Low gaiters. High gaiters. Keep your socks clean and the pine needles on the trail.

I am amazed after all of these years I still get comments on gaiters when I’m on the trail.

To take a step back, I first started wearing full-length (to just below the knee) gaiters back in college.  It was my senior year, and I was so far ahead of the required number of credits to graduate, I started taking classes for fun.  One of them was Mountaineering 101.  The final was going to be a climb to the summit of Rainier (didn’t happen, weathered out). 

But I did go into what was the only outdoor gear shop in Spokane in the 80s (that was NOT REI) and bought the ugliest cheapest gaiters they had. The turned out to be the surplus left over for a Fairchild AFB contract lot that they actually stitched up at their shop in the back of the store. Definitely the old days before China became the manufacturer of the world. 

When I started doing the really big mountains (Rainier, Helens, Adams, Hood, etc) in the 1990s, I dropped the big bucks and got the bulletproof Gortex ones from Outdoor Research.

I can count the times I’ve hiked/climbed in actual full-length pants on one hand. Why? Because with those gaiters and a good pair of shorts, my legs were always nice and warm. Then again, I am a mammal and should be able to generate heat, given how those things keep my legs so warm and toasty.

It was around that time I stumbled across the ‘short gaiters’ that OR also makes.  Pleased with the tall ones, I gave them a try.  In the last 25 years, I don’t think I have ever gone on a hike WITHOUT gaiters.  They keep so much dirt and grit and trail debris out of boots they are amazing.  Even when I started to move into trail runners for longer smooth trail hikes, I would always make sure there was an arch in the sole for the gaiter strap.

That being said, I always get comments.   When we were at the sub dome when climbing Half Dome in Yosemite, one lady thought they were ankle weights for a better workout (clearly thinking back to the step aerobic exercise days).  

I’ve had a couple of people think I wearing some kind of nylon slipper.  But many many more just stare and assume I’m a superhero that forgot to remove some of my costume personas.

At the end of the day, these simple little footies have become one of my critical hiking components that keeps me motoring down the trail or up a mountain slope mile after mile and year after year.  Right up there with water and a big sun hat. Or better yet my trekking poles.

Dave’s 2 Cents. Which might be a good name for a blog category.

Oh, and not to hate on OR, but I will. Their warranty is blatant bullshit these days.

All the big manufacturers have forever really taken care of their customers.  Lowe once repaired a pack strap for me.  Kelty replaced a tent zipper.  MSR gave me repair parts for my stove.  PUR water filters comped me with a broken pump handle.  You pay a premium for a lot of this gear, and they support us hardcore users.  After all, to use today’s social media terms, it is those influencers who magically push future customers your way without tapping your advertising budget.

OR at one time WAS no different.  But times have changed.  So when a seam failed on one of my low gaiters, I pulled up the website, filed a warranty claim, and mailed them in.  My expectation is they stitch it up with their industrial machines, or worse case replace the item.  That’s the way it has been for the last 30 years. They have always stood by all the gear I have purchased for them

Their explicit warranty says it all:

THE INFINITE GUARANTEE®

Outdoor Research® gear is guaranteed to perform throughout the lifetime of the product. Get your gear back on track by filing a claim on our Warranty Page.

Back to my gaiters. Three weeks later, I get them back in the mail without anything done to them. Or note of explanation.  Just link to an online third-party gear repair company that OR partners with.  When I checked their cost for this simple repair, I found it would be more to fix than buy new.  Yeah, I had to speak to a person on this one.

So that’s what I did.  I explained to ‘Mark’ what my expectations were based on prior warranty claims.  He basically said ‘Too bad, sucks to be you.’   But a little nicer.   The short story is, they let all of their gear repair people go.  If they feel the ‘lifetime’ of your product is over, they don’t do anything.  Naturally ‘lifetime’ is up to their discretion. 

If you call them up and bitch, they will give you a 20% off coupon.  Of course, only good thru their website (which runs 20% higher than other online retailers).   I told ‘Mark’ to look forward to when someone calls with a problem with their $600 jacket that they only wore seven times in the last 10 years and you tell them it’s worn out and ‘Infinitely worthless.’

Ok, I’d done putting down Outdoor Research.  I still like some of their gear.  But I’ll always shop all other options first and try to go with a manufacturer that still cares about their customers. There are plenty of them still out there.