Reader Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5

A model of simplicity, these gaiters slide up the ankle before the boot goes on. Lace the shoe, flip the stretch lycra fabric over the shoe, hook at the front lace and attach velcro at the heel. Nothing gets in, moisture and heat passes through fabric. 1.2oz/pr $15 Can't be beat. Throw on GTX socks and strap-on crampons and you're set for summertime snow fields and couloirs.

Note: Toss the provided adhesive backed velcro. Instead, epoxy velcro patches to shoe heels for longevity. Once I got rid of those silly under foot instep cords other manufacturers are fond of, gaiter life became much simpler.

Fabric patterns and names can only be described as outrageous. Nothing perks me up starting hour 5 of a hill run than looking down at "Lime Gatorade Hurl" chugging along beneath me or my royal blue with silver sparkles, "Hyponatremia" clad dogs.

Chrissy runs a nice little cottage industry shop and provides terrific customer service (and a personal note with each pair!) <dirtygirlgaiters.com>

Edited by Al_T.Tude on 08/13/2006 23:25:19 MDT.

Rating: 5 / 5

These are simple and light, and they do just what they need to do. Keep dirt and little seeds out of yer shoes. Simple and very cheap! Only $15

THey are designed for trail runners, but the cross-over to ultra-light camping is a no-brainer.

I have only used 'em a little, so I can't review 'em with too much experience - but, what little I have used 'em, here's my short-review:
they are just about perfect.

The shiny spandex fabric is pretty thin, and it may get trashed after excessive use. But it's the lightness that I like.

I used the sticky velcro on my heal of my shoe, and it's workin' really great. I trimmed the edges round so there aren't corners to catch.

Also - I agree with the review above, it's nice to NOT have that cord under the arch of my foot. That's for big boots with a boot-like HEEL, not for running shoes.

link:
http://www.dirtygirlgaiters.com/

Rating: 5 / 5

These are great "dry" gaiters. As a trail runner I shopped and shopped for a good, breathable, and lightweight pair...not much out there. Most mainstream gear makers seem to seriously overbuild even their low-cuts...99.9% of the time I don't need heavy duty Gore-Tex stuff with buckles, straps, and velcro all over the place (if so, you should probably have real boots/high gaiters on anyway). For a simple deal to keep debris out of your shoes (not water), these are the ticket. They're light/comfortable enough you don't know you're wearing them and the completely obnoxious colors and patterns WILL make you faster!
While they would be a simple pattern to copy, you can't beat the price and PROCEEDS ARE DONATED TO THE ULTRA COMMUNTIY FOR EVENTS, TRAIL UPKEEP, ETC...
$15 flat including tax/shipping, shipped quick, great customer service and made by a real member of the ultrarunning community. I've logged about 100 miles of trailrunning in them so far and they're definently coming on my next thru-hike.
Go Dirty Girl!!!

Rating: 4 / 5

Dirty Girl Gaiters are cheap, light, breathable, simple and dang cool looking. What else could you ask for in the way of general usage ultralight backpacking gaiters? Only one thing...
I wish they would dry faster.
I would have only deducted .5 for this, because it is minor. I still love 'em!

Rating: 5 / 5

Just got back from WT1: DSW in Escalante and it was a brutal test for these gaiters. First off I'd like to say that I had to get mine altered to fit my tiny ankles AT NO EXTRA COST! Very awesome.

I never had a problem with the gaiters riding up while plodding through deep mud or crossing creeks/rivers. No snags while hiking through thorny brush either. Wish I could say the same for my shins. The velcro adhesive that came with seems to be strong enough, but I'll probably epoxy them for the PCT.

Rating: 4 / 5

These would be a 5 if the supplied adhesive strip resisting peeling after very wet days. Superglue was the answer and has held the velcro down wonderfully.

Very breathable (and I'm a sweater!), fairly durable, awesome graphic selection (I vote for the white skulls on red background), easy to use.

For the price and weight, hard to beat.

Rating: 5 / 5

Like other people here I superglued the velcro to my shoes and I have had no problems!

They perform perfectly, keep debris out of my shoes and no worrying about the strap underneath coming off because there isn't one :D

At $15 you can't beat the price and the patterns rock!

Rating: 5 / 5

Agree with all comments above....light, cheap, functional, aesthetically pleasing....what more do you need?

Rand :-)

Rating: 5 / 5

I just bought a new pair for my PCT thru-hike. I wanted a gaiter name that would be PCT friendly, so I went with "Not Potable."

I had a couple pair of good but heavy low gaiters from a great outdoor company that really does their research. But, after Dirty Girl, it's hard to go back.

Currently standing at a still-extremely-cheap $17 (+ 8.75% tax for those of us in CA) and free shipping.

I did buy the $4 extra yard of velcro. You could buy it cheaper elsewhere, and you may even have some at home. I did it because I've got more pressing things to do right now than drive to the store looking for velcro, and she makes a little more.

Also, I concur with the supergluing of the velcro to the back of the shoe. I'm putting a couple velcro tabs on either side of the heel of my shoes, and have them ready to ship during the thru-hike.

Dirty Girl rocks.

Dug
http://thf2.wordpress.com

Rating: 5 / 5

I'd probably go 4.5 just because of the needed velcro, but I like these enough I wanted to round up.

They are breathable, they are light and they do a great job of keeping stuff out of your shoes. I use them for both hiking and trail running, so they are used a lot

I've got a few other pairs of lightweight gaiters, but they all utilize a strap/cord/etc that goes under your shoe- these simply wear out, sometimes quickly- with the dirty girl's nothing to go under your shoe, nothing to wear through

try a pair