The $30 I spent on the MontBell Gaiters was one of the best gear purchases I’ve made.
I was introduced to the concept of gaiters many years ago while doing snowsports like snowshoeing and skiing. I never understood the lightweight hiking ones until I started desert hiking – they are incredibly useful for keeping pokies off of socks and skin. I then learned how good they were at keeping out gravel and other trail debris as well. My socks stay clean, I don’t get little pebbled rubbing hot spots in my shoes, and my footwear/socks last longer.
I almost always wear gaiters when I hike now. These particular gaiters are a perfect partner for my preferred hiking shoe style of low-topped scramblers or trailrunners. They are light, snug, breathe well, and best of all, are durable. Gaiters rarely last long – the material (usually string) used as the under-foot strap usually wears away quickly. The material on the inside of the foot is under constant abrasion and gets holes in no time. However, these MontBell gaiters have hundreds of miles on them in some incredibly rough terrain and if I washed off the dirt they’d look as good as the day I bought them. The rubbery material that protects the bungee that goes under the foot has not worn at all – it has to be made from magic.
In the photo below I was on a bushwhacky hike in Death Valley. Stupidly, I had worn shorts and the scratches from desert brush are visible on my leg and the gaiters. The gaiters didn’t snag, fray, or suffer any damage whatsoever. Also, you can see the strap around the bottom of the shoe (with that magical rubber protective material).

Hiking gaiters, like socks, are something I have always expected to replace regularly. The MontBell gaiters, at the very worst, have extended that replacement cycle significantly.