Gaiters or Overpants

If we're crossing a small river or stream, let's say higher than our boots but lower than our knees, AND if the crossing is a short one -- let's say 5-10 submerged steps... ...will knee-high gaiters keep most/all of the water from entering our boots? [trying to avoid standing in our full tub & "walking around" to find out...]

Tramping in New Zealand you will get wet feet, you just have to accept it. Gaiters will protect your legs from scrub and keep your socks clean. They won't keep the water out.

Hi trtlrock. If you're quick then it might, and some gaiters are more water-tight than others, but the water will usually seep through over a few seconds and get into your boots if you give it a chance. I mostly like gaiters in rivers because they keep out a lot of the small stones that might otherwise end up inside your boots. I don't think it's worth worrying about, and once you get used to it and realise that expensive boots aren't really damaged by being completely submerged in water, it's not much of an issue. It depends on where you're going, but there are often so many rivers to walk through (or just boggy tracks) that your boots and socks will fill up with water anyway, and I think I personally make better safety decisions if I get my boots soaked early so I stop caring about it. I've slid off slippery river rocks on occasion when trying to avoid getting my feet wet, and it's not fun. But that's just me.

gaiters are only good to keep rocks, mud, anything else that might get in there, but not water!!

My gaiter and boot set up does exactly that ;) Recently down the Waipakihi I had bone dry toes for the first 1hr or so... Say 4 crossings. But inevitably, feet do get wet, but I find the combo does slow the water... Feet don't get so "bucketed".

Yep -- we're certainly not expecting to hike with dry feet -- but it's good to know that a quick crossing might not automatically result in bucket-boots. Thanks for the tips...

i find putties or gaiters keeps out most of the water if your quick, ie 5 steps or less but it will seep in eventually. strangely i find it more comfy tramping with wet feet, ive herd that from a few ppl too. oh to add my 2 cents, i put on thermal leggings under my shorts in use with my putties, seems to work fine and dry fast.

99% of the time I wear shorts with gaiters, long for snow or going off track in bush, short for everything else. I use gaiters to keep out the stones and mud, but fully expect to spend the entire tramp with wet feet. either due to river crossings or sweat. If it's really cold i.e. well below zero I'll wear long johns under the shorts. I detest wearing overpants, I feel so restricted and inflexible so I only wear them when the conditions and terrain are extreme enough (above the bushline in the Tararuas during a southerly storm comes to mind) to require the additional margin of safety to avoid hypothermia.