Backpacker Magazine – 2010 Editors' Choice/Gear Guide

Gear Review: Mountain Hardware Seta Strapless Running Gaiters

Minimalist gaiters to keep out dirt and debris

by: BACKPACKER Editors and Contributors

Tags:
• Gear
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• Trail runners
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• Apparel
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• Gaiters
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Don’t sweat in heavy, knee-high mountaineering gaiters during the summer. Mountain Hardwear Seta Strapless Running Gaiters are trim and nearly weightless. The gaiters attach to your shoe via adhesive tabs (included), eliminating the need for straps. Our Utah tester actually found the tabs superfluous, because the fit is so close and secure. “And they don’t slip up into the heel cup of low-cut hikers, which is a problem with most strapless ankle gaiters,” he said.

The tough but lightweight Chockstone fabric (91 percent nylon, 9 percent elastane) thwarted brambles and stretched to accommodate lower calves (rather than strangle them). The 12-inch height kept debris out of testers’ trail runners and light hikers, and a hidden front zipper let them access laces without removing the gaiter. $35; 2 oz.; mountainhardwear.com





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