UKC

I have a trip planned and my pants have in built gaiters however they dont cover my boots well so I was planning on using a short gaiter to cover the gap between the boots and in built gaiters. So my question is would a lightweight trail running gaiter work or would I need a simond short mountaineering gaiter.

I would go for something more robust, the trail running gaiters I have are very thin and would be trashed on a winter boot. They also wouldn't fit well as they're designed for a smaller trainer.

Is the problem that the in built gaiter pops off when walking? Especially post holing through deep snow? 

My salopettes have 2 tabs with eyelets on the snow gaiters that i tie a loop of 4-5mm elasticated cord  through so that it loops under my boot and holds the gaiter in place. To increase the longevity of the elastic cord you can put it through a bit of plastic tubing.... old camelbak pipe works well.

Yeti gaiters. Not cool but bomb proof 

Yeah the inbuilt gaiters pop off when walking in deep snow but my pants don't have the eyelets on the gaiter only on the pant leg which isnt ideal, I've seen a few people with small low cut gaiters on and thought id try it. Ive bought a pair of softshell gaiters to go under my pants and over my inbuilt gaiter so I'll see how that goes. They don't need to be durable as they are protected by the pants kick patches.

How do crampons bales fit in if the gaiter rand is in the way.   -also  when on a walk in with gaiters, but not crampons is there any loss of boot grip as the rand covers part of the boots sole ? 

Micro Spikes could work for walk-ins if iced and available. I can’t see how a bale clip will hold tight.     

Depends on flex of midsole. If fully stiff boots (like plastics when I was a lad) you superglue the gaiter to the toe rand with a gap for the bale. If the boot flexes this won't work. The underfoot strap of Yeti gaiters is sticky and I tended to find more so than the native boot sole. 

Also - 30 years ago - the Scarpa Attak sole and dual strapped Yeti Attak gaiter, with the little secondary strap under the forefoot, was to my mind the pinnacle of winter hillwalking design. Old grey Mantas or SLs, with no goretex liner to fail, lasted forever and rarely had any water penetration. We seem to have gone backwards since then...

In answer to the original Q, suggest either minor mod to have a removable underfoot strap on over trousers (the hems leaking a bit on stitch lines is of no concern) or just but a decent well fitted gaiter (such as the OR Crocodile) which you can then wear under the trousers if raining, or over if you want photographs on the front cover of alpinist magazines.

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Thanks. I agree that backwards has happened in some things. 

Don't fully understand the strap you talk of   Is this a second strap  under the ball of the foot? Could see it wearing out promptly  

  Buying gear often leads to the sowing machine coming out   but  for gateers I need a knife! 

You are wrong. 

They are cool.

I used a set with original Mantas with the M4 sole, which was also designed to take the forefoot strap, although not in as obvious a groove as the Attak sole. I would have considered them the pinnacle except, on me at least, I found them far too baggy around my shins and slightly too high, so they sat just over my knee, instead of just below, meaning that tightening up the draw cord just pushed them down and made them even baggier.

Think they're still in a bag somewhere in the garage - I haven't worn them in years.

You can see it here: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Znjvo1h8iSg/maxresdefault.jpg

It relied rather on being buried in the tread for protection - some versions didn't have it at all. People using them with non-Scarpa soles used to just snip it off.

With the switch to Vibram M4 from the Skywalk Attak sole, there was also a redesign of the Yeti upper leg design, which was another backward step. You can identify the old (single colour fabric) from the new (two-tone with a seam at an angle across the leg for no apparent reason) easily enough. The volume of the leg needs to be smaller and the gaiter slightly shorter. I don't know if any of this is patented/copyright but it seems an obvious candidate for a manufacturer to try again with new techniques and fabric technologies.  

The old Skywalk Attak sole had a groove under the ball of the foot for a very narrow strap as well as the main mid foot rubber band. I found it lasted pretty well until long scree/moraine crossings at which point it was toast quickly. But these days that could even be a wire. Edit for image link: https://assets.trailspace.com/assets/d/a/a/10550698/IMG_9666.jpg

b

I've used automatic crampons and yeti on big plastic boots and yeti on modern boots with strap or hybrid and personally I've never found there to be a conflict. The rubber that sits on the rand has a small gap front and rear and goes fully under in the middle o ly, this means you can lift the front rubber on the boot rand a little to seat the crampons correctly. With Berghaus Yeti, this just works and works very well!! Also it adds a little warmth to foot and ankle, just a little 

Get a second hand pair, you'll see. 

The straps usually runs under the arch.  They do take some wear, but in my experience they are quite tough and last for years.

Mine are the original, single colour ones.

IIRC they did 2 versions - one for walking boots and one for plastic mountaineering boots, with a stiffer rubber rand.

Not sure this will help. For years I used long "standard" gaiters always over both boots and trouser bottoms (never had inbuilt gaiters). Now I wear them over my boots but Under my trouser bottoms , which prevents especially rain being channeled into my boots. Long socks help prevent chaffing from a rough gaiter.

Thanks for that I see that the strap referred to is on the yeti  not on a Conventional gateer 

 I shall pick up some secondhand ones as recommended