Gaiters

[Mar Oregon]

Do any of you use rain gaiters over your shoes/boots while on the Camino? I’ll be walking in September when rain is common.
I usually wear long pants which mostly keeps rain and debris out of my boots. Just curious if bringing them was worth the weight for you.
Thx

 

[Anniesantiago]

I've walked all seasons except the dead of winter and never needed gaiters.

 

[Josefus]

I preferably use it on muddy tracks. It helps to keep away dirt from the lower parts of the pants. Mine weigh about 350 g and reach nearly to the knees. And I find the extra weight OK.

¡Ultreia!

 

[David with new Kit!]

Good idea, but I wear Goretex boots and they are fine on their own - Mileage may vary

 

[rappahannock_rev]

Tried 'em one year. Decided they're more trouble than they're worth.

 

[henrythedog]

Do any of you use rain gaiters over your shoes/boots while on the Camino? I’ll be walking in September when rain is common.
I usually wear long pants which mostly keeps rain and debris out of my boots. Just curious if bringing them was worth the weight for you.
Thx

Never leave home without them! Standard outfit from the waist down would be Ron Hills (the last word in UK hillwalking fashion from the 1970s), gaiters and lightweight leather boots. Overtrousers go over the gaiters in extremis.

More suited to wet grass and bracken than road and trail walking to be honest.

 

[Mar Oregon]

Never leave home without them! Standard outfit from the waist down would be Ron Hills (the last word in UK hillwalking fashion from the 1970s), gaiters and lightweight leather boots. Overtrousers go over the gaiters in extremis.

More suited to wet grass and bracken than road and trail walking to be honest.

Thanks Henry. Appreciate your input. Curious to know if you have ever walked the Camino with your friend David? I’ll be sure to packs some treats for you. David will have to get his own treats

 

[happymarkos]

Do any of you use rain gaiters over your shoes/boots while on the Camino? I’ll be walking in September when rain is common.
I usually wear long pants which mostly keeps rain and debris out of my boots. Just curious if bringing them was worth the weight for you.
Thx

I have some excellent RAB gaiters that come up to the calves. Great when there is mud, snow and slush. Keep the boots cleaner and drier as well as the lower legs on my trousers or rain leggings. So for me weather dependent. Will be completing the VLDP starting late March from Zamora and don't expect conditions that will warrant gaiters.

 

[BROWNCOUNTYBOB]

We walked without gaiters during our first camino frances in 2015. There were several days of heavy rain and our boots and socks were drenched. For our second CF in 2017, we bought gaiters. It rained during the days we hiked into Zubiri and Pamplona and the gaiters kept our feet dry. The rest of the camino we had clear, blue skies. We didn't complain that we carried our gaiters with us!

I had a feeling that we would face lots of rain during our third CF in 2019, so we brought our goretex jackets, gaiters and also rain pants for both of us. Our prediction was right; during a few stages in Galicia, we hiked in non-stop rain for more than five hours. The gaiters and rain pants kept our boots and socks reasonably dry, but our goretex jackets could not withstand the torrential rain and we were soaked. For our CF this fall, we'll bring the same gear and have also purchased light weight ponchos to wear over our goretex jackets in case we walk in a downpour. We're not concerned about the added weight. During our last two caminos, my wife shipped her backpack ahead and wore a day pack. Having walked three caminos with my backpack, I plan to ship mine ahead this fall and walk with a day pack. Bob

 

[Walking Lover]

Do any of you use rain gaiters over your shoes/boots while on the Camino? I’ll be walking in September when rain is common.
I usually wear long pants which mostly keeps rain and debris out of my boots. Just curious if bringing them was worth the weight for you.
Thx

When we walked over the Pyrennes, I wished I had them.

 

[lt56ny]

Obviously there is a big difference of opinion. I have walked 4 times on different caminos starting in mid September and have never found a need for them. I have a feeling you are going to bring them and decide for yourself!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I've never used them nor felt I'd benefit much bringing them on the camino for carrying the extra weigh. I've not encountered much rain on five caminos and since I wear trail runners they get wet either way.

