UKC

Can anyone out there advise me on an easy way to fit my Berghaus Yeti Wilderness gaiters to my Scarpa Walking Boots. The gaiters are the correct size for the boots, the boots have the correct Attak Vibram sole but the rubber rand is a very tight fit. I use a metal tyre lever to put them on but there must be an easier way, especially up the mountain!
Many thanks,

Brian A

In reply to Brian A: Gaters of this type are best super glued on and left in place. If this is not what you want I think you may have got the wrong type.

Roger

In reply to Brian A:

Agree with Roger. Leave the gaiters on a warm radiator for a few mins (makes em a bit more supple) and superglue them in place! BYW's rock!

In reply to Padraig:

Use the glue that skiers fix their bindings with. This is sticky enough to hold the gaiter in place but allows removal. If you superglue or araldite, the gaiter's never coming off. And when the rand wears out, you'll regret that.

In reply to Dave Hunter:
You could be right Dave! I've tried Epoxy (which I think is roughly the same as skiers use?) but over time it's always seemed to "decay/split" and front of gaiter tended to ride up! Also, when rand wears out its time to get new pair anyway. Also, good excuse to get new boots too!
P

In reply to Brian A: Push the toe of your boot through the front of the yeti gaiter so that the boot is about half way through. Then fit the heel of the gaiter correctly over the heel of your boot. Now (the difficult bit) turn the toe of the gaiter inside out (it should be over the laces of your boot) and fit all four fingers of one hand inside the folded rubber. With the heel of the boot on the floor, push down on the toe of the boot with one hand, and bring your hand with the four fingers still inside the inverted rubber of the yeti toes towards you, and flip it over the toe of the boot !! Hey presto !

In reply to Trev:

I wonder if crampons can be used with these gaiters...

In reply to BONG:

Yes

In reply to RichardB: you just have to make sure you fit the gaiter with a little gap below it for the heel/toe clips to clip on properly.
but back to the original poster: why would you want tofit your gaiters up a mountain anyway? surely that is too late?

In reply to Brian A:

Dear Brain

I had these types of gaiters for 20 odd years and if fitted properly they don't need glue.

Build up your finger strength to pull them on.

Put them on before you leave to go onto the hills, especially in winter.

Norrie

In reply to ceri:

I might get some then, they're cheap in Blacks in my area. Will they fit my scarpa freneys, and then with Grivel G9/12/14 crampons??

cheers.

Have you removed the rubber shipping protectors yet? These are the big black rubber bits attached to the bottom of the gaiter. You can cut these off with a pair of sharp scissors and then your gaiters will be ready to use and you should now be able to put them on easily. I know a few people who have mistakenly left them in place thinking they were a clever invention that stretches over the rand of your boots!

In reply to ceri:

Only if you intend to use step in bindings.

In reply to Norrie Muir:

stupid me I just ran out and got myself some of these evil gaiters after reading this thread and learning that they can be used with crampons. They were 30quid so I thought worst come to the worst I can only use them with my normal walking boots without crampons.

But now I can't even get them on in the first place!!! I can't do the last step which is to pull the rand over the toe...I guess there's nothing I can do except to keep trying and improve my finger strength...(obviously these gaiters are designed for climbers for the finger strength required!)

In reply to BONG: just a quick check, you didnt get "small" like someone i know did? (good for me cos he cos them to me!)

In reply to ceri:

I got medium, for my size42 freneys and now the right boot is half way through one gaiter.....

I think I'll have to get some lunch first to get some energy in me before I try to fit the toe again......then I still have the left one......oh man......

Oh, and by the way, it might sound like a stupid question, but are the gaiters symetrical? Does it matter which is left and which is right? cause it doesn't say on the gaiters themselves....

In reply to BONG:

Dear BONG

I don'y know for sure they are symetical, but, one is left and the other is right, you can tell by the way the zip is covered. Keep building up your fingure strength, I do it by using my remote control for the TV.

Norrie

In reply to Norrie Muir:

So should the zip be facing the outside or the inside? It doesn't really matter does it? The last thing I want to know is that after I've got it the wrong way round after fighting with it for days with my life....

In reply to BONG:

The zip flap should be on the outside of your leg, so it is flattened down when you walk forwards, if you see what I mean.

If your boots are very soft in the flex, sometimes teh toe cap can pop off the toes - this sometimes happens with mine. With practice, it's not hard to flip it back over the toes without having to take the boot off.

Be careful to only pull the rubber when you are getting them on the boots - otherwise, you may rip the stitching on the fabric parts.

In reply to Petzl:

OH MY GOD you've god to be kidding me.

I jjust spent my whole afternoon fighting with those evil things and FINALLY i've got them on (not very well). And my flaps are on the inside! So the 'opening' after everything is done up is facing the outside, with the little nylon loop on the inside....

I don't understand how having the other way round would flatten anything down as you walk though...

does it matter that much? I can't even want to imagine how I'm going to get these things off.....

In reply to BONG:

What are those nylon loops for anyway?

despite all that trouble, they do look quite sexy...I want to go and have a walk round out on the streets and see what looks I get from people...