Sea to Summit Alpine eVent Gaiter
Reviewed by
Jakuchu
+1,066
June 28, 2014
Solid and easy to use knee height eVent gaiters.
Pros
- Easy to put on/off
- Keep legs warm and dry in knee-high snow
- Seem to breathe well enough to not sweat out
- Solid construction
- Good price
Fit:
I wear these in combination with a size 46/11.5 pair of The North Face Verto S6K Glacier GTX mountaineering boots. The XL fits fine. The main calf area is eVent, with a stronger material on the bottom parts, and an extra 500D fabric reinforced area on the most critical area on the inside around your foot.
They're really easy to put on/off thanks to the huge velcro on the front. This is great of course, because I wouldn't want to go through the extra faff of taking my boots off in the cold snow. You can adjust the fit by the quite solid strap that runs under the boot. On the top (below your knee) there is an elastic cinch cord that allows you to close the top to prevent snow from entering there.
Construction/Functionality:
The inside of the Alpine Gaiters are reinforced with a thicker 500D material. I haven't used these long enough to say they will be up to the task, but they certainly look and feel like they do. For sure it will stand up to the abuse of your boots. I still take care where I walk so that I don't snag my gaiters with my crampons of course. I think the gaiters look really solid and construction is not something I worry about with these.
The main material of the Alpine Gaiters is eVent. From the use that I got out of these they seem to breathe well, but I can only give my own experience of one season of use. I guess the best thing I can say is breaking trail and postholing in calf, to knee, to mid-thigh high snow, I never noticed them. I was never cold, and also never sweaty on my lower legs working hard in the -10˚C weather.
I know that is what these are designed to do but I think this is quite a feat actually. I know some of my other gear had to be changed out because it wetted out in the combination of snow and high aerobic activity.
I would personally not wear these if there was only rain and no snow, or only ankle high snow, because I think it would make me run too hot. It is certainly possible though that the eVent breathes so well that even in those conditions they would work fine for normal use.
I forgot how much I paid for them but I remember thinking they were very reasonable, cheaper than a lot of other GTX or eVent alternatives and after my use with these, I would certainly look for the Alpine Gaiters again.
Highly recommended.
Source: bought it new
