Wet bracken and a boggy path put water over the top of your boots long before the rain does. A gaiter fixes that, and picking one is harder than it should be.
For most walking days in Eryri the Trekmates Cuillin GTX is the pair to buy. Trekmates extends its abrasion panels up the inside leg, which is the side that meets your other boot.
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Five pairs, for five different kinds of day:
- Trekmates Cuillin GTX, the all-round pair for a wet day in boots
- Trekmates Torridon DRY, the same shape with a different membrane
- Montane Alta, the lightest full-height pair here
- Kahtoola NAVAgaiter GTX, the only pair you can buy on a measurement
- Montane Trail Gaiters, ankle height, for trail shoes
| Your day out | What to carry |
|---|---|
| The all-round pair for a wet day in boots | Trekmates Cuillin GTX Gaiter |
| The same shape with a different membrane | Trekmates Torridon DRY Gaiter |
| The lightest full-height pair here | Montane Alta Waterproof Gaiters |
| The only pair you can buy on a measurement | Kahtoola NAVAgaiter GTX |
| Ankle height, for trail shoes | Montane Trail Gaiters |
Trekmates Cuillin GTX Gaiter
The all-round pair for a wet day in boots
Trekmates Cuillin GTX Gaiter 230 g, recycled 3-layer Gore-Tex upper, 75D polyesterAbrasion panels extended up the inside leg, replaceable under boot strap Read the full specification on AmazonBest for an ordinary Eryri hill day, on a path, in walking boots.
Trekmates extends the abrasion panels up the inside leg to protect the gaiter on rougher ground. That is the side that meets your other boot, and in a stiff winter boot the two pass closer together.
It is shaped to sit close at the ankle and cover the laces, which Trekmates says reduces snagging.
On a dry summer path in trainers, this is more gaiter than the day asks for.
Trekmates Torridon DRY Gaiter
The same shape with a different membrane
Trekmates Torridon DRY Gaiter 210 g per pair, 3-layer DRY membrane, 228T polyamide600D ripstop polyester lower panels, replaceable under boot strap Read the full specification on AmazonBest for the walker who wants the classic build without Gore-Tex.
The lower panels are 600D ripstop polyester here, against stretch polyamide on the Cuillin. That is a choice rather than a ranking: stretch sits closer to the boot, and ripstop takes more abuse from rock and scree.
The membrane is Trekmates’ own DRY rather than Gore-Tex.
Montane Alta Waterproof Gaiters
The lightest full-height pair here
Montane Alta Waterproof Gaiters 170 g, hook and loop closure with press stud, no zipReinforced TPU underfoot strap, sized by shoe size Read the full specification on AmazonBest for a long day where weight in the sack is what you notice.
There is no zip, so grit cannot seize it, and hook and loop has nothing to seize.
Montane sizes this pair by your shoe, which is unusual and useful. Most gaiters here are sold to fit a boot type instead of a foot.
Montane publishes no height for it, so you cannot tell how far up the leg it comes.
Kahtoola NAVAgaiter GTX
The only pair you can buy on a measurement
Kahtoola NAVAgaiter GTX 43 cm tall, 168 g regular, three-layer Gore-Tex upper1000D ripstop nylon lower, fits calf up to 37 cm or 42 cm Read the full specification on Amazon Best for anyone whose calves sit outside a maker’s idea of average.
Kahtoola is the only maker here that tells you the calf the gaiter fits, in centimetres, before you buy.
It is a tall gaiter at 43 cm. If you want something that stops at mid-calf, this is not the pair.
Montane Trail Gaiters
Ankle height, for trail shoes
Montane Trail Gaiters Raptor Flex 4-way stretch, abrasion resistant instepsReplaceable underfoot strap, spare straps supplied Read the full specification on Amazon Best for dry bog, scree and summer paths where a full gaiter is too much.
Montane has assumed the strap will wear out and put a spare in the box.
This is a shoe gaiter rather than a leg one. It keeps grit and scree out of the top of a trail shoe and does nothing above the ankle.
On a wet Welsh path in autumn that is not enough, and it is the wrong pair for a winter day.
How to choose a pair for your own legs
Take a tape measure to your calf first, over the trousers you actually walk in. That number rules more pairs in or out than any fabric figure will.
Then look at the under boot strap, because the makers themselves treat it as the part that wears out. Montane puts spare straps in the box, and Trekmates marks its straps replaceable.
The closure is the third question. A zip gives a closed seam down the side, and hook and loop gives one with nothing in it to jam.
Which pair suits which day
For the ordinary wet Eryri day in boots, the Trekmates Cuillin GTX is the one to own.
The Trekmates Torridon DRY is the same shape with a heavier lower panel and Trekmates’ own DRY membrane instead of Gore-Tex.
If you are counting grams on a long day, the Montane Alta is the lightest full-height pair here.
If your calves sit outside the average, buy the Kahtoola NAVAgaiter GTX.
For summer scree in trail shoes, the Montane Trail Gaiters do the smaller job.
If none of that is your walking yet, the more useful question is what is on your feet. That one is settled in walking boots or trainers for Snowdon.
