The Vault Regulars

Monday, April 30, 2012

Threshold Trailstar gaiter

  Some readers will know that i have been looking out for a lightweight pair of gaiters for some time. That’s full length gaiters not shortie one’s.
I have made lots of email enquiries to companies asking for weights of the products due to a lack of this spec. from some OEM’s.
  I am not that big a fan of gaiters but i do have a pair of Rab eVent gaiters. I only tend to wear them in winter or if the forecast is particularly wet. 
Most times they are just in the cupboard. I think the problem they don’t get to see the light of day much is simply that they are too heavy. Mine weigh 283 grams which is in fact 10grams heavier than my walking trousers. Crazy really.

 So when i was in TK Max recently i saw these Threshold Trailstar gaiters. (No i have never heard of them either.) I thought my word they are just the ticket and i took a chance on them, well at £9.95 why not. The thing was i didn’t pay an awful lot of attention to detail. I just took a guess at the weight, checked the material to make sure all the fasteners were there and paid for them.
  So, weight wise they are 160grams the pair, including the labels and ties. I thought i was onto a winner until i tried them on.

  You may be able to see in the photo above that the top pull cord only protrudes from one end/side of the gaiter. The other end is stitched into the seam with no excess to assist tensioning the top. Now i can understand the design concept, one hand tensioning and all that but unfortunately what seems to have been forgotten is that as you tension the top the zip section widens which then increases the chance of the zip self opening.
In my pair one zip opens with the absolute minuscule of effort. The other just slightly better. In other words totally and utterly useless.

  Also as you can see from the above photo the under shoe retainer is just a std shoe lace and that would last until you got to the end of the car park. This didn’t bother me too much because i could replace it with something more substantial but with the zip and tensioning issue it would be better to just cut my losses and take them back and get a refund.
 So if you too are looking for a pair of lightweight gaiters then leave these off your list, take a really good look at the detail or leave them on the shelf.
 Back to the drawing board.

Posted by AlanR at 12:16 PM
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12 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 30, 2012 at 1:45 PM

    Negative reviews can be as useful as positive!

    I use Mountain Laurel Designs eVent gaiters which weigh 100g. The front hook is a bit fiddly, but apart from that they are very good. Good breathability, light and don't fall down (waterproof too!).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AlanRApril 30, 2012 at 2:52 PM

      Thanks Robin, never thought to look at MLD. I have Integral design shortie gaiter but i don’t like them much either.

      Delete
  2. BG!April 30, 2012 at 2:25 PM

    Laces underneath? Thought that idea went out of fashion years ago!

    I'm not a standalone-gaiter fan myself (sold my Yetis years ago, all of my walking trews have gaiters inbuilt) but the kids needed some so we raided Aldi a couple of weeks back. Adult-sized, £4.99 a pair, short or long. They're not uberlightweight but they do have proper under-straps, decent drawcords and good velcro/dual-stud closures (no zips) at the front. Not tested them yet but at that price they're pretty much disposable. Not sure if the links are still live but...

    http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_24204.htm?WT.mc_id=2012-04-16-12-15

    and

    http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/media/offers/01_12_week_16/Product_detail_Wk16T29.jpg

    Cheap and cheerful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AlanRApril 30, 2012 at 3:00 PM

      Hi BG, Thanks for all the info.
      I did see these and was almost tempted. I thought they were very good and like you say at the price, what the hell.
      If i didn’t have the Rab gaiters i would almost certainly would have got them there and then.In fact on Thursday i will pop in and take another look if they have them still, but i don’t want another heavy pair to line my cupboards.
      But i have been after a pair like the MLD that Robin suggests and at 100gr for eVent are perfect.

      Delete
  3. selfpoweredApril 30, 2012 at 3:41 PM

    a second vote for the MLD gaiter here. Get the 'snow' ones and not the shorties, which I have too but which are less useful

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AlanRApril 30, 2012 at 5:26 PM

      Cheers David, at 70grams you will never know you are wearing them.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousApril 30, 2012 at 5:53 PM

    Just to clarify, I have the long (snow) MLD gaiters

    ReplyDelete
  5. PhreerunnerMay 1, 2012 at 11:32 AM

    I struggled for ages with gaiters, Alan, until I found Outdoor Research's Crocodile gaiters. Apart from a velcro tab at the front that quickly becomes unglued, they have been excellent for walks in rough conditions. There again, I don't mind wearing them, and I don't subscribe to getting wet feet. They are relatively heavy, and sold I think by Go Outdoors.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AlanRMay 1, 2012 at 3:06 PM

    Thanks Martin, The OR Crocs look the business but at 289grams are just the same as my Rab Hispar at 283gr. Ideal for winter and Autumn. Having said that, summer is looking worse at the moment.
    I'm not looking to replace the Rab btw, just find a good really light second pair.

    ReplyDelete
  7. PhreerunnerMay 1, 2012 at 3:26 PM

    Brave man! I gave up on that, though I do have some great (and very light) ankle gaiters for use with trail shoes - from MEC in Ottawa, so that's not much help to UK readers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AlanRMay 1, 2012 at 3:59 PM

      I have some Integral Design shortie event gaiters that weigh 70 grams but i don’t like wearing them. (You have probably seen me wearing them).

      Those “Snow” gaiters that Robin and David have suggested from MLD look very interesting though. A full length gaiter weighing 70 grams.

      Delete

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