SCENTBLOCKER Snake Gaiters – Snake Bite Protection for Hunting, Hiking, Camping, Work for Men and Women

When I inspected these, I wondered how well they would really repel snake fangs. They are basically just heavy duty woven polyester canvas sealed with some kind of plastic on the insides. I tried poking a needle through. With some pressure, it went right through. I tried an ice pick. With some pressure, that would penetrate as well. But I figured that a rattlesnake probably doesn't have much bite force, not as much as I was applying. So I figured I'd use them but not get overconfident, still using plenty of caution when trekking around in the local high desert where there are lots of prairie rattlesnakes here in the San Luis Valley of Colorado.Yesterday, when hiking, I came across a decent sized rattlesnake, probably four and a half feet in length. I decided it was a good opportunity to test them. So I took one gaiter off and, suspending it on the end of my trekking pole, I put it in front of the snake, which was coiled to strike. After shaking the thing a bit, I got the snake to strike it five or six times. Never did the fangs seem to penetrate. There was no venom inside or outside. I am not sure if the snake was dry or if they only inject venom with penetration. I could see what looked like faint, whitish lines where the fangs scraped down the surface a bit. Agreeing with my suspicions, the snake didn't seem to hit the gaiter with much force. So maybe these are perfectly adequate!As far as comfort goes, they aren't bad. One advantage is that I can pull my pant leg on my hiking cargo pants up a litte, giving extra slack which eases raising my knee high for stepping up on high rocks and whatnot. But they are rather hot and make my lower legs sweat considerably in the summertime heat. After hiking a couple of hours, when I take them off, my lower pant leg is soaked with sweat. That's probably just the price you must pay to have the protection from snakes. All snake gaiters probably are similar in this respect.The stretchy cord that goes under the bottom of the boot is already about to wear through after only a couple of outings. That is to be expected though, hiking on rocky surfaces and climbing hills as I do. The cords will be easy to replace.Overall, I am mostly pleased.

I was looking for a "comfortable" pair of snake gaiters. These ScentBlocker gaiters were recommended to me by a person who works many long days out in the field on trail repair in the Santa Monica Mountains. He felt they did a great job of providing snake protection while still being reasonably comfortable to wear. When I put them on, I found that he was right. I could wear these and feel safer and comfortable at the same time. Granted, they will not be as comfortable as wearing shorts when it is hot. But, they sure beat being bitten by an angry rattler. So far, neither I or the person who recommended the gaiters have tested the efficacy of the product. I have read other reviews where the reviewer actually tested the product. The snake could not bite through the gaiters.

i live in the desert with rattlers. i like to hike though. these are very comfortable. they do not slip up on the legs. they make me feel much more secure while hiking through or near brush. most importantly they are easy to remove for a breather and put back on while on the trails.

Excellent gaiters! But then I'm in the East and not bothered by Timber Rattlers. I'd get a heavier gaiter if I were. These don't cover the toe of your boot, which is a disadvantage. Here in Virginia, copperheads are our main concern and from what I've seen during a few encounters, they tend to bite low, around the ankles. That's unless you step on them or they bite higher. Anything goes really. But, being down by the creek I wear these things every time I step out the door. They are not that hot or heavy and I feel much more confident then just me and my shorts. They do drag a little in the back as I don't cinch them up real tight. All around tho...for 50 bucks...worth it!

I haven't had any snakes test them out, but they're pretty comfortable as far as gaiters go. If you're a small woman like me they may not tighten enough for you. I had them as tight as they would adjust to, but they would still slide down as I hiked. The bottoms would end up scraping against the ground and the black edging frayed. That's my only complaint. If it's hot you're bound to be soaked with sweat under them, but I can't imagine any gaiters wouldn't cause that.

I bought these gaiters in the hopes that I could skip replacing my worn-out but expensive snakeproof boots. These gaiters seem to offer the same protection and are no less comfortable than the snake boots; plus they keep my boot laces from getting snagged and untied.

Wish we had actually worn these in snake country.We go into the Oregon outback every year, and thought these would be good gear to have. They are bulky and uncomfortable, so we decided to leave them behind because we were hiking light. Guess who got bit by baby rattlers in September? These boneheads. The man and I both got nailed by great basin rattlers (a nest), and if we had worn our gaiters this would not have happened. This happened within 30ft of camp in a very remote area. Lesson learned. Snake bites survived, the discomfort of the gaiters outweighed the sickness caused by the bites.

Little stiff but light weight and I know would protect my wife. I wear an old set of metal mesh ones but she wanted something a little more nice. These are nice. They are a little hot and your legs can get sweaty but otherwise were very leased with them.