How to choose gaiters for tourism and mountaineering. Homemade tourist lanterns (gaiters, shoe covers) DIY snow leg lanterns

How to sew gaiters for a summer hike?
Gaiters on a hike are used to prevent sand and small stones, moisture and snow from getting into your boots.
Gaiters can be purchased at a tourist store, or you can sew them yourself, as we did, which turned out to be much cheaper.
There are many types of gaiters, but here we will focus on those that we have sewn and repeatedly tested in field conditions. In this gaiter model, the fastening strap is put on the toe of the boot, and the zipper is fastened on the back of the boot.

To sew a pair of gaiters yourself you need:
Thick fabric (cordura or Oxford) - about 0.5 - 0.6 linear meter.
Thick elastic band, 25 mm wide – total length about 1.5 m.
Sling 20-25 mm wide - the length is determined by further measurements (usually about 40 cm)
The hook is wide, but not large, with holes for sewing - 2 pcs.
Plastic zipper – 2 pcs. most often 45-50 cm long (depending on the height of the gaiters)
An elastic band of round diameter - a total length of about 1 m.
Clip with two holes for an elastic band – 2 pcs.
It is better to sew on a sewing machine, because... doing it manually will take much longer. But because the fabric is dense, you need a strong needle and strong threads (LL).

We take basic measurements:
1) The height of the gaiters is from the sole of the boot to the knee, plus allowances for bending at the top and bottom of 3 cm.

2) The width of the lower part of the gaiters is the circumference of the gaiters of the boot, at the level of the beginning of the lacing, plus 2-3 cm on the bend on each side.

3) The width of the upper part of the gaiter is the girth under the knee with a small margin, plus allowances for bending of 2-3 cm on each side.

So, we get an isosceles trapezoid, which we cut out, having previously marked it on the fabric using a ruler and a piece of dry soap.
Additional sizes:
1) At an equal distance from the future zipper (about 11 cm), a sling is sewn on the bottom of the gaiter, which is put on the boot through the toe. How to determine the length of the sling will be discussed below.
2) To fix the gaiters at the height of the upper part of the boot, a second wide elastic band is sewn onto the gaiters (at a height of about 15 cm from the sole).

We bend and stitch the top edge, then make a hole in the middle of the bend.

We pass a thin elastic band through this bend, take it out into the hole, insert it into the clamp, then back into the hole and take it out from the other edge of the bend. After this, we sew the elastic along the edges to the fabric.

We make a bend at the bottom of the gaiter, the width of a wide elastic band, which will then be sewn over the bend.

Next, we make folds along the side edges, onto which the zipper will then be sewn. We immediately sew both wide elastic bands into the folds along the side edges. And then, stretching the elastic bands, we sew them across the entire width of the fabric. The length of the wide elastic bands is taken to be significantly less than the width of the fabric at the sewing site, so that the elastic bands, sewn under tension, gather the fabric and fit snugly to the leg and boot.

Sew the zipper to the side folds.

After this, on both sides of the lower part of the gaiter, at an equal distance from the zipper, we sew the ends of the strap, which will be put on through the toe of the boot. For a size 39 boot, we took 11 cm for the main length of the sling, plus 3 cm for sewing (total 17 cm of sling for one gaiter). For a larger boot, accordingly, the sling is taken longer.

In the middle of the lower edge of the gaiter, a hook is sewn onto a square piece of sling, which, when putting the gaiter on the leg, hooks onto the laces, thereby securing the gaiter from sliding up when walking.
That's all, now the gaiters are ready for use and will serve you for more than one trip!
We have repeatedly tested such gaiters in camping conditions and have shown themselves to be very good.
Notes and some observations while using these gaiters:
These gaiters are sewn to fit a specific foot size, and if you sew them for size 37, then they will no longer fit on size 41. But, on the other hand, this type of gaiter does not have various size-regulating elements, which are often inconvenient.
The weak point of this type of gaiter is the zipper. The threads at the bottom of the zipper quickly fray, so you need to stitch it several times for strength.
Also, the zipper, which is not fixed at the top, unfastens a little while walking and periodically you have to adjust it. To eliminate this drawback, you can sew a tongue with a rivet or Velcro to the top of the gaiter, which will prevent the zipper from unfastening.

Protecting your feet from dampness during a winter hike is as relevant today as it was at the time when ski tourism became widespread, that is, in the 50s.

But if earlier the issue of protecting shoes from snow and feet from getting wet was solved in a handicraft way, that is, by sewing tourist shoe covers, now there is no need for self-propelled boots. At the same time, in many of today’s industrial designs of hiking shoe covers, hiking gaiters, gaiters and flashlights, their Soviet prototypes are recognizable. Although they were rougher and simpler, because there were no such materials as now, and the design idea does not stand still.

In order to avoid confusion, I suggest first agreeing on terms.

Tourist shoe covers- These are fabric bags-covers that either have a sole or are spliced ​​with overshoes.

(aka leggings, aka flashlights) - waterproof tops (stockings) worn over shoes. And if you believe the dictionaries, then all 4 words are synonyms.

