Lowe Alpine Zip Front Gaiter

Richard Pearce 2
Reviewed: 02 April 2007

NICE GAITER SHAME ABOUT THE QUALITY

Lightweight, breathable.

Poor build quality

First "modern" style gaiter I bought i.e front opening, and performance wise they were great. The material breathed really well compared to my old trailwise canvas ones. Main difference was the build quality however. The trailwise gaiters could have withstood a nuclear war sadly the LA ones Zip failed after probably only 50 or so uses. Having lost the receipt i could not prove they were less than 12 months old so was unable to get a free repair. It was not economically viable to pay for a repair so they went in the bin. I will not be buying LA gaiters again in a hurry.

James Walton
Reviewed: 31 December 2003

NOT UP FOR DEMANDING USAGE

* Good lightweight design.
* The fabric seems to breathe very well with no noticeable perspiration build up on the inside.
* The under-straps are rubberised (which in my opinion is far better than woven nylon, as it doesn’t wick moisture)
* The front zip opening makes it easy to do up.
* The storm flap is Velcroed up the entire length of the gaiter.
* The draw-cord is easy to adjust with the plastic friction toggle clips.
* I find the fit great.

* The rivet that holds the underfoot strap recently failed.
* The lightweight fabric in abrasion is not reinforced so this area is more prone to early failure. The fabric is now spouting holes.
* The poppers used are sometimes temperamental, but this is usually down to grains of dried mud interfering with the fit (if they haven’t been cleaned).

I have had these gaiters for 3 years and they have finally come to the end of their life. They have served me well in that time, however the weaknesses in the design will see me considering a different set of replacement gaiters. I will be looking for a different pair with reinforced ankle material, so I may consider Lowe Alpine’s Storm Gaiter or some of the Gortex fabric variants.

Geoff Fewkes
Reviewed: 28 May 2003

GOOD DESIGN SPOILT BY POOR BUILD QUALITY

Good price, breathability, neoprene underfoot strap, front zip and easy to put on.

Build quality - presstuds are installed by ham fisted monkeys

An excellent design for the price but as been stared above the presstuds are usually out of shape - appears to be a general manufacturing fault. I tried several pairs in the shop and ended up having to mix and match and get £5.00 knoceked off before I found my perfect pair!!!!

One minor grip would be the drawcords occaisionally become entangled whilst walking, causing a stumble/trip - no harm done except damaged pride if spotted by anyone else :-)

anthony lewis
Reviewed: 27 May 2003

MUST TRY HARDER NEXT TIME.

Fairly inexpensive. Outer fabric seems quite resistant to abrasion and thorns.

DWR doesn't last. Nowhere to put the excess rubber strap from underneath the boot. Not as breathable as a GTX gaiter, in my opinion.

Not a bad effort, but I'll be looking into a pair of Gore-Tex gaiters soon.

Simon Cardwell
Reviewed: 04 January 2002

NOT UP TO LOWE'S USUAL HIGH STANDARDS FOR KIT.

Front zip opening, beefy underfoot strap, very breathable TPC fabric, comes in two different sizes (good for stumpy people like me!), price.

End of underfoot strap flaps around annoyingly, material easily damaged, press studs at top and bottom of front flap very stiff.

On my first pair of these the zip failed after about 8 months use, by which time the fabric was showing signs of wear. These were relaced by LA free of charge (nice of them) but on the second pair the press studs on the front opening are so stiff that the force required to open them means they're starting to pull out of the material.
Also there is nothing to stop the excess underfoot strap flapping around which is irritating after a while.
They do breath very well however, and are comfortable to wear. But too many faults for me to want to get another pair.
I'll be looking at other gaiters to replace these very soon.