I'd like to get some ankle gaiters for my Colorado Trail thru hike.. but my Vasque Breeze shoes are already about 2 lbs and dont want to add any more weight.

Can someone suggest the absolute lightest gaiters?

If no one does, I'm thinking of fashioning gaiters out of turkey oven bags.. by cutting it open and attaching some spots of velcro to it.

http://www.integraldesigns.com/product_detail.cfm?id=765&CFID=29170&CFTOKEN=115

Try out the Integral Design eVent Shorty Gaiters.

Simblissity LevaGaiter @ 1.8oz / pair

I just received mine last week for my JMT & TRT hikes but haven't had a chance to try them out yet.

What purpose to you want the gaiters to accomplish? Keep crud out of your shoes, or water?

For crud, try Dirty Girl Gaiters. For water, the ID eVents work.

I have both, and they work. However, now a days, I rarely use either. Mesh shoes drain water quickly, and your feet are going to get dirty with or without gaiters when wearing mesh shoes. I can stop on the rare occassion and remove a small stone. I generally find gaiters an extra item to deal with, and I hate extra items.

I would imagine that something like oven bags with tear easily, and would be difficult to keep in place. The thing with gaiters is that you need to keep the bottoms in place, and most attachments like straps, clips, velcro, etc. fail or become loose. And you need to keep the tops in place, and elastice, draw cords, etc, usually loosen up during a hike. The Dirty Girl Gaiters do a pretty good job staying in place. If you don't like the pyscadellic colors, they sell solid colors. Mine are dark brown, and don't show the dirt much.

MLD eVENT shorty gaiters--1.5 oz. Mine fit well enough that most times I don't need to use the cords under the shoe. A bit pricey for full-time wear, but I certainly don't want to take 2 pair of gaiters on a trip.

My main use for gaiters (other than to keep rain from running into the tops of my shoes or to keep ticks from climbing up inside my pants legs) is that I've found that my sock tops are definitely not mosquito proof! I don't want anything that requires me to use velcro (aka "hook and loop")--I hate the stuff! With my perpetually shedding dog around, his hair ends up completely blocking the sticky side of velcro within a week.

Mont Bell Stretch gaiters are 1.5oz. Keeps my shoes rock free and my pant cuffs clean, bugs out, etc.

http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=91&p_id=2329169

Just a note about the MLD eVENT gaiters. There is no instep patch like the ID version. I tore a hole in each on roots. eVENT does not like abrasion.

I second the Integral Designs eVent gaiters.

That what i have been using for the past 2 years.

i only use the nylon cord under the foot when there is snow, otherwise they stay in place without.

i totaly destroyed my pair bushwalking with them, but i will replace them .

I first used Montbell but 16 days on the JMT (the last 165 miles) wore them out completely. I then went with Dirty Girl Gaiters and they wore out (over 18 days). I've been using the ID eVent Shortie gaiters lately and they seem to be more durable and dual purpose (dirt as well as water/snow protection). I'll see how they hold up for 23 days on the JMT in a month. Another pair that look interesting are these:

http://www.rei.com/product/794421
Mountain Hardwear Seta Strapless Running Gaiters

For protection from trail dirt the inov-8 DebrisGaiter 32 works well. These are light, tough and the under foot band is easily replaceable if broken.