Gaiters on the OT in November?

[Watertank]

I'm doing the Overland in late November. Last time I walked it in February I carried my gaiters for the entire hike. What is the track likely to be like in November? Are gaiters necessary or overkill?

[MickyB]

They would help protect your legs from snake bites if nothing else.

[Overlandman]

Murthy's Law
If you dont take them you will need them
If you do take them, you wont need them,
However it has been very wet down here, so I would say put them in your pack.

[Miyata610]

I just wear them on the OT wether I "need" to or not. Simple. No decision necessary.

I have heard the phrase "do I need my gaiters today?" many many times. Just wear em. Easy.

[GPSGuided]

I just wear them on the OT wether I "need" to or not. Simple. No decision necessary.
I have heard the phrase "do I need my gaiters today?" many many times. Just wear em. Easy.

Guess the decision is somewhat easier if one owns nice gaiters.

[Watertank]

Thanks for the replies, the gaiters I own are quite stiff, I'm not sure that makes them "nice gaiters" - I've read another post about gaiters but the gaiters in that post seem like they were for scrub bashing which is not what I think the OT is like. Perhaps I should get some softer more flexible gaiters? Any thoughts?

[GPSGuided]

For OT, wouldn't the focus be on the waterproofness of the gaiters?

[icefest]

The only walks I will not wear gaiters on are on footpaths. In addition to the reasons already mentioned, gaiters protect my socks from grass seeds, from rock inside shoes, from water splashing, from insect bites, from leeches and tics, from dirt (clean sleeping bag), from scratches etc.

[hoverbeam]

I'm with Icefest. Wearing gaiters is a lot easier than carrying gaiters so I just leave them on. Better to be looking at them than looking for them.

[GPSGuided]

Perhaps I should get some softer more flexible gaiters? Any thoughts?

For me, the key question is whether they are comfortable to wear. If yes, then there's no reason to not wear them. If they are not, then you need to find out how is it uncomfortable. Too tight? Too loose? Sticking into your flesh? Too hot? Not water proof? Stiffness alone is not a sufficient indicator of quality. High gaiters need a bit of stiffness to stay upright but can be still supremely comfortable. Good breathability helps to keep them comfortable but is not an issue for many.

[sthughes]

I'd wear them, just to keep the mud and snow out.

[Bluegum Mic]

I always wear my gaiters...even on firetrails I'll still wear my shortie gaiters. The only time id suggest not wearing them is two weeks before the oxfam trailwalker in one of the main training sections after torrential rain...because you get stopped every 10 meters by someone asking what they are and what a fantastic idea
But in all seriousness I would wear them. The two times I've done it I've had loads of rain and some snow. I know its always pot luck with the weather on the OLT but I know one of my trips I sure as heck wouldnt have wanted to do without them. I know I'm shortish at 5'6 but I had mud stains to above my knees on my rain pants so plenty of mud about.

[Strider]

Strange question given the purpose gaiters are intended for.

[Son of a Beach]

Just to be different... I would neither wear them nor carry them on the Overland Track in February. Not enough mud, scrub or deep water to be worth the trouble. Risk of snake bite is real, but minimal if you look where you're going (and I don't wear gaiters around my semi-rural, snake prone back yard either). You can get flooded areas of track after heavy rain, but I can cope with that without gaiters.

The exception for me would be in winter or when expecting deep snow, or being sure of lots of water on the track. In summer, I'd just take the punt and put up with wet feet if it didn't work out.

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

I would wear them, and have done so twice in February.

Main trail you probably don't need them if you don't want to. On some of the rougher side trips (like Oakleigh) they were valuable. Saved me a lot of banged up shins and cuts on the legs, and kept my feet dry too.

While a good lookout can prevent most snake encounters, it can't prevent them all and this is the main reason I like to wear mine.

[whynotwalk]

Snow on Cradle Plateau - late October

The exception for me would be in winter or when expecting deep snow, or being sure of lots of water on the track.

... November isn't far away, and the attached pic shows what it looked like on Cradle Plateau on Saturday October 26. I would wear gaiters,

cheers

Peter

[Nuts]

I bought a pair of those light event ones. Even they end up in the pack. They're nice if the track is particularly wet to keep mud out. I don't think gaiters will do a lot if a snake does happen to bite, and remember how rare that would be. A hard hat probably makes more sense if ur hedging against statistics.

[GPSGuided]

I don't think gaiters will do a lot if a snake does happen to bite...

How about baby snakes with baby fangs?

[whynotwalk]

I don't think gaiters will do a lot if a snake does happen to bite...

How about baby snakes with baby fangs?

I had a friend who was wearing gaiters and was struck by a snake while coming off Mt Murchison. At the time he thought he'd just flicked up a sharp stick, and didn't stop to inspect until he stopped at the bottom. When he took off his gaiters he discovered two puncture marks, with venom oozing down the inside of the gaiters. Fortunately the venom didn't reach his skin, as the gaiters had taken the brunt of the snake's strike.

