Pike Trail Snake Gaiters Leg Guards for Snake Bite Protection

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!

After a copperhead bit our grandson doing tree cleanup on our property after the Helena storm I decided to get some leg protection.The gaiters are well made, good fit. I hope I never have to report how effective they perform.

The Gaiters I ordered are green and was pleasantly surprised to see the steel buckles are black, not shiny. I wondered if the bright polished steel might become an attraction to a snake.The Gaiters are easy to put on using the Velcro belts. Going through thick, thorny bushes may snag the Velcro and loosen the belt. So be sure to keep an eye open for this to happen (it did to me).The bottom of the Gaiters has a thick, adjustable plastic belt that slips under the shoe to keep the Gaiters from shifting too much to one side. I've only worn them once but the shifting is very modest while still offering protection for the ankle area.These Gaiters use a double plastic liner to serve as a snake bite barrier. Thankfully, I encountered no snakes so I can't comment on how much protection from an actual snake bite these Gaiters provide.Comfort-wise, these are great. I wore them for 3.5 hours while metal detecting with no discomfort. My thighs expectedly did get a bit warm by the end of the hunt, though. Temperatures that day were mild.I would also point out that I have thick calf muscles (17.5") and the main reason I opted for gaiters over snake boots. There's also no zipper to worry about busting. Gaiters me cost $40 plus tax. A lot less expensive than boots!The only negative I see is the lack of water-repellent coating. Although I have no plans to wade into ankle deep (or deeper) water with these, I decided to give them a spray coating of a water repellent product.I would recommend these with the caveat that snake-bite proof has yet (hopefully NEVER) to be demonstrated. So, I'm only giving them 4 stars.

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!

The media could not be loaded. I'm a Biologist who has to machete my way through thick East Texas woods - thorned vines and thick brush included. I wore these on a five day trip this month and was so impressed by the end of the trip.Once I had them on, I forgot I was wearing them. They're comfortable and don't snag on any underbrush as I walk. They do build up heat on a hot day but I'll take that over the risk of a snake bite any day. The one size fits all is true - I'm a 5'10 female with pretty wide calves and the adjustibility was perfect for my leg.I luckily can't speak to the effectiveness of the snake bite resistance.Great price for a great product.