?) wise on my over the ankle Merrells/Vasques. They fit...but just. They do get a bit hot, but that's the name of the game with gaiters. Totally recommend for shoulder season and summer excursions.

I was excited to be replacing my previous OR light weight summer gaiters and I wanted to love these, but I had to return them. The new placement hooks don't work easily with my boot laces or even with its own lace. I spent a long time trying to get the hooks over my laces-being plastic hooks they can not be pried open a bit more, and it was even difficult to hook onto its own side elastic. The drawstring at the top of the ankles left the fit baggy & floppy. It took 20 minutes to get my gaiters off my boots. Imagine a water crossing with taking these in & off? I will continue to use my traditional heavier weight OR gaiters since it's getting cold and will look for products changes hopefully before next summer.

I use these low gaiters primary for day hikes. They work well with the exception of the straps that wrap around the bottom of your shoe/boot. I have repaired (re-sowing) or had them repaired several (more than 4) times.

Second time I used these the elastic strap broke! Poor design.