Sea to Summit Quagmire Event Waterproof Gaiters

Sea to Summit Quagmire Event Waterproof Gaiters Review

Its very rare for me to wear gaiters when I hike because I prefer to wear either long pants or convertible pants that give me protection from the sun as well as from the various flora and fauna. There are however times when I will absolutely wear gaiters including when:

• I’m travelling off trail in spinifex country or a similar  scratchy environment
• I have a real concern about snakes
• I’m in an area where sand, small stones and plant matter getting into my footwear is an issue
• I’m in an area where mud is an issue

Now given my reasons for wearing gaiters I don’t tend to do things by halves so I want a model of gaiters that is going to provide maximum protection and my current choice is the Sea to Summit Quagmire Event Waterproof Gaiters.  These gaiters have been around for a number of years and while there has been tinkering around the edges they have essentially remained the same. I bought my current gaiters about 9 years ago and while there has been a minor change to their construction they remain the same. The last time I wore these gaiters on a trail was doing the Tasmanian based South Coast Track and while this was in part fro snake protection is was mainly because of the mud. When I say mud it’s so minimise the bottom of my pants getting saturated with mud and also to prevent mud getting into my shoes themselves. Once consideration that you may not have thought of was on one occasion on the south coast track the only time I didn’t check the mud with my tracking poles I ended sinking crotch deep in on step. While the gaiters minimised the impact of the mud on my clothing its main benefit was in keeping my shoes on. Without gaiters the suction would have pulled my footwear off and I then would have spent the next 30-60 minutes digging a metre deep hole to retrieve them. Oh did I mention that they minimised the impact of leaches as well!

In the case of the Larapinta Trail in 2016 my main concern was about spinafex spiking me. I soon discovered that unless I went off trail my gaiters weren’t needed so they were back in my pack pretty quickly. I also took these gaiters on the South Coast Track and these were essential on the muddier sections of the trail.

As many of you are aware, I have size 15US feet and this means there are limited choices of footwear but this also translates to things like gaiters. When I am wearing my industrial strength Scarpa SL Activ Boots they push the friendship on the gaiter fit. I wear a XL size gaiter which is the biggest available and they are slightly on the small side. I would prefer it if Sea to Summit made a XXL option but alas I have to make do.

Sea to Summit makes a range of gaiters and this model is considered to be their top of the line.  The Event material used to manufacturer these gaiters allows sweat and moisture to vent from the inside of the gaiter but prevents waters penetrating from the outside. I have found this to be very effective in all circumstances but obviously with the exception of immersion in water.  The opening mechanism on these gaiters is velcro and this 50 mm wide opening at the front provides an additional degree of shin protection as well as making it pretty easy to put them on and take them off. There are scuff guards on the inside of the ankles that also prevent wear on the gaiters from the opposite boot. These gaiters are unisex.

The underfoot step is robust and also replaceable and as an infrequent gaiter user, I’m still on the original straps even after four years. The gaiters themselves are fairly lightweight and even my XL version only weigh 379 grams which means you aren’t going to notice the additional weight.  I can’t speak to how comfortable these are to wear with shorts but even after a long period of wearing them  with long pants I still find them very comfortable.

So if you are after a pair of gaiters for some serious leg protection then you can’t go past the Sea to Summit Quagmire Event Waterproof Gaiters.

Recommended Boot Size (guide only)

These gaiters are unisex and the European sizing makes more sense for all hikers as mens and women’s footwear is different. The US sizes are mens sizings:

Small

• 37-40 European
• 5 -7.5 US (mens)

Medium

• 40-42  European
• 7 -9 US (mens)

Large

• 41-45 European
• 9-11 US(mens)

XLarge

• 44-47 European
• 10.5 to 13 US (mens)

Best Uses

• For those times went you want serious protection from nature eg sharp vegetation, mud, or snakes

Other Versions

Sea to Summit produces a range of gaiters at various price points. Select your gaiters based on the type of protection you are after