So ... I nearly always wear gaiters And frankly I'm not sure why people are bothered by wearing them - at least in Tassie conditions. To me they seem like cheap insurance against a heap of hazards,

cheers

Peter

[Nuts]

My advice to others would, of course, also be to 'just wear them'. Personally i don't, very often.
You can get snake gaiters if you really want to be slightly statistically more 'safe'. The closest encounter I had was a launch at waste level.

[Son of a Beach]

And frankly I'm not sure why people are bothered by wearing them

Because they are a little uncomfortable. Especially in hot weather. Even very good ones. No, it's not a big deal, but I'd rather not wear them when it's not necessary.

It's easy to get a pretty good idea of snow conditions on the cradle plateau before you go. Chances of deep snow up there in summer are real, but very slim. On the rest of the track the chances of deep snow in summer are even more slim.

I'd have no problem walking in the snow in that photo without gaiters. I wouldn't plan for it but if I came across it unexpectedly, I'd be wishing I had snow shoes but wouldn't be too worried about not having gaiters.

Everyone is different, of course. I'm just pointing out that it is reasonable to have a different opinion on the subject. It's clear that the majority here would do it differently to me and I'm OK with that.

[hoverbeam]

I don't think gaiters will do a lot if a snake does happen to bite, and remember how rare that would be.

I agree it's relatively rare but have to disagree with the effectiveness. As even trousers have a benefit in preventing snake bite gaiters would be even better as most gaiters are made of fabric that's tougher than trousers.

[Nuts]

Actually, something did hit me on the upper calf/under the knee once (not on the OLT). Never noticed at the time and only later thought that it may have been a snake but found a scratch and large bruised dappled red and back welt that throbbed for days. I'd say even that would have been above gaiter level. Should add that iv'e always worn long pants. Probably a bit like Nik though, spent a lot of younger years barefoot or gripping slippery thongs at awkward angles, walking further than we should. So gaiters always felt overdressed (to me). I'd definitely wear them in scrub and on rough tracks.

[Son of a Beach]

Yeah, I'm actually considering doing the track barefoot one day. If I ever do, I'll probably carry some kind of light shoes (just in case), but wearing gaiters without shoes would be a bit silly I think.

I'm a lot more worried about jack jumper bites than snake bites and I'm not even severely allergic to them. More likely to cause death than snake bites, statistically speaking (mostly because many people are severely allergic). In any case they're terribly painful and could make walking rather difficult.

[corvus]

Got to wonder as to the why and why not use of gaiters so many plus factors so why not ?I use mine every time I head out "bush"
corvus

[Peaksnik]

The closest encounter I had was a launch at waste level.

Nuts, were you presenting the target whilst squatting?

[Son of a Beach]

Got to wonder as to the why and why not use of gaiters so many plus factors so why not ?I use mine every time I head out "bush"
corvus

There are a lot of plus factors, which is why I wear them on most walks. However, on some walks (such as the Overland Track in February), there are very few plus factors, and for some (e.g., me) the plus factors are so small as to be outweighed by the minus factors (which are also small).

[Watertank]

Thanks for the advice and for the photo! Now I'm thinking I best take my very warm sleeping bag! Clearly the gaiters that the gaiter-walkers are wearing are more comfortable than the ones I had which have now gone AWOL. I've read the thread about gaiters under equipment but they seem to heavy duty for my needs.

[Nuts]

You might find the cheap tatonkas are enough, i'm sure everyone would agree you don't need 'the best'? The cheap ones are likely more comfortable (softer) new. I'd buy 'gaiter-pants'... not that iv'e ever seen any. Some of the better rainpants have ankle cuffs and eyelets (you'd probably be wearing rain pants if its snowing or wet?)

[biggbird]

The only walks I will not wear gaiters on are on footpaths. In addition to the reasons already mentioned, gaiters protect my socks from grass seeds, from rock inside shoes, from water splashing, from insect bites, from leeches and tics, from dirt (clean sleeping bag), from scratches etc.

Have to agree with this, the biggest reason I started wearing gaiters was to stop from getting stones, sticks, leaves etc in my boots, I hated it! The fact that they help stop lots of other things is nice too though

As with a lot of people here it seems, I wouldn't ever bother to ask myself this question, gaiters are just part of the normal kit. I actually find my S2S Quagmires very comfortable, plus they make me feel tough when I have them on I can understand not wearing them in some situations though, when they are probably overkill, especially if you don't find them as comfortable as I do.

The one downside to wearing them all the time that I have really noticed is my current gaiter tan. Pretty hard to explain to most people at the beach why you have a single patch of tan around the knee on an otherwise white leg!