Gaiters

• Distinguish from "gator", which is a short form of "alligator".

On people

Gaiters are a type of protective clothing for a person's ankles and legs below the knee. Gaiters are worn when working or hiking outdoors among dense underbrush or on snow, with or without snowshoes. Gaiters strap onto the hiking boot and around the person's leg to provide protection from branches and thorns and to prevent mud, snow, etc from entering the boot. Gaiters are similar to puttees, a part of numerous military uniforms.

Originally, gaiters were made of leather. Today they are commonly made of plasticized synthetic cloth such as polyester.

Rubber gaiters on a 1953 BMW R51/3 motorcycle

On motorcycles

Gaiters are pleated rubber tubes enclosing the front suspension tubes of some motorcycles with telescopic front forks. Gaiters protect the sliding parts of the front suspension from dirt and water.

In the church

Gaiters formed a part of the everyday clerical clothing of bishops and archdeacons of the Anglican Communion until the middle part of the twentieth century. They were made of black cotton, wool, or silk, and buttoned up the sides, reaching to just below the knee where they would join with black breeches. Gaiters would be worn with a clerical apron, a type of short cassock reaching to just above the knee. The purpose of this vesture was originally practical, since archdeacons and bishops were presumed to be mobile, riding horses to various parts of a diocese or archdeaconry. In latter years, the clothing took on a more symbolic dimension.

Medical usage

In medicine, the gaiter area is that area of the lower extremity over which a gaiter fits roughly from the ankle to the proximal calf. It is in this area that the classic venous stasis ulcer occurs. Venous stasis results from damage to the vein valvular system in the lower extremity and in extreme cases allows the pressure in the veins to be higher than the pressure in the arteries. This pressure results in transudation of inflammatory mediators into the subcutaneous tissues of the lower extremity and subsequent breakdown of the tissue including the skin.

In names of sports teams

The varsity team name for Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada is the "Bishop's Gaiters".

Anglicans Online: Through the Years with Gaiters