Pike Trail Snake Leg Gaiters: High Performance Protection for Hikers and Hunters - Waterproof, Bite Protective, Durable, Anti-Snake, Lower Leg Outdoor Gear

We live in the country and before we built our home I would come out to our small acreage and cut brush, trim trees, etc. We live in Texas and I've seen 3 or 4 coral snakes, one rattlesnake, and countless copperheads here so unless I'm walking through short grass I am taking precautions if I need to be in a more snake-friendly area doing something. Originally I had purchased some 'snake proof' boots. I never put them to the true test, but suspect that they would have done the job if I did get a strike. They were soooooo freaking hot though! That was fine in the winter but the summers were horrible. It was rare when I would find something so important to do in the summer that necessitated wearing the boots. When I did though, my feet would be swimming in sweat by the end of the day and I'd frequently get what I assume is contact dermatitis on my legs from not wearing knee-high socks and letting the boot material be sinched up against my skin. Miserable. I finally threw in the towel and started looking for other options... I started looking for non-waterproof snake boots, but eventually wandered into the gaiter option. I have some lower-cut Timberland boots that I really like and if I could get the lace area a little more protection they would (I'm pretty sure!!) be near impossible for a snake to penetrate. I settled on the Pike Trails here and finally tried them out for the first time yesterday evening. I like. They have great coverage over the lace area. I like the under-boot strap that keeps them pulled down and in place. The build quality seems great. It's like several long panels encased in cloth and they wrap around your leg. There are three straps that you secure the gaiter to your leg with. It is actually a pretty ingenious method. Normally straps like this have the extra slack that you have to feed/unfeed from weaving into a clasp so that you can get it adjusted. These are velcro/hook & loop. At first, I was connecting the strap to the other end, deciding that I needed to loosen or tighten it, then disconnecting it, making an adjustment to the length and reconnecting to see how it felt. After a couple of times of doing that, it finally dawned on me that you actually just have to get it connected and THEN you can cinch it as tight as you desire with the velcro while the connecter is still attached. Super easy! (and yeah, I did feel a little dumb for not catching that at first) I will say that they were still pretty warm. I might try them a little looser next time. In their defense, it was very warm outside and the humidity was through the roof, so any extra layer of clothing is going to have a negative effect. I definitely still like them far better than the old boots though and I felt pretty confident that they would serve their intended purpose should the need arise. One last thing... the metal clasps for the straps are nice, but not silent. I sounded like I was walking around with spurs on! Totally a non-issue for me, but if you are a hunter you might keep that in mind. I'm sure there's an easy fix that you could come up with (a little electrical tape maybe, or wedge some cloth between them and the gaiter) but as-is they might betray you if you are trying to sneak up on something!

I go into fields with foxtails and burrs and some blackberry bushes. Thorns don't pierce, burs and foxtails stay out and they don't even attach to the material these guards are made from. I'm 5'6 so I'm a tiny bit shorter than average so the shin protectors kinda knick my ankles while walking if I don't take my time putting these on absolutely correctly. There's tons of overlap of each flap for extra thickness to potentially protect from a rattle snake bite if bitten where these protect- the shins/calves. They are hot and sweaty and not very heavy but noticeable when wearing them. I would buy these again and again unless proven to fail a snake bite encounter. They're don't even show signs of wear and tear so they may last me for at least 3 years or even much longer. Solid product!

I don’t think these will stop a a snake bite from penetrating your skin if you wear them over pants. Unless it is very cold, I always wear high rubber boots on my property because there have been several copperheads in the past year. I put these on over my boots because the boots are not very tight to give some air space around my legs. I believe the combination of the boots plus these garters will protect me if a snake should bite. The other advantage of putting them on over the boots is that when I remove the boots the garters stay in place so they don’t have to be strapped on every time I need them.

Living with a few snakes around the property, I needed something that gives real peace of mind. I’ve got broadleaf plants surrounded by pine straw, and visibility under them is low. These gaiters are my go-to whenever I’m working near those spots. I feel totally comfortable wearing them—they're tough, and I trust that nothing is getting through. Pike Trail nailed it with these.

Good. Works.