ProView – Rab Muztag GTX Gaiter

An invitation to summit Mt. Rainier was extended to me by a co-worker who has guided and climbed bigger mountains for years. I was excited. I grew up in the greater Seattle, Washington area and stared out at that mountain constantly (at least as much as you can with the fickle pacific northwest weather). Having grown up there, I had a good idea of what the weather could be like: sunny, clear, moderate temps – dreamy. Of course, though, the PNW delivers something else. Full on winter conditions is what we encountered in our end-of-May summit attempt: snow, rain, slushy snow, and wind – lots and lots of wind. I was well equipped with layers that were well suited for the environment. Despite great pants and mountaineering boots, I wanted an extra layer to help keep my boots and pant cuffs dry and the weather out. I took along a pair of Rab Muztag GORE-TEX Pro Gaiters and they performed flawlessly on the snowy slopes of Mt. Rainier.

Size and Fit

Rab only offers these gaiters in two sizes: medium and large. Supposedly the mediums cover shoe size 6-8 and the larges cover 8-10. I am a solid 11.5 boot and wondered how they would fit. I wore a pair of La Sportiva G5 Evo boots with a pair of Outdoor Research Cirque II pants and these gaiters were working hard to fit around everything. In the end, they fit nice and snug with a slim profile which was nice as this desert rat is not accustomed to crampon walking. 

You are able to adjust the rubberized underfoot strap to raise or lower the gaiter on the boot, but I found there was no need to fine tune that adjustment. The top has a great elastic band and draw cord to cinch up around the leg to help keep it closed off to the elements and help to stay put.

Performance

The Muztag gaiter was a welcomed addition to my mountain kit. I had initially not planned on bringing gaiters as the over the boot softshell pants I had were durable against the weather and the G5 Evos have a built-in gaiter. I thought I might as well bring some and the ones I was borrowing were old and short. I ended up getting a pair of the Rab Muztag GORE-TEX Pro gaiters and they proved highly beneficial.

The snow was soft at its best condition and only got worse as the rain began to fall lower on the mountain. By the end of the trip there was so much moisture in the snow that you were post holing into puddles. It was all hands-on deck to keep my boots, pants, socks, and feet dry as I post holed my way to and from the trailhead and the GORE-TEX material did the heavy lifting. 

I had one issue with these and had my trip been longer could have exacerbated the issue. The underfoot rubberized strap feeds through the gaiter via a hole. That hole has a 2-piece press-fitted rubber grommet that creates a durable surface for that strap to pull against. Without it, the strap is pulling on the GORE-TEX material itself as well as creating an opening at the very bottom of the gaiter for moisture to go between the GORE-TEX layers. I would expect on a longer trip or on a route that encounters more talus and rock that this would have caused tearing or damage to that hole. I was easily able to press the two grommets back together and I thought the problem was solved but they did not have holding power and would fall apart within a few steps. This issue was noted on both sides of one gaiter, whereas the other gaiter’s grommets could not be pulled apart.

Friendliness to the Earth

Rab is doing a great job at both making corporate efforts to increase their sustainability as well as make it easy to see what they are doing. It is nice to see a company make pledges and then take website space to showcase the achievements they have made.

The big positive to purchasing Rab equipment is that they strive to provide opportunities for consumers to get their gear repaired. I am confident that if my issue with the underfoot strap causes material damages that I can confidently send it in to be repaired instead of throwing out an otherwise highly effective tool.

The Muztag gaiters do not advertise any recycled material, but GORE-TEX does state that since 2010 all of their fabric manufacturing sites were Blue Sign approved, which means that their GORE-TEX products are made responsibly.

Final Word

The Muztag GORE-TEX Pro gaiters are a fantastic addition to an otherwise functional kit. They are incredibly lightweight which means you will not feel the addition of them to your pack if you never decide to wear them. I will continue to find uses for these gaiters until I make it back to Mt. Rainier for a second attempt at the summit!

Shop Rab Muztag GTX Gaiter on Outdoor Prolink. Not a member? Apply today!