UKC

Has anyone had success knocking up their own crampon protection patches for shell trousers? 

A metre of cordura fabric seems pretty cheap and something like seam grip would presumably hold it on, pretty sure the patches on my last pair of salopettes were bonded not sewn.

Thoughts and tips appreciated.

Interesting question. Will keep an eye out for responses. Might be obvious, but what about good ol duct tape?

Yes, I have done this repeatedly.

Most recently I added crampon patches on some Berghaus trekking pants, and then removed them before chucking the pants out at the Kvikjokk car park after they fell apart all over the place (well deserved after 15 years of hard use). I have since sown the patches back on a new pair of trousers.

I had previously also repaired the crampon/edge protection patches on some beat up touring ski salopettes, but there I used Pattex glue over a large area in addition to sewing them on, so I binned the repair patches with the trousers after their eventual death!

CB

Cordura gaiters ?

Putting gaiters over the top of shell trousers is not the best idea in this country. 

that is exactly my thought.   I tend to think of my old gaiters as trouser/calf savers

I've become a recent convert to wearing 'proper' gaiters and softshell in winter, as opposed to doing the whole day in hardshell troos with sewn in ones, so I'd be wearing them anyway.

I'm going to get some cheapish waterproofs to keep in the bag and chuck on on top of everything else if it's shitty and I'm just interested in ways to stop them getting mullered.

Gaffer tape is also on the list of options...

Back of ankle-calf greaves/armour made of 2 or three layers of milkbottle plastic held in place by elastic?

Good for climbing in, less stuff flapping around your ankles, the neater fit means you are less likely to Spike them. 

The best setup for long glissades too on those days when the red burn is like the cresta run.

Clearly if it's pissing down trousers over gaiters but otherwise... 

I'm so utterly terrified of sliding (again) in the direction of Chamonix from up high that I find I don't allow my front points anywhere my trousers.

I don't entirely mean to be flippant. It's really important that your trousers fit well around your legs so that you minimise the danger of ever needing reinforced bits of trousers. If you've got enough flapping around at your ankles that you worry you might spear yourself, your problems will not be solved by reinforced bits of trouser.

(All things which I'm sure you already appreciate, but just in case...)

So how about proper gaiters and waterproof knee length zip off shorts?

Indeed

Thank you everyone for your replies.

I'm just trying to offer a bit of protection against, for example, an awkward high step where you gently graze your other leg with a sharp crampon point in passing and it hilariously 'unzips' your goretex. No doubt my piss footwork won't help, but accidents happen.

Most commercially available winter hardshells seem to come with crampon patches these days, but having had to sell my last pair because I'm too damn fat I'm considering trying to replicate the effect on a budget.

I take the points about gaiters keeping everything nice and tidy, but these days I'd  have gaiters on already with hardshells in the bag and it seems a huge faff to remove crampons to get to your gaiters, put waterproofs on and then reapply everything on top. Unless that's what everyone else is doing and I'm just a nugget.

I think we have a winner. Strong look on the hill too.

I have done that in Sweden in summer. Regular rather than water proof shorts, but Goretex gaiters can help keep the mud out of your boots when sink into the bog up to your knees every ten steps or so!

If I were doing this I'd use stormsure to bond it. It worked brilliantly to repair my wife's jacket. 

Just be careful your patch doesn’t become something that can “hang up” your crampon  you don’t want to be hopping around on one leg trying to untangle your crampon from some duct tape, most modern patches are “bullet proof” for a reason 😏

The MTB look.

I've done it on a pair of waterproof trousers using sniper tape (like duct tape but more "fabric-y" and has stuck better, good stuff) it's worked really well for years now

I've added some patches using a coated Kevlar material and it's so far held up well. 

https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/coated-kevlar-protective-patch-material

Excellent, did you glue or sew?

I sewed them on but they've started to separate around the bottom but would probably sew them on again just do a better job of it probably some lines across the middle and double row around the edge. I'm not sure how flexible gluing them on would be over a large area as its a fairly stiff fabric already.

Cheers dude.