 

[Rover]

Do any of you use rain gaiters over your shoes/boots while on the Camino? I’ll be walking in September when rain is common.
I usually wear long pants which mostly keeps rain and debris out of my boots. Just curious if bringing them was worth the weight for you.
Thx

Flash! When did it become common for rain in September? You might want to do some research on this. As far as gaiters are concerned, that's a personal preference. I am an avid hiker and generally find them unnecessary. Yes, you will get a pebble in your shoe or boot from time to time, but that will give you a good excuse to "take 5" to catch your breath and enjoy the beauty around you. Bottom line -Pass on the added gear and weight

 

[domigee]

Do any of you use rain gaiters over your shoes/boots while on the Camino? I’ll be walking in September when rain is common.
I usually wear long pants which mostly keeps rain and debris out of my boots. Just curious if bringing them was worth the weight for you.
Thx

I use (short) gaiters when walking in Winter in the UK. Never ever took them on any camino.
If you do, make sure they are very light (My Rab ones weigh 99grammes).

 

[Delphinoula]

I wish I had them special walking on the beach keeping sand out. And against rain getting in my boots when I was short of swimming the Camino. Maybe for my next one I will find something or I make my own

 

[Delphinoula]

Dom RAB please Tell me a Bit more so I can find them please

 

[dougfitz]

Flash! When did it become common for rain in September?

It hasn't. Just checked the Spanish Met Agency climatological data, and across the CF in Sep, somewhere between three and five days of rain on average until one gets to Galicia. SDC has an average of 8.4 rainy days in September. Similar figures for other Galician cities.

 

[fred4ski]

Anytime I have my hiking boots on a trail I have gaiters on. Key is to find some that are easy on/off. Keeps dirt, pebbles, leeches, rain out of shoes.

 

[domigee]

Dom RAB please Tell me a Bit more so I can find them please

Here you go :
https://www.inglesport.com/product/...MIxbX6q5Lc5wIVibbtCh0OnApCEAQYASABEgKE_PD_BwE
They work and they‘re very light but.... you have to put them on before you put your boots on.
I honestly wouldn’t bother for a September Camino but it’s up to you

 

[easygoing]

My husband and I wear these 1 oz gaiters to keep fine dirt and rocks out. Our socks stay cleaner too. Yes, I know it is simple to stop and shake out your shoes but I usually ignore small rocks until painful, not a good system. My other embarrassing reason to wear gaiters is every time I stop and take my shoe off some young thing asks me if I am ok. The first time this happened I simply stated ( or maybe rudely complained ). Why do people think I need help just because I have gray hair !. My daughter later instructed me that the proper answer is:. I am okay but thanks for asking. So gaiters protect the innocent . And I am working on my attitude... maybe the 11th Camino this May will ........

 

[Delphinoula]

Hi easy I don’t think it’s grey hair but the kindness of the people you meet. Iam almost white haired and was stuck somehow sitting between the boards on the boardwalk and a pole plenty of pilgrims passes not one stopped or asked or anything.before I could ask for help. There was nothing to do but to jump into the marshes to get loose with all the possible creatures real or imagined and wade waist high throu it. Then I had to laugh about myself .Iguess you only get help when you realy need it. No alligators in Portugal that I have encountered.not sure if the gaiters would have kept them out.

 

[Moorwalker]

I never used old fashioned long gaiters when I used boots, I found them too much of a fiddle and the only time I ever felt any need for them was when walking through long grass in wet weather. These days I walk in very light trail runners unless the weather is snowy, and if I'm walking on sand or loose gravel the elastic ankle-length gaiters keep the grit out of the shoes. You can find them in running shops, but I particularly like those made by Dirty Girl, not least because they even have a camino design - I see "easygoing" linked to them above.

 

[easygoing]

Hi easy I don’t think it’s grey hair but the kindness of the people you meet. Iam almost white haired and was stuck somehow sitting between the boards on the boardwalk and a pole plenty of pilgrims passes not one stopped or asked or anything.before I could ask for help. There was nothing to do but to jump into the marshes to get loose with all the possible creatures real or imagined and wade waist high throu it. Then I had to laugh about myself .Iguess you only get help when you realy need it. No alligators in Portugal that I have encountered.not sure if the gaiters would have kept them out.

Thanks for the perspective. My heart is gladdened to think how lucky I am people are being kind, too much of my life I was being judged. I will put on my kindness glasses and welcome offers of help. You have truly helped me and thank you p.s. easy going is my husband but he never posts or reads the forum. I am far from easygoing. Lol

 

[dougfitz]

I carried gaiters on my early Camino pilgrimages, and didn't need to use them. On my pilgrimage walks in Sweden and Norway, where there was far more muddy trail, thigh length wet grass and rain during the day, they were a real boon.

