OR’s Helium Gaiters are excessive mountaineering gaiters which are appropriate for four-season use with any footwear that has an arched sole. They’re a lot thinner, cooler, and lighter weight than heavier-duty mountaineering gaiters (resembling OR’s Crocodile Gaiters) however nonetheless completely appropriate for winter mountaineering with non-technical traction aids resembling Hillsound Path Crampons or Kahtoola Microspikes.
Specs at a Look
- Kind: Excessive Gaiter
- Weight: 4.9 oz/pr
- Gender: males’s (ladies’s mannequin additionally obtainable)
- Waterproof/Breathable: Pertex Protect 2.5L
- Higher: 30D Ripstop Nylon
- Decrease: 420D Nylon Packcloth With PU Coating
- Closure: Snap, Velcro, Drawstring
The OR Helium Gaiter is a light-weight excessive gaiter that reaches to only beneath the knee. It has a replaceable Hypalon (artificial rubber) strap that runs by the arch of your footwear to maintain the gaiter from driving up and closes within the entrance with a full-length velcro strip and a prime and backside snap. An elastic drawstring cinches the gaiter on the prime and prevents it from falling down beneath your calf whereas worn.
I bought these gaiters as a result of I wished a pair for winter mountaineering that was cooler with thinner material than the mountaineering gaiters I usually put on for winter mountaineering and snowshoeing. Heavier mountaineering gaiters make my calves sweat profusely in winter, dampening my socks and decrease pant legs. Whereas there are occasions once I want the added decrease leg safety {that a} mountaineering gaiter offers, resembling when utilizing full crampons, most of my winter hikes contain should much less aggressive traction aids like Hillsound Path Crampons the place the hazard of self-inflicted wounds is nearly non-existent.
I’m fairly happy with these Helium Gaiters as a result of they’re a lot cooler than the mountaineering gaiters I personal. They’re additionally very breathable and the outside feels noticeably damp once I’m mountaineering or snowshoeing in them. They’re absolutely waterproof with a gaiter hook on the base to connect to your laces or a gaiter ring in your boots. I’m additionally a fan of the elastic drawstring on the prime as a result of it prevents the gaiters from dropping beneath the calf and bunching across the ankles which tends to happen once I use mountaineering gaiters that shut with a webbing strap and buckle. (see additionally Winter Mountain climbing Gaiters: Advantages and Pitfalls.)
If there’s one concern I’ve about these gaiters it’s the standard of the development. The primary time I took them off, the highest snap on the prime of the entrance velcro closure tore off and flew throughout the room. I think about that prime snap to be redundant with the entrance velcro closure for the reason that gaiters don’t depend on it to remain shut. Nonetheless, it was disconcerting to have the snap tear out that simply and I plan to contact OR for a guaranty alternative.
In any other case, these OR Helium Gaiters are simple to love. They’re comfy to put on, they shed snow effectively, and so they keep up whenever you cinch the drawstring wire. I believe they’ll additionally show worthwhile within the spring in the course of the mud season when my soiled woman gaiters are inadequate to maintain splashback off my decrease legs.
Disclosure: The creator bought this product.
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