Mountain Hardwear Ascent Ventigaiter Review

Nothing worse then trudging through winter and constantly digging snow out of your boots. When I go snowshoeing I wear my Keen Targhees because they are light and very easy to run around in. The Mountain Hardwear Ascent Ventigaiters go well with low cut shoes or boots for numerous reasons. The elastic in the back fits nice and snug on a variety of footwear. I had some OR crocodiles back in the day for mountaineering and ice climbing with my Makalus. The OR gaiters are good if you have a big momma beefy boot, otherwise they are very hard to fit snug without the elastic band. Gaiter Sizing It is hard to find the right size in a gaiter. With the OR Crocs I wore an XL and with the Ventigaiter I'm in a large. I could probably go down to a medium in the Ventigaiter though because of the type of footwear I am doing. Good rule of thumb is to go by what footwear your wearing. I wear a 10 in the Keen Targhee and a medium/large works, also depends on how massively large your calves are. With side zips on most snow pants these days the vents on the Ventigaiter work very well. When I first saw the vent I thought I wouldn't use it but for trekking up to base camp on Rainier its nice to let the calves breath. The top cinch strap seems too big, I can never get it tight enough. I always feel like the gaiter fits really loose on me unless I have extra layers. BOTTOM LINE For recreational use the Ventigaiter is your boy. Watch out for crampons though, you probably want to step it up to a FTX gaiter so you don't slice up the fabric. BUY NOW: The Mountain Hardwear Ascent Ventigaiter at Backcountry.com.