Last year in England on the St Augustine Camino, I didn't use them, even in winter, but would have benefited if I had done so on some particularly muddy sections. On this walk, I was wearing a pair of Norrana Falketind trekking trousers, made with a rain and wind resistant fabric and designed with boot clips and studs at the bottoms of the legs. The clips are slipped under the laces on the forefoot of the boot/shoe, and keep the bottom of the trouser leg in relatively close contact with the outside of the boot/shoe, acting like a gaiter. The studs reduce the circumference of the opening, and allow the trouser leg to fit around the top of the boot when using rain pants or gaiters. Instead of having to tuck trouser legs into one's socks, which allows any moisture that runs down the trouser leg to get into one's footwear, this lets the moisture drain to the outside of the boot.

These are cooler climate trekking trousers, and wouldn't be ideal in a Spanish summer. But I would have loved them on the pilgrimages I did in late Mar, Apr and perhaps even in May.

 

[Delphinoula]

to keep rain out my boots I had my running pants pulled over my boot laces. My upper legs were drenched but my feet dry, figure that.

 

[towanda1961]

Do any of you use rain gaiters over your shoes/boots while on the Camino? I’ll be walking in September when rain is common.
I usually wear long pants which mostly keeps rain and debris out of my boots. Just curious if bringing them was worth the weight for you.
Thx

I wore ankle gaiters every day, even with shorts. They kept debris out of my boots and they kept my socks clean from the endless dust. I’m sure that others will protest because of the added weight, but really, they weigh nothing and they were worth it for the convenience. Unrelated, but my bug net was also invaluable; I didn’t need it much, but when I did, it was so helpful to have.

 

[maryalex]

We walked without gaiters during our first camino frances in 2015. There were several days of heavy rain and our boots and socks were drenched. For our second CF in 2017, we bought gaiters. It rained during the days we hiked into Zubiri and Pamplona and the gaiters kept our feet dry. The rest of the camino we had clear, blue skies. We didn't complain that we carried our gaiters with us!

I had a feeling that we would face lots of rain during our third CF in 2019, so we brought our goretex jackets, gaiters and also rain pants for both of us. Our prediction was right; during a few stages in Galicia, we hiked in non-stop rain for more than five hours. The gaiters and rain pants kept our boots and socks reasonably dry, but our goretex jackets could not withstand the torrential rain and we were soaked. For our CF this fall, we'll bring the same gear and have also purchased light weight ponchos to wear over our goretex jackets in case we walk in a downpour. We're not concerned about the added weight. During our last two caminos, my wife shipped her backpack ahead and wore a day pack. Having walked three caminos with my backpack, I plan to ship mine ahead this fall and walk with a day pack. Bob

October 2019 - Like walking through a car wash in Galicia. Whew. I'm bringing gaiters again this year even though I have WP boots. In those kinds of downpours the water will find a way inside the shoe from the top.

 

[frida1]

I hike regularly in my local area with a hiking group. There are those who are habituated to wearing gaiters in almost every condition, and those who never do (that's me). I have gaiters, but have never taken them on 5 caminos in Spain, France and Italy. I've been lucky to have only a few days of pouring, solid rain, but it never occurred to me that I wished I had the gaiters. By the way, I do use those small ones that Easygoing posted a picture of, mainly because they are cute, but they're not going to protect you from any kind of wetness.

 

[mvanert]

Do any of you use rain gaiters over your shoes/boots while on the Camino? I’ll be walking in September when rain is common.
I usually wear long pants which mostly keeps rain and debris out of my boots. Just curious if bringing them was worth the weight for you.
Thx

Nope.

 

[Canche]

I've walked all seasons except the dead of winter and never needed gaiters.

Agree

 

[KariC]

I walked with Dirty Girl Gaitors - incredibly lightweight, and they come in hundreds of colors/patterns, so men can wear them too. They're good at keeping debris out; keeping laces tied, and keeping feet dry. They might not work for a prolonged deluge, but work for lighter rain.

 

[frida1]

Yes, dirty girls are what I have, but they really are minimally functional, mainly for looks and keeping your shoes tied. They cover boots only, don’t go up your legs.