Like the AR Mini Gaiters, these O gaiters are modelled from various pairs of O gaiters that I’ve had. I’ve removed or modified the things I don’t like and have kept things I do. For years I have been putting my AR Mini Gaiters over my O gaiters… These AR O Gaiters have built-in AR Mini Gaiters. Truly inspired.

Features

• Pull-on gaiters with no zips (I’ve found zips to irritate)
• Foam padding on your shin
• Lycra around your calf
• Elasticised top – comfortable
• Velcro ‘tighten tab’ at the top (I hate strings and toggles)
• Built-in AR Mini Gaiter – keeps nasties out of your shoes
• Front padding is available in black, navy, maroon and yellow (black Lycra around the calf)

Sizing

Measure the length of your shin from just above your ankle to the knobbly bit of bone at the top of your shin, underneath your knee – as indicated in this diagram.

Small: 28-30cm

Medium: 31-33cm

Large: 34 – 36cm

XL: >37cm

If you’re inbetween, go for the smaller size. Remember that the AR Mini Gaiters will accommodate for any ‘gap’ between ankle and the bottom of the gaiter.

Cost

R320/pair. Postage (registered) is R25 (South Africa).

To order

Email Liz (the gaiter elf) at despev@worldonline.co.za and specify size, colour and number of pairs. Although we keep a few units in stock, for the most part we are manufacturing on order because of the various sizes. It could take a week or three for your AR O Gaiters to be ready, depending on volume of orders.

Payment by EFT. Liz will provide banking details.

White, beige and metallic shades are awesome colours for desert gaiters and we can also make them up in any colour you choose – provided we can get the fabric.

Cost: R260 per pair.

Postage: R25, registered (South Africa). Foreign postage is around R60.

To order: email Liz at despev@worldonline.co.za and specify size, colour and number of pairs. She will provide EFT details. PayPal transactions are now available for foreign orders (and local credit card payments).

• We provide the hook side of the velcro to you; we recommend that you get it stitched on by a cobbler. Super glue doesn’t work for long because sand lifts the glue.
• Available in two sizes. Small (UK5-8.5) and large (UK9-UK13).
• An adjustable Velcro tab around the ankle accommodates teeny-tiny ankles.
• To put them on, slip the gaiter over your foot. The one with the www.AR.co.za badge goes on your left foot. Then put on your socks and shoes and do up your laces. Start attaching the gaiter from the front, smoothing the Velcro together. Finally slip the back over the gaiter over the back of your shoe. Et voila!
• The elastic at the back accommodates different shoe sizes. You do not need Velcro at the back; sand doesn’t come in through the rigid heel cup. Trust me.
• These gaiters have a higher ankle than the AR Mini gaiters. Great for going down steep dunes of soft sand. If I’m going down some big ones, I tighten up the ankle tab.
• Our AR Desert Gaiters have now been shipped off to the US, Canada, France, Dubai, Germany and UK!

Team Mzansi running down a dune at the abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge in December 2010. They're wearing distinctive green AR Desert Gaiters.

Feedback

• “The run was the hardest thing I’ve ever done; the heat (46 – 48 degrees), the humidity, the distance, the sand dunes, the desert… The gaiters were superb. They didn’t let in a drop of sand the entire run even when they were soaking wet.” – Jon, Namib Desert Challenge (finished 12th)
• “They work very well! It is all about the correct sewing of the Velcro onto the shoe, as you said. Not easy at all but if done right the rest is perfect.” – Kim, Namib Desert Challenge (finished 17th)
• “I can’t thank my hubby and you enough! He managed to get the velcro stitched to my shoes still that afternoon and it worked so well. I didn’t even know I ran with gaiters. And from all the others runners’ gaiters I saw, I think yours are the most comfortable. I did not get any sand in my shoes.” – Marissa, Namib Desert Challenge (her hubby collected AR Desert Gaiters the day before she left for Namibia!)
• “An awesome landscape when we hit the real desert near the Sossusvlei – I loved the dunes. The gaiters worked well. Well done me girl; they did the trick just like you promised. They even took a hammering on the first three days of rocky (quartz) and bushy sections and paths. I did try to look after them – I stuck them a little further back from the edge on these days. Of the total of 40, 12 people bombed out over the first three days. Thanks for the great gaiters, which can still be used in another race.” – Robin, Namib Desert Challenge (finished 20th).

The three gremlins of blister formation are heat, friction and moisture. AR Mini-Gaiters keep trail debris (grass seeds, sticks, stones, gravel and sand) out of your shoes to improve foot comfort and sock longevity.

I’ve  been sewing my own AR Mini-Gaiters for about six years now and in this time fellow orienteers, trail runners and adventure racers have asked me to make pairs for them. I’ve outsourced the sewing part and retained my design to make these AR Mini-Gaiters available to you.

• One size fits all thanks to four-way stretch lycra. BUT, girls, if your ankles are smaller than 21cm, please let me know. Also if your shoe size is smaller than UK5 or 6, let me know when you order. This is unusual (I’ve only encountered two thus far).
• Attaches to your bottom lace by folding over a Velcro tab (see picture). Elastic in the bottom seam keeps your gaiter from coming off your shoe at the back – it just works.
• Available in a variety of colours and patterns, which change regularly (see images below)
• If you go off-road most weekends, including AR and other multiday events, you can expect to get one year to 18 months from your gaiter. If you get a little hole in the fabric, which can happen depending on vegetation and terrain, just close it up with a few stitches (or superglue if you can’t sew…).

