[pct-l] making spandura gaiters

[chelin at teleport.com (Sharon & Chuck Chelin)]

Good evening, Bruce,

My gators came from REI but I have reverse-engineered them so I can make my
own when they die.  That might take a while, because after nearly 1000 miles
they still seem fine.  I do have experience with the under-the-sole strings.
The greatest variable to their lifespan is not the trail surface, it is the
shape of the shoe sole surface.  Some shoes are very flat across the arch
whereby the string will contact the ground with every step.  Worse, the
sharp edges of the sole causes very distinct wear points.  There may be some
lug notches convenient in which the string may find protection.  Better, for
the strings at least, is the shoe style that has a more distinct heal with a
somewhat recessed and rounded arch.  With that style the strings rarely
touch the trail.  I would not use that feature as the "sole" shoe selection
criteria, but it certainly helps the strings.

I have tried many kinds of string or strap material, but I usually return to
the 1/8" nylon parachute cord type.  The 1/4" wide flat stuff also works
well.  I prepare cut lengths ahead of time and carry a pair and a pair goes
in each resupply box.  I am not fond of knotting them in place so I make a
loop in one end that will cinch through one eyelet like a girth hitch, if
you know what that is, and the other end is free with about 10" of heavy
thread tied to it so I can whip-lash an eye in the other side.  If I am
really ambitious I double each string, then dip about 2" of the resulting
loop into something like varnish and hang it to dry.  The resulting stiff
string resists wear from the outside and does not become full of abrasive
mud.  As you can probably guess, anyone who would do this kind of stuff
probably does not have much time to watch TV.

In the future I may just stitch the gators to the tops of the shoes and
leave them in place.  I used to wear high-top moccasins with thin, soft
leather tops in much the same way.

Steel-Eye


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bruce Harvey" <bharve@dslextreme.com>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2004 12:30 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] making spandura gaiters


> Comments and advice invited from anyone who has made gaiters with spandura
> material.  Did you use a stretch thread?  Did you stretch the material out
> before and during seam sewing?  Did you use hook and eyelet for one end of
> the instep string, or some other attachment means?  What string material
do
> you recommend?
>
> Thanks in advance for all responses.
>
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