Anyone use army surplus gaiters

murph3010

Well-Known Member
Anyone use army surplus gaiters? Ive had gaiters before and doesnt seem to matter how good you get they can and do get damaged so thought about going down the route of army canvas ones. Breathable and must be tough enough!
 
Hello Murph. What like these?

View attachment 99699

The Army don't use gaiters any longer, they went back, after gaiters as you probably know to puttees. Puttees is "one size fits all" whereas there are three or four sizes of gaiters. So I suppose that supply was simpler. So you may need to shop around. They do also wear, or rather fray, on the bottom edge. I don't know what is worn now with the modern high leg type boots. Just elastics I suppose? I don't know.

Yes they are tough and the best way to treat them is to polish the outside surfaces..even the canvas...with black Kiwi, Cherry Blossom or similar black shoe polish. Or if you wear brown boots the same colour of polish as used for the boots. Polish NOT dubbin. But...

Unless you've the knack of how to use them they are a PITA. The knack is to have the lowermost strap loose so that it can sort of ride up and down the boot and use your elastics to make a fold over in the cuff of your trousers so that they go foldover over the top of the uppermost strap and buckle. It stops the gaiter turning.

If you wear the things with both straps and buckles over the top of your trousers muck and mess can ingress via the top also they make you look daft worn over trousers that way! I guess there's no choice otherwise if you wear them over knee stockings with plus fours and etc.

FWIW you may find that puttees are easier to find at surplus shops and a lot less "faff". Hope it helps? Oh make sure you've got your button stick handy to keep the buckles and end pieces shiny bright if they are the old brass sort.
 
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yup I do but not the 1940's ones :rofl: no blanco needed :doh: ? just get the right size and they are handed so make sure they are a pair look at the under boot rubber/wire adjuster and the zips are good . last pair I got were a £15 on line bit stiff but lasted a few years beating in thick brambles


fleebay:
NEW Original British Army DPM Gortex GAITERS | eBay
 
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Yeah maybe not then. Any recomdations on a cheapsih ive seen these then at least i wont be upset when they go in the bin!

Walking Gaiters

Monarch who advertise on this site do their Munro gaiters, the aren't cheapish but they are good quality. The only really, really annoying thing about them is the zip which is a little small in the teeth and so very hard to pull up especially when bending it around boots etc. plus with a bit of dirt plus I'm an old bloke and can't bend over like I used to. However, I have a suspicion that they've upgraded the zips since the very early models I got and it isn't like the zips break, they are just a pain to get on and I will highlight that this problem isn't confined to the Monarch gaiters, it is just they seem somewhat worse than others.

Monarch Gaiters

I've tried the cheap walking ones, and in fact I've even tried the rather overpriced walking ones, and they were complete junk. Finding this out cost more than a pair of the Monarch gaiters would. They are probably great for showing your mates you've got all the gear as you struggle along the path in Richmond Park but that's their limit. There are other advantages with supporting people who support your sport as well, maybe not your primary buying factor but one worth keeping in mind.
 
Monarch who advertise on this site do their Munro gaiters, the aren't cheapish but they are good quality. The only really, really annoying thing about them is the zip which is a little small in the teeth and so very hard to pull up especially when bending it around boots etc. plus with a bit of dirt plus I'm an old bloke and can't bend over like I used to. However, I have a suspicion that they've upgraded the zips since the very early models I got and it isn't like the zips break, they are just a pain to get on and I will highlight that this problem isn't confined to the Monarch gaiters, it is just they seem somewhat worse than others.

Monarch Gaiters

I've tried the cheap walking ones, and in fact I've even tried the rather overpriced walking ones, and they were complete junk. Finding this out cost more than a pair of the Monarch gaiters would. They are probably great for showing your mates you've got all the gear as you struggle along the path in Richmond Park but that's their limit. There are other advantages with supporting people who support your sport as well, maybe not your primary buying factor but one worth keeping in mind.

I like the look of them but honestly im after super cheap my FAC grant has just come through so spent allot recently
 
Anyone use army surplus gaiters? Ive had gaiters before and doesnt seem to matter how good you get they can and do get damaged so thought about going down the route of army canvas ones. Breathable and must be tough enough!