TEAM GAITERS

We’ll make up gaiters for your team (four pairs) in a colour of your choice, provided we can get the fabric.

And the cost?

Only R150.00 per pair.

PayPal transactions are now available for foreign orders (and local credit card payments).

Available through www.AR.co.za, Kinetic Gear store (Jo’burg), Outdoor Freedom (Centurion) and Go Multi Magazine’s online shop.

Kinetic Gear, Rivonia (Jo’burg)

Exercise & Nutrition Centre, Rivonia. Cnr North & Rivonia Roads (the store is ground level).

www.kineticgear.co.za

Outdoor Freedom, Doringkloof, Centurion

Shop 21, Doringkloof Mall, Doringkloof

From the N1, turn from the highway into Louis Botha Ave. At the robot at Lupin street & Botha Ave turn left and drive straight into the Doringkloof Mall. The shop is around the other side of the mall from this gate entrance.

www.outdoorfreedom.co.za

www.AR.co.za

Your gaiters can be posted to you for an additional R25 for postage and packaging (registered; can fit up to three pairs in each padded envelope). To order, just drop Liz an email (despev@worldonline.co.za)  specifying quantity and delivery preference (by hand at events – Jo’burg – or postal; include postal address if this is your preference). She’ll respond with banking details and confirmation of your order.

Go Multi magazine ‘s online shop

On Go Multi magazine’s website – www.gomulti.co.za – click on ‘Shop’ (top right) and then ‘Accessories’ to place your order. Purchase by credit card transaction. This is the direct link.

HOW TO…

• Slip AR Mini-gaiter over your foot, wide end downwards. The gaiter with the www.AR.co.za badge goes on your left foot (so that the badge faces out).
• Wrap the velcro tab over and under the bottom-most lace. The bottom-most lace part is important because 1) you get more coverage from the gaiter over the top of your shoe, to prevent stuff attaching to your laces and 2) this creates maximum tension on the gaiter.
• Stick the ‘free-end’ to the piece sewn to the underside of the fabric (this makes more sense when you actually do it!).
• Pull the back of the gaiter over your shoe.
• The elastic in the bottom of the gaiter helps to create tension and to keep the gaiter on your shoe.*

Note: don’t pull the top of the gaiter high up your shin. It looks silly and it pulls the gaiter off your heel. The top is meant to sit around your ankle, above your socks.

* The only time my mini gaiters slip is when I wear them over my orienteering shin gaiters as the movement from the O gaiters makes them wriggle up – sometimes. Also, the back of my Salomon S-Labs is very smooth so occasionally they slip. To solve this, a tab of  self-adhesive Velcro works a treat. For the rest, these gaiters stay down, over the back of your shoe. They just do.

Feedback

• “I’m a newbie to the world of adventure racing and did my first Wartrail this weekend. I borrowed a pair of gaiters from a friend (I slept too late to order some in time before the race). They made such a difference! To keep out the grass and to give some style to my outfit ! Gaiters are now on my Top 5 list of must have gear for adventure racing. I’m definitely gonna order some more for birthday gifts for my trailrunning buddies.” – Madreez, Bloem
• “Tried and tested ……… very impressed! Great product that JUST works!” – Errol, CT
• “We kloofed Grootkloof last night. Crazy stunt we do mid-winter every year. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that your mini gaiters are superb at keeping gravel out of shoes. Normally by the time you get out the kloof your shoes are full of gravel – today I had hardly a stone!” – Tony
• “Last weekend I’ve run a running trail in Belgium. It was a trail over 60km and I wore my Gaiters. They worked perfectly!” – Paul, Netherlands (yes, we do send to countries outside of South Africa)
• “Please send two more pairs of gaiters….the rest of my bush crew would like a pair. I ran with mine last night…very cool, no sand irritating me,  no twigs and no muddy socks!!!” – Grant
• “Just to let you know, I have the gaiters and ‘hiked’ them in yesterday on a stunning hike along Chapman’s Peak, all the way up to the Peak and back… Cape Town has some truly magnificent walks! I’ll be recommending them to anyone who asks – they are perfect!” – Robyn, Cape Town
• “I’ve just come back from a 6km run in Tokai forest and can honestly say that the AR Mini-Gaiters are amazing!!” – Ray, Cape Town
• “I used the gaiters on trail run at Teak this weekend and they were awesome!” – Henri

We can do more interesting colours. If you have a preference, let us know and we’ll see if we can make them for you. It just takes a few days longer.

This flag is 26cmx26cm and made from day-glo orange fabric (net-like), with bright trim and a reflective stripe down the centre. When transporting bikes and boats, hang off the back of your boat or off the end of your bike rack.

Price: R65.00 (R25 (registered) for postage and packaging if not collecting from Lisa at events)

To order a Transport Flag, just drop Lisa an email (lisa@ar.co.za)  specifying quantity and delivery preference (include postal address if this is your preference). She’ll respond with banking details and confirmation of your order. Click-click… easy.