Useful articles:

Tourist shoe covers, steps of evolution

The most primitive tourist shoe covers looked like ordinary bags. Their advantage was that they could be used with any ski binding, even with shackle bindings (now called 75mm). Soft fabric made it possible to reliably pinch the welt of a ski boot; it was in these, made of tarpaulin, that many people used to go on ski trips.

Simple shoe covers for hiking were made of tarpaulin, but they froze so much that they stood up like a stake and were only brought to life by a sharp blow against a tree.

Those who were lucky stitched from technical nylon, which we called Berling, and technical nylon from used filters. After all, it was impossible not only to buy tourist shoe covers, but also suitable fabrics for their manufacture. It was only possible to get it through an acquaintance.

But such rag shoe covers and gaiters were quickly wiped down by the universal spring semi-rigid fastenings, which were preferred by advanced tourist skiers. This happened especially often in places where they came into contact with the cheeks.

And here the craftsmen had freedom for imagination. They began to strengthen the “risk zone” - some with a strip of cloth, some with a strip of leather, some, if they could get it, with a sling (there was a suitcase and a parachute).

Later they came up with shoe covers and galoshes. Rubber galoshes were sewn onto the rag bags described above, and to make them more comfortable to put on, they were cut at the instep, making a soap dish, as it were.

For particularly frosty hikes, additional felt stockings were sewn. They were put on the boot, and on top - tourist shoe covers. After all, most of the participants still had the same shoes. I went on winter hikes in city leather ankle boots, “reinforced” with felt stockings, plus shoe covers and galoshes. This set included two wool socks. My feet didn’t freeze even at minus 42!!! Tested for yourself!

Shoe covers for hiking from “farewell to youth” boots deserve special attention - these are felt boots with a metal zipper. They are still on sale today.

The felt boot was purchased 2 sizes larger than the size of the main shoe. Fabric was sewn close to its rubber sole. The result was such super-insulated tourist shoe covers.

I would also like to mention OZK shoe covers, although they were and are popular mainly among fishermen and hunters, and not among ski tourists. These are also shoe covers with galoshes, but their shafts are made of rubberized fabric that does not allow air to pass through. It’s not easy to walk for a long time in such rubber stockings - your feet get wet and damp, and the galoshes are “flimsy.” However, they have their use in hiking - they are useful when you have to walk through wet snow during the spring thaw, and when you have to ford rivers in the summer.

Surely, someone will remember some other models of Soviet tourist gaiters, leggings and all sorts of other shoe covers. I will be glad to add this retro chapter from which we will move on to the modern state of affairs.

Modern models of shoe covers, gaiters, flashlights, gaiters for winter hikes

Today in stores for tourists, fishermen and hunters you can see a large number of various gaiters, leggings, flashlights, waterproof shoe covers worn over shoes. How to understand them and what to choose?

In any case, you need to choose shoe covers, gaiters with a height either just below the knees or just above the knees. This is up to everyone's personal taste. In my youth, I preferred hiking shoe covers that were above my knees. You could safely kneel on the snow. Now I prefer it below the knees - I don’t like how the drawstring squeezes my leg above the knee, and modern membrane pants allow me to not be afraid of snow.

You should not buy flashlights or shoe covers that only cover your shins, especially if you have to walk through high snow.

On sale are both tourist gaiters that tightly fit the top of the boot, covering the hooks and laces, and those that only slightly cover the top of the boot, preventing snow from penetrating into it from above. For a tourist skier, the first option is more appropriate.

Recommendation #2. Shoe covers with galoshes or tourist gaiters?

If you are going on a cross-country or forest ski trip, then the choice of tourist shoe covers or tourist gaiters will largely depend on what kind of shoes you are going to wear.

Are you the owner of high-rise plastic shoes or? Then tourist foot lamps are quite suitable. I wear these myself.

Depending on the height of the stocking, brand and material, the cost of such tourist gaiters varies from 350 to 2100 rubles.

Tourist shoe covers where and what to buy

Do you wear simpler shoes: hiking or ski boots, ankle boots, or something else? Shoe covers and galoshes will do. They are produced by domestic manufacturers “Snariyazhenie” and “Terra” in several modifications: with full galoshes and zipper, with cut-off galoshes without zipper (big foot). The material of galoshes also varies - PVC or rubber. The cost of such shoe covers for a hike is 1200-1500 rubles.

Among their advantages is that they protect boots from abrasions that can form due to friction against fastenings, and they form an additional “thermal layer” that warms the feet from a layer of air and material.

Our team has experience using shoe covers with galoshes for two seasons. Here's what their user Irina Stolyarova says about them: “Overshoe covers have proven themselves well. The boot “fits” into the shoe cover at the beginning of the hike and leaves it at the end. The shoe cover can be conveniently removed along with it, the main thing is to immediately choose the right set of “boots - shoe covers - fastenings” so that everything fits tightly together and does not dangle.”

In any case, it’s great that now it is possible to buy tourist gaiters, including those of this level, and there is no longer a vital need to design and sew something yourself.

Dmitry Ryumkin, especially for Zabroska.rf

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