I have just bought berghaus yeti gaiters off eBay for £8 (they were on a bid) and are army surplus very well made and go over your boots. I think their royal marine issue? They vary in price considerably but you can pick them up. Good luck
 
I use surplus snow gaiters like these:
https://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/arctic-snow-gaiter-genuine-british-1049052.html
The zips are seriously chunky so they open and close even when full of crud. I cut the rubber straps off the bottom as the gaiters material is stiff enough to keep them in place without straps. They look and feel like heavy cordura with gore-tex, not sure if they are. Had them years -they're bombproof.

looks like these then thanks for that grrr out of stock!
 
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berhaus yeti gaitors are the ones i swear by ! experience with military issue gaitors is that they weren't worth the hassle, combats dried quick enough and keeping on top of foot admin dealt with soggy boots
 
I've been using army surplus for a while for beating (dont want to trash expensive lighter weight ones in the brambles) and they are great value IMO. £8 used from the ex-army bloke on Newbury market. Current pair is on 5th beating season and the only wear is a slight fraying on the underfoot wire braid. Interesting to read CPShines comment about cutting the strap off, might give that a go
 
Army surplus gaiters are very good. Just check the cables and zips are serviceable and in good condition. They can be slightly baggy if you have slim/skinny legs and you may get chafe at the top of your calf. Other than that they are good, do the job and are less faff than the Yetis, which routinely pop off the toes of the boot.
 
I use a pair of gaiters I bought for about £6 from Sportsmanguncentre. They're canvas, with pop fasteners top and bottom, and full-length Velcro, as well as under-sole straps. They've seen 6 seasons so far, and I expect they'll do another couple at least.

£6!!! ;)
 
I use various pieces of army surplus stuff and, for me, they are excellent value for money. Built to work and last. I'm sure you wont be disappointed.
Interestingly I did try Yeti's many years ago for hill walking but didn't get on with them and replaced them with a pair of Extremities. Both were more expensive than the surplus kit though and no better but significantly more expensive. This was before Ebay though.......£8, wow.
 
Hello Murph. What like these?

View attachment 99699

The Army don't use gaiters any longer, they went back, after gaiters as you probably know to puttees. Puttees is "one size fits all" whereas there are three or four sizes of gaiters. So I suppose that supply was simpler. So you may need to shop around. They do also wear, or rather fray, on the bottom edge. I don't know what is worn now with the modern high leg type boots. Just elastics I suppose? I don't know.

Yes they are tough and the best way to treat them is to polish the outside surfaces..even the canvas...with black Kiwi, Cherry Blossom or similar black shoe polish. Or if you wear brown boots the same colour of polish as used for the boots. Polish NOT dubbin. But...

Unless you've the knack of how to use them they are a PITA. The knack is to have the lowermost strap loose so that it can sort of ride up and down the boot and use your elastics to make a fold over in the cuff of your trousers so that they go foldover over the top of the uppermost strap and buckle. It stops the gaiter turning.

If you wear the things with both straps and buckles over the top of your trousers muck and mess can ingress via the top also they make you look daft worn over trousers that way! I guess there's no choice otherwise if you wear them over knee stockings with plus fours and etc.

FWIW you may find that puttees are easier to find at surplus shops and a lot less "faff". Hope it helps? Oh make sure you've got your button stick handy to keep the buckles and end pieces shiny bright if they are the old brass sort.

I wonder what Army you are referring to?
Dad’ Army?

They certainly do use gaiters I have two different styles of issue gaiters. The first some very heavy duty DPM ones are good for beating etc. Where you are not too bothered about being very quiet.
The second set is a pair of Yeti gaiters. They can be hard to fit. But I have been up to the knee on the moor and stayed dry.
 
These are the ones that I meant.
I think you might find it a long time since they were issued. Quite possibly more than fifty years ago. These are what the OP was probably referring to.
 

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bought used army gaiters for about £10...they are great, esp the tall ones...BUT, they are virtually a nightmare to get on, destroying souls as one progresses...the rubber strap under the boot lasted only weeks, and they are loud when walking through shrubbery or heather...

so...now I use Swazi AliGaitors,,and 'that' my friend, is the way to go...solves ALL of the above problems for only 9x what the army ones cost ;)
 
I use them, have had them for 5 years and I can't fault them. They stay up, they are solid and they keep me dry. When these ones go I'll almost certainly get another set.
 
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