Gaiters against thorns for trail running shoes?
Original post
Hi,
do you wear trail running or other light shoes for tramping, but go into relatively demanding terrain nonetheless?
If yes, I would like to know how you protect yourself from thorns e.g. when walking on tracks that are covered with cut off gorse, or bush bashing through thorny areas - with trail running shoes.
I don't want to rekindle the "boot vs shoe" debate, and I know that trail running shoes are not made for that kind of terrain.
But a solution to this problem is what I am looking for. I want to wear trail running shoes on long tramps where some sections still require protection from thorns, but I don't want to wear or carry a pair of boots just for that. Many reasons - but again, I don't want to redo the "boots vs shoes" debate here.
The gaiters would need to have these features:
=> Protect the entire shoe all the way down to the sole, as thorns commonly punch through the sides of trail running shoes.
=> Reasonably thorn proof material: Heavy cordura, canvas, or even medium heavy leather might work.
=> Reaching at least up to just under the knee, possibly higher.
=> Sole of the shoe must not be covered by (too many) straps to maintain good traction.
I have looked at the Berghaus Yeti Attack, but they have so much tension in the rubber around the shoe that they would deform the shoe. They also cover too much of the sole with rubber, which would lead to too much lost traction in slippery terrain.
http://int.berghaus.com/yeti-attak/421339.html
There are also desert running gaiters against sand - high quality velcro gets permanently sewn to the side of the shoe all around, just above the sole, and then the gaiter gets velcro'd to that when needed.
This attachment system seems like it could work well for my application and is shown well in the pictures in the following link, but the material is way too thin for my purposes.
http://www.runningultramarathons.com/desert-running-review-of-ar-desert-gaiters-and-the-rough-country-trail-running-gaiters/
Do you know of a solution, or can you think of one?
Ciao,
Matthias
Hi Matthias,
I use shoes for tramping everywhere that doesn't require crampons, this includes quite a bit of off track travel. I just use standard tramping gaiters and have not had any problems with the small amount of shoe exposed beneath the gaiter. In general the prickly scrubby stuff is above this height and if things are seriously prickly they will spike through gaiters too - nothing protects you from spaniards. The only gaiters I have ever seen that give the protection to the sole that you want are the berghaus ones.
If you decide to go for standard tramping gaiters to wear with shoes I have found that for the strap under the shoe the Aspiring gaiter tie downs which can be attached to most gaiters seem to work much better for shoes - last longer and better at keeping the gaiter in the right place.
The biggest issue I have found with using shoes for tramping is that the wet/dry exposure tends to cause the stitching to rot out long before the rest of the shoe is worn out - it is quite hard to find shoes with minimal stitching.
I also use trail shoes for tramping for everything except crampon use.
To protect the shoes I use Seamgrip to coat stitching lines, any exposed mesh or fabric, and to make a rand around the outside or the shoe.
I find orienteering gaiters work pretty well too as a lightweight replacement for more traditional gaiters.
Otherwise rugby socks with pieces of thin foam and flexible plastic cutting board (shin guards) are a workable MYOG option.
Interesting, my own experience seems very different from that. For every time I get stung above the ankle, I get stung three times through the sides of my shoes.
So I'm pretty determined to get full foot and lower leg protection, including against spaniards. I guess leather seems the way to go then?
Do you think some kind of silicone based water protection spray would increase the life of the seams in the shoes?
Seam Grip seems a good idea for that, too. Thanks!
Making a rand out of seam grip is an interesting idea, hm. At the same time it adds weight to the shoe.
Interesting thoughts here, thank you! Keep them coming if anyone else has more.
Matthias
There is a brand called dirty girl gaiters for running and trekking shoes that provides glue-on velcro for your shoe and then you attach the velcro/gaiter to that.
https://dirtygirlgaiters.com/
Thanks Honora, I have looked into these. The sew-on velcro is a good solution I think, but these gaiters offer no protection against thorns, which is the main concern in this case.
Tempted to copy them in a pliable, flexible, but thick leather myself.
Or possibly 1000den cordura? Would that keep most thorns at bay? Or would I have to double layer it?
Ciao,
Matthias
I'm with Honora; love my Dirty Girls! :D
Although, I swap out the velcro they provide for the harder plastic-style velcro by 3M. Lasts a lot longer, especially on muddy trails.
Kreig, would you be able to point me to a source for that velcro? Not sure what product you mean there.
I think the Dirty Girls are great gaiters - just totally the wrong material to protect against thorns, which is what I'm after...
Ciao,
Matthias
Interesting discussion. Just to go slightly off topic. How do all you trail runner wearers find they hold up for off track travel especially if not fully protected?
I only ask because I wear full leather boots for almost all trips. Bought some synthetic/lightweight boots once and they held up ok on a few NI day trips on track but one off track Nelson Lakes trip effectively ended them.
You learn to step a bit more mindfully, seems to be the bottom line of me. A pair of trail runners lasts me a season at the very least, often two or three. Does this answer your question?
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| Started by | Mariku |
| On | 10 January 2